Link: Well, turtlehead comes out and says it...
- Thread starter TIDE-HSV
- Start date
I've heard voting on a weekend, voting on a federal holiday, and voting polls closing at 11:59 pm, but it still doesn't make a college student or a shift working democrat anymore committed to going to the booth than a grandma watching Fox news 12 hrs a day. The truth is unless there is if there isn't a candidate that people are very excited about then folks are going to stay at home. It has very little to do about "WHEN" a vote is taking place as much as "WHO is running" Comparing Kerry 04 vs Obama 08 is pretty clear about that
Last edited:
So, you don't think voting on the weekend, making it a federal holiday and/or make it multiple days would impact voter turn out?
Not as much as many believe. I think most folks feel its a waste of their time, doesn't feel that they have a real power in their vote, or are not as caught up in the political debate to care. Its just my opinion, but unless we go toward something closer to a parliamentary type voting system for the federal where there are real stakes with everyones vote then I think voter turnout will still be low compared to European countries.
FWIW I'm not advocating for a direct popular vote for the presidency to replace the EC, but something closer to a true 3 party system or a parliament type democracy.
Last edited:
It’s their civic duty; why not?
It’s time people took some responsibility. It’s sad to see other countries have 85-90% plus voter turnout and we have hell to pay to get even half the country to vote.
So, yeah, whatever it takes.
And it’s not as much a bribe for those who do as it is a penalty for those who don’t (something I’ve always been in favor of).
Hey, they can write in Alfred E Neuman for all I care, if they don’t like the candidates. But shirking their civic duty is unacceptable IMO unless there are mitigating circumstances.
Left up to me, anyone who didn’t vote without a viable excuse should get ten lashes. But that’s just me. [emoji2955]
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Last edited:
I wouldn't necessarily be against that.
But I would still be curious how much of an impact making it a national holiday or any of those ideas would have. Anyone know if any good/decent studies have been done on this? I assume there have been.
Just because Fox News doesn’t cover it doesn’t mean plenty of other sources haven’t.
I'm not against making Election day a national holiday, putting it on a weekend, or making some changes to the length in fact I'm more for it since my time sometimes is limited during those days even though I always make it a point to vote. Its just I don't completely buy more time = a dramatic change in the # of people or the results. I still think the "worth my time" aspect really prevents the US from having good turnouts. To quote Mark Cuban " the most valuable thing to me is time". I really think folks feel its a waste of time and would still not vote if you gave them a month of voting chances.
I disagree with this completely. I don't think everyone has a duty to participate in elections. The shallow vapid unthinking masses can and should stay away from the polls. That we regard the opinion of a selfish dunce as much as anyone else's is the chief drawback of democracy.
Agreed. Aristotle frowned upon democracy because it quickly resulted in rule by the mediocre. Judging by the modern collection of clowns in the White House and Capital Hill, he was way to optimistic. Perhaps the Founders were on to something when the wrote that document about limited government.
Hahahahahaha - that’d be funny if it weren’t so elitist.
Shallow vapid unthinking masses elected Trump so I don’t even get the point.
The Electoral College was setup for this purpose.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
So, are you pro or con vapid unthinking masses? You seem to want them all to vote, but are upset when they vote like vapid unthinking masses.
And I’m sure none of these countries ahead of the US in voter turnout have shallow, vapid masses...shame on them. [emoji57]
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/05/21/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Well Aristotle did see 12 years of Alexander achieved more than 300 years of Athenian democracy right before his eyes.
Y'all remember the long lines at the polling places in the last national election? Some folks waited in line 10 hours to vote. I don't imagine there were such delays in the affluent white areas.
Usually takes me about 10 minutes to vote.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics...a-result-of-republican-voter-suppression.html
The problem is especially acute in Maricopa County, Arizona, which, as Berman reports, “reduced the number of polling places by 70 percent from 2012 to 2016, from 200 to just 60—one polling place per 21,000 registered voters.” And in Ohio, GOP-instituted cuts to early voting in Cincinnati created a half-mile line of 4,000 people that snaked under an interstate and through a public park.
These endless lines are a symptom of voter suppression, and those who suffered through them are victims of the Republican war on voting rights. Our current crisis was carefully planned and plotted by GOP activists, officials, and politicians across the country, and set in motion the day the Supreme Court declawed the Voting Rights Act. It is now clear that one major political party has dedicated itself to suppressing as many minority votes as possible. What we are witnessing this election season is the fruits of that labor—the incontrovertible evidence that the right to vote is more imperiled in America today that it has been in half a century.
Read more Slate coverage of the election.
Last edited:
You crack me Bodhi:biggrin: After careful consideration, I am against vapid unthinking masses. :biggrin:So, are you pro or con vapid unthinking masses? You seem to want them all to vote, but are upset when they vote like vapid unthinking masses.
If everyone thought like me the world would undoubtedly be a better place
Found how the information was missed. If it's not 4-5 words and doesn't have a Fox News logo it can't be trusted.
Yeah, and what was the excuse for the Republicans losing in 2012 when they had 4 years of blasting Obama? Or am I to believe Obama would've lost to Trump too?
Seems like we heard that in 2004, but Kerry lost to an unpopular president
Latest threads
-
Final Home Midweek for Alabama Brings Samford to The Joe- Started by Diamond Tide
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
-
-
I'd like to hear about some actual prayer requests that have been answered the way it made sense to answer them.- Started by Labrador
- Replies: 11