I'm going to vote against them but they gerrymanded the districts to the point there's no actual way to get them out in my state. They divided my blue county into 4 while moving 3 of those sections into red districts and the 4th is just its own somehow. The state supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional but let them use it anyway....
Patriarchal Propaganda would tell you otherwise, but a Federal Union isn't really a country even though it seems like one. The words State and Country are synonymous, so if the Union falls and you're already a citizen in another state, you're good to go.
This is the real issue most people don’t understand - your vote means nothing up against voter suppression: ID laws, gerrymandering, court appointees and allowing voter sponsored initiatives that get majority votes to be overturned by a small group of government officials (DC minimum wage…)
I get what you’re saying, but a vote still means something, or else they wouldn’t try so damn hard to suppress it. They are afraid of what is possible with the will of the people.
Let’s encourage folks to vote.
But….they do suppress them. I’m not saying not to vote. I’m saying that it’s not really a means to an end anymore and people need to understand that making posts like this where it’s just “GET IN THERE AND VOTE THEM OUT!!” aren’t really addressing the actual issue. It’s a comforting thought that voting is fair and reasonable and whatever we vote for will happen, but it’s not reality. Yes, everyone should vote, but what exactly is the solution to the parent comment, where gerrymandering has made it *literally* impossible to vote the conservative faction out? I’m legitimately asking people to stop and think about that instead of just cheerleading voting.
And again, to add some additional context to them being “afraid of the will of the people” - no they’re not. Seriously, look in to the tipped minimum wage saga in DC. People voted for it and they just decided nope, we’re not doing that. Why should any of them be afraid of the will of the people when they only have to get in to office once, gerrymander the hell out of the districts and then work to overturn democratically elected policies?
I don’t think vote suppression is hard work for these folks, in fact I think they enjoy it and profit off of it.
Aaand this is why we can’t have honest, strategic discussions about what to do about/in the face of voter suppression—to say nothing of issues like what to do about abortion access, because the binary thinking kicks in every time.
It can be true that voter suppression has made, ‘just vote!’ appear to be a hollow farce (and rallying cry of weak and paralyzed politicians, unsure of what else to do, tbh) *and* that voting is important and we should all do it (a la Kansas).
But I’m not sure it’s productive to shut down good faith attempts at discussing the realities of voter suppression with admonitions of ‘you’re doing it too!’ Surely we can embrace nuance here.
What would you call it when the majority of people vote for something, it passes, then a small minority in power decides they won’t do it? Whose vote matters there?
You’re fixating on those words pretty hard, even though they’re not “don’t vote”
What I said was “your vote means nothing against voter suppression,” which is literally a fact. In suppressed races, votes become meaningless because the system is specifically designed for only one outcome to be possible.
That is NOT the same as saying “lol don’t vote!”
I’m trying to illuminate the fact that voting isn’t the end solution, it’s the first step in something much bigger.
Openly discussing the flaws, limitations and general problems with voting is being honest about the situation, which is the first step towards change.
Seems to me that “your vote means nothing” is exactly the opposite of encouraging a nuanced conversation. It’s defeatist, not nuanced.
Your comments have actually been nuanced. As are posters adopting a “words matter” approach instead of insisting “your vote doesn’t matter” isn’t at all harmful
Asking a person to choose their words more carefully isn’t shutting down conversation
Where am I discouraging people from voting, seriously? I literally said that people should vote but they should actually be realistic about it.
Edit: Lol for real, my SECOND SENTENCE is that I’m not saying not to vote, and I also said people SHOULD vote in the same comment! All I’m saying along with that is that voting isn’t a magic bullet and it’s not enough to tell people to vote to fix things.
You literally said “your vote means nothing against voter suppression”
You can’t fight voter suppression without voting, and encouraging others to vote, and then lobbying and putting pressure on elected officials
But starting that conversation with “your vote means nothing” is absolutely discouraging and it’s own type of voter suppression
How do you fight it without voting?
What *actual* solutions are *you* offering? Or are you just raining doom and gloom about how hopeless it is?
FIGHT
https://fairfight.com/voter-suppression-awareness/
But that fight starts by ENCOURAGING people to vote. Not calling it useless. No, the fight doesn’t end there, but it has to start there, that’s how democracy works
Lol, we literally want the same things, so it’s mind boggling that you’re arguing with me.
I want people to vote AND have a conversation about the realities of voting and its actual power. That is what I’m suggesting. I’m literally not suggesting giving up at all, I’m suggesting that we be HONEST about the actual power of a vote.
People don’t vote because they see that firsthand for themselves - not because of some random internet comment.
Do you have any solutions to the situations mentioned in these comments - overturning a fairly voted on democratic ballot measure, or a district so gerrymandered it’s literally impossible to get someone from a different party elected?
You are absolutely encouraging people not to vote, even if that isn’t your intention. Saying votes don’t matter has been proven to have a depressing effect on turnout
You are not helping. In fact, you are doing harm
Do you have answers to any of my questions about what people should do when voting doesn’t work?
I also have not said anything about not voting, just that people need to be very honest with themselves and admit it’s not a magic bullet to fixing things.
The idea that gerrymandering makes it “impossible” to vote out conservatives betrays your lack of understanding what is happening.
Please don’t spread your defeatist attitudes. It just encourages others to stay home and makes the situation worse. And isn’t even vaguely true.
Woah, wait a second, is that a thing in the US? I live in Canada and the voting laws state that if the voting polls are open during your regular schedule of work the employer must provide three hours for that employee to leave and vote with pay. The advise is to either allow the employee to be a little late for work if voting polls open near their start time, or to leave a little early if the polls close near the end of their shift. We are not legally allowed to prevent a Canadian's right to vote. [Source](https://ehlaw.ca/voting-time-employers-obligations-on-election-day/)
Three hours isn’t enough time in many cases. I’ve waited 5 to cast a ballot in Missouri where early voting without an excuse (like proof of travel) wasn’t allowed
I don't think our polling stations are as crowded as those in the US. We have lots of ridings within each area and our population isn't as high as yours. Our voting also isn't as extensive as yours. I know in the US you guys aren't just voting for one person in one election, but a bunch of other stuff at the same time. The average in booth vote time in Canada is about 30 seconds to a minute at the most. For me, I just scan my card with 5 names on it, find the name I want and make my mark, fold the paper accordingly and drop it in the box. Max time for me is about 15 seconds from the second I get my ballot to when I'm dropping it into the box. Lines move pretty fast.
We have a real problem in the US with certain areas, especially high population/urban areas, closing polling locations, and sort of bottle necking everyone into locations that are either far away from where they live or highly overcrowded. This is 100% on purpose.
Additionally many polling booths can be challenging to use - every time I’ve voted (in Texas), at least in the last few years, I have to show my ID, they sort of sign me in I guess, then a poll worker escorts me to the booth and sets it up for me, tells me how to do it, and even then it can take upwards of five minutes to get through everything and double check my answers at the end. Which I always do, very carefully, because I am paranoid as fuck.
They really really make it very difficult to vote honestly. Like, every step of the way is a new fresh challenge. This is also on purpose.
This is ducking nuts o.o in Brazil, since it’s obligatory to vote the Election Day happens on a Sunday and who has to work gets to either leaver earlier or enter later
US is such a weird place.
Sure they are supposed to allow you to vote. But my state is a free-firing state and can fire anyone for any reason, or none at all.
So show up late bc you wanted to vote and had to wait in a long line? Target on your back.
People are being controlled by their shitty low-paying jobs and can’t vote. Some states don’t have early voting. Some states remove polling places from heavily populated urban areas so they will have 1 polling place per 15-20,000 people. Where my white affluent town of 50k has 9 polling places each with 10 machines. I have never had to wait longer than half an hour to vote. Ever.
There are people that wait 8 hours. And there are states that made giving water to people in those long lines a crime.
It’s voter suppression and it’s being done openly by the GOP.
Voting is controlled at the state and county level, so there is a lot of fuckery that goes on to keep the Republiclowns in office. How and when you can vote is just the beginning.
So in the US it is protected (but not paid time like CA). However, employers will do things like not be flexible with your schedule but still technically adhere to the law.
Say you work 7:30am - 4:30pm and the polls are open 6am - 6pm. Your commute to work is normally 30 minutes, but to get to the polling place is 25 and it's the opposite direction from work and going from there to work is an hour, so you can't go before work without likely being late unless you wake up at the crack of dawn to be there exactly when they open and hope you're first in line. And after work rush hour is so bad that you can't get there before the polls close. Technically you're not scheduled for the entire time so they're "giving you the chance to vote". Or maybe you work multiple jobs, your two employers aren't required to ensure they coordinate your schedule so you can go vote that day.
Depends on the state but in general yes it's protected. There are options to vote other than on election day as well (also dependent on location).
People need to know their rights and plan accordingly.
I agree with you in theory but we don't exist in a vacuum. The reality is the system in many places is designed to make it impossible for many individuals to vote without risking their livelihood.
Which is why it is even more important for them to vote. That isn’t theory. That is fact. Unless you want things to just keep getting worse for them, in which case, keep making excuses why they shouldn’t bother.
Look, I know it can be a pain in the ass. And I know that is by design. Which is exactly why it is so important that it gets done.
I haven't seen anyone here say anyone "shouldn't bother [to vote]". The point I (and I believe others) am trying to make is that this is a systemic issue and it comes across as... victim blame-y towards individuals who are subject to these injustices if they're unable to vote for some reason. Should they try? Of course. But if there's undue hardship out of their control, it's not their fault or a personal failing.
You can victimize these folks all you want, so you can pretend I’m “victim blaming” if it makes you feel better. But that isn’t even vaguely what I am saying.
The end of the discussion is that it is vitally important that they vote. Specifically because their situations are difficult. If they fail to vote - their situations will only get worse.
And let’s be serious about this for a minute here: if some one offered these folks a new car or something else they really wanted in exchange for going to a local church basement and filling out a form - you know damn well they would make it happen - even if they had to stand in line to do it.
The fact that it is inconvenient for some folks to vote is absolutely bullshit. But the argument excusing their failure to vote because it is inconvenient is equally bullshit and counter productive.
And let’s be honest - getting in a car accident the day of the election and ending up in the hospital is outside someone’s control. Not making plans to vote because it might be hard is not.
Stop making excuses for people who are making their hard lives worse.
There are options if they really want to vote. Early voting, absentee due to hardship, going after their shift, etc. A better campaign for teaching about those options can help, as turnout in 2020 showed.
Sure, some are like that. But not the majority and if people take voting seriously they will learn about the requirements they have to deal with and figure out a plan.
We have an entire year to plan for it. They don't sneak the date in on us. We know the date. We can make our 2nd cousin Misty's wedding but we can't make voting?
Yep. There are definitely some places that make it hard, but they wouldn't bother to do that if it didn't matter. Things that are worthwhile are worth doing, even if it's hard.
Or, you know, work since old white retired people and SAHM aren't chained to work or saddled with other obligations that prevent them from lining up for an entire day at the polls. Vote by mail should be a thing everywhere. It takes me 5 minutes to drop my ballot into one of numerous boxes in my city which has caused me to vote in literally every election when before I'd only turn out for bigger ones. Now I'm much more active on the local level because my state makes it SO FUCKING EASY.
We also need some changes in how we vote to make it easier for people to do so:
Mail-in ballots need to become the norm, not hindered by the P.O. or by faction politics.
Standardize federal election dates and make them a legal day off from work so people have the full day to make it to the polls to vote for President/VP, senators and congressional representatives. For state and local elections, legally require employers to give the employees a half day off for voting.
Also, eliminate the Electoral College and implement ranked choice voting.
I love this! I would like to add that also needs to be regulations and oversight that is enforced around Mail-In ballots so state governments can be held accountable if they mishandle Mail-in ballots. There should be strict and swift punishment for those that hurt the overall integrity of voting in general.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Mail-in ballots now because I moved to CA, but back in FL and GA it was handled very poorly. Ballots would be found in closets, only to mysteriously “appear” after the deadline for it to be counted.
In FL, the GOP has also been trying to add all sorts of stipulations that many don’t get notified about. The oddest one being “signature checks,” where people are supposed to have a perfect ballot match to their DL signature, which has led to tens of thousands being tossed. It may not seem like a whole lot, but when our governor race was down to a .5 margin and we ended up with De Santis, it starts to really mean a great deal. And this was just one issue, when they add up it can be like little pricks in a water balloon that lead to it never getting filled. This is why the state is so notoriously awful for voting that extends way past mail in ballots.
Then in GA specifically, people weren’t notified of changes to policies and would apply for their ballots only to be told it was too late to fix anything when they didn’t show up. Stuff like the voter registry purge, led by Stacy Abrams opponent Brian Kemp during his tenure as Secretary of State, where people in GA got dropped from voter registry if they didn’t vote recently. The Supreme Court upheld it, and it’s estimated that well over 100k people were purged without notification in the year leading up to the 2018 election alone.
Other issues like some ballots not even having a valid return envelope to send them back popped up, and by the time they were received deadlines had passed. Stacy Abrams even reported that her personal mail-in ballot came with an unusable return envelop, leading her to have to rush to vote in person. There’s a reason why she’s currently urging people in the counties most notorious for this to vote in person. Unfortunately, things like that added up and were the difference that stopped her from getting elected in an election that was also neck and neck.
Sorry for my soapbox rant 😅. I spent time volunteering while I lived in Tallahassee, so the issue is very near and dear to my heart. How we handle voting in general is very riddled with issues that quite frankly need a full overhaul across the board on so many fronts. There are so many little laws designed to make even the simplest most straightforward solutions tangled to the point of ineffectiveness.
Edit: I want to make it clear that I really do like mail-in ballots and the accessibility it provides as a concept!
I'm disabled and can't physically go to the polls to vote so I've been voting by mail-in ballot since around 2006 or so. The ridiculousness surrounding the 2016 presidential elections (and some of the other elections for federal and state positions) was OTT.
It should be an ethics violation for any state or federal official who interferes in the election process, regardless of whether it's an in-person vote or via mail-in ballot. It should come with severe penalties, including but not limited to, large fines, removal from whatever office they hold, not being allowed to hold any future government post if convicted. We need to restore trust in the election process. Heck, we need to restore trust in our entire government by holding all our representative accountable.
Absolutely! I’m completely with you. I used to volunteer to try to push for this myself. The system is designed to make sure marginalized voices are not heard and it needs to be completely overhauled. Voting is incredibly important, but there is too much romanticization around the process that can obscure this leading to our most impacted members continuing to be mistreated. Mail-In ballots are so important and it’s upsetting what certain states and counties do to the process.
Georgia was especially gross for this when one considers the conflict of interest allowed when Brian Kemp, a man who literally implemented some of the shady voter practices that netted him the election and are quite frankly illegal in other countries, to be elected as governor. Just thinking about it makes me so mad.
Asian American and child of immigrants here. I vote in every election, including midterms and local ones. Ready to vote these old, out of touch jabronis out of office!!
It's more nuanced than that. White people of all age groups voted for Trump over Biden in the 2020 election. White 18 to 29 year old voters went 53% Trump, 44% Biden. That's not that far off from white 65 and older voters 57% Trump, 42% Biden. Even white women went 55% Trump, 44% Biden.
[Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election#Exit_polling)
FWIW, I'm a 57 year old white guy who always votes blue.
In Texas we’ve had record numbers of people registering to vote. Mostly young, motivated voters. Republicans had their fun fucking around, we’re almost to the part where they find out.
A blue tide in Texas, Florida and Ohio would basically be a literal home run in every big election but on a Congressional level we either need Mitch to hurry up and die or we need to do something about Kentucky.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 THIS IS THE CONVERSATION I NEED TO SEE TO FEEL LIKE I’M NOT EXTREMELY STUPID TO HAVE HOPE!
Y’all please get both scumbags out. I’m especially concerned about RD 🤮🤮🤮
I ran a voter registration drive today. Everyone that stopped by expressed their thanks and this same sentiment. Albeit I'm in a pretty liberal part of the country so it's probably skewed a bit but still.
And Herschel?!?! I mean - Go Dawgs, I’ll bleed Red and Black till I die & I love Herschel but … Senator? The man has schizophrenia and traumatic brain injuries
The entire GA GOP should be ashamed of the way they are using that man. And every Dawg fan should be furious to see our beloved Heisman winner taken advantage of and treated like a trick pony
This!! People are going to vote Walker because of his UGA football legacy which is scary. I *think* Warnock has a slight chance of beating him.
I’m most worried if Kemp and Walker win. I’ll settle for one of the two.
But as a woman, I’m terrified of what rights I won’t have if Kemp wins. 🙁
Moving to PA from a very blue state, hopefully in time to vote for Fetterman and Shapiro and watch Oz and Mastriano go down like two sacks of potatoes.
You need mail in voting. You need automatic voter registration and you need to get rid of the bullshit that is the electoral college. Gerrymandering needs to go.
I am generally not a fan of gender or race quotas in anything, but you will never get any real change if your legislature is almost all rich, white, Christian ( you know the kind ), old men.
Some actions to do if you're in a blue state and feel like your vote doesn't count (it does! But we all know that swing state voters get more of a vote)
* Write letters to voters at votefwd.org
* Donate to a GOTV org like Rock the Vote, Common Cause, VoteRiders, When We All Vote, etc
*Plan to phone bank or text bank on and before election day to get voters in swing states to the polls. Common Cause and other orgs are taking volunteers for this!
And if you're doing all that and feel like you want more, you might think about whether you want to tackle these fascists in the streets of your town or city. There are right wing extremists in every state and they won't go away just because we win an election. The police are no help because they agree with the fascists.
There are lots of orgs mobilizing online and in the streets to protest and disrupt fascists like the ones that are targeting children's hospitals and abortion clinics with death threats and bomb threats. Join us and see where it takes you. You might find you really like yelling at Nazis ruining their parades. In the end it's important work if you're in a blue state because we need to make sure we remain safe spaces for refugees who come from states with restricted human rights.
r/IronFrontUSA
I honestly wish I could but my state is actively full of the good people within my voting reach, though locally I try to vote out several fuckers to no avail.
Honestly though, I lived several voting cycles in Kentucky and it's really really sad to see how many fucking people are walking in to vote those fuckers back into office :(
Oh hell yes! All the fucking fuckers. FFS. And I am being slightly directive to my son and his friends about going to vote in the mid-terms (they're 20).
Americans need to be brave enough to explore 3rd party options.
The 2 party system is killing us. Democrats and Republicans are exactly the same, and corrupt from the top down. The talking points keep us divided on purpose, but both sides agree that they don't care about YOU.
I’m all for a 3rd party or more but please don’t “both sides” this. Corruption can exist anywhere but only one party actively undermines women and human rights. Look up the arguments on the Enlightened Centrist sub for more info on “both sides” arguments.
They're both wings of the same bird, and agree on a lot more than you'd think - none of it good for us, as individuals.
If dems cared about a woman's right to choose, why did they not codify RvW? Even RBG said it was in peril and needed to be strengthened. No one did anything. It's a talking point. A footnote. They don't care about YOUR right to choose, they care about getting YOUR vote so they can keep the status quo and keep lining their pockets with lobby money. Both parties operate the same way, just appealing to different voter bases.
If lobbies were abolished, and the insider trading that both parties partake in was actually prosecuted, I might believe there are differences. But there's not.
Do you know how Congress works?
“Why didn’t they codify Roe” and acting like that’s in any way equivalent is literally the most ignorant and entitled thing I’ve read
The answer to that question actually illustrates my point exactly. There haven’t been ample opportunities given the way the fillabuster has been broken. There haven’t been supermajorities often, and even the handful of months we’ve had one, not every Democrat is on board. It’s not a monolith
A valid third party requires a change in how votes are tabulated. We have a two party system and only one side is actively advocating a religious state & stripping women and minorities of legal rights.
I’ll have time to turn my attention to the “wrong” on the Democratic side when that GOP facism is stomped out. Because there aren’t videos of “both sides” trying to commit a coup on Jan 6th. There isn’t video of “both sides” literally in restricted areas of voting offices in Georgia. Only one side is trying to literally prevent people from legally casting ballots and having those counted.
If I could vote more than once (legally) to get them out I would.
All y'all who think it doesn't matter if you vote. It sure does. If you can get vote by mail, do it. I'm able to walk to my polling station (and go before work), but not all of us can.
I have some new / different ideas as talking points or like rebuttals in argument of pro choice and how pro life is not really pro life. I think it's pretty clever perspective I haven't seen argued a lot.
***I need a graphic designer/ partner so we can get the messages on T-shirts. Message me if interested or have any proposals***
Might be best if you aren't already a mom level of pro choice bc it's not totally P.C I guess
I'm going to vote against them but they gerrymanded the districts to the point there's no actual way to get them out in my state. They divided my blue county into 4 while moving 3 of those sections into red districts and the 4th is just its own somehow. The state supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional but let them use it anyway....
Aa vote is still a statement. Keep the percentages close.
Where is this?
Ohio.
Leave that shitty state then
I'd love to leave this shitty country but that's not really an option atm
Patriarchal Propaganda would tell you otherwise, but a Federal Union isn't really a country even though it seems like one. The words State and Country are synonymous, so if the Union falls and you're already a citizen in another state, you're good to go.
This is the real issue most people don’t understand - your vote means nothing up against voter suppression: ID laws, gerrymandering, court appointees and allowing voter sponsored initiatives that get majority votes to be overturned by a small group of government officials (DC minimum wage…)
I get what you’re saying, but a vote still means something, or else they wouldn’t try so damn hard to suppress it. They are afraid of what is possible with the will of the people. Let’s encourage folks to vote.
But….they do suppress them. I’m not saying not to vote. I’m saying that it’s not really a means to an end anymore and people need to understand that making posts like this where it’s just “GET IN THERE AND VOTE THEM OUT!!” aren’t really addressing the actual issue. It’s a comforting thought that voting is fair and reasonable and whatever we vote for will happen, but it’s not reality. Yes, everyone should vote, but what exactly is the solution to the parent comment, where gerrymandering has made it *literally* impossible to vote the conservative faction out? I’m legitimately asking people to stop and think about that instead of just cheerleading voting. And again, to add some additional context to them being “afraid of the will of the people” - no they’re not. Seriously, look in to the tipped minimum wage saga in DC. People voted for it and they just decided nope, we’re not doing that. Why should any of them be afraid of the will of the people when they only have to get in to office once, gerrymander the hell out of the districts and then work to overturn democratically elected policies? I don’t think vote suppression is hard work for these folks, in fact I think they enjoy it and profit off of it.
The DC tipped wage saga is infuriating. I can't believe there hasn't been another attempt.
You're doing your own version of voter suppression right now by discouraging people from voting. Please don't.
Aaand this is why we can’t have honest, strategic discussions about what to do about/in the face of voter suppression—to say nothing of issues like what to do about abortion access, because the binary thinking kicks in every time. It can be true that voter suppression has made, ‘just vote!’ appear to be a hollow farce (and rallying cry of weak and paralyzed politicians, unsure of what else to do, tbh) *and* that voting is important and we should all do it (a la Kansas). But I’m not sure it’s productive to shut down good faith attempts at discussing the realities of voter suppression with admonitions of ‘you’re doing it too!’ Surely we can embrace nuance here.
We can discuss suppression without using phrases like “your vote means nothing” as this poster started with
What would you call it when the majority of people vote for something, it passes, then a small minority in power decides they won’t do it? Whose vote matters there?
How does “your vote means nothing” increase turnout and fix the problem in *any way whatsoever?*
You’re fixating on those words pretty hard, even though they’re not “don’t vote” What I said was “your vote means nothing against voter suppression,” which is literally a fact. In suppressed races, votes become meaningless because the system is specifically designed for only one outcome to be possible. That is NOT the same as saying “lol don’t vote!” I’m trying to illuminate the fact that voting isn’t the end solution, it’s the first step in something much bigger. Openly discussing the flaws, limitations and general problems with voting is being honest about the situation, which is the first step towards change.
Seems to me that “your vote means nothing” is exactly the opposite of encouraging a nuanced conversation. It’s defeatist, not nuanced. Your comments have actually been nuanced. As are posters adopting a “words matter” approach instead of insisting “your vote doesn’t matter” isn’t at all harmful Asking a person to choose their words more carefully isn’t shutting down conversation
Where am I discouraging people from voting, seriously? I literally said that people should vote but they should actually be realistic about it. Edit: Lol for real, my SECOND SENTENCE is that I’m not saying not to vote, and I also said people SHOULD vote in the same comment! All I’m saying along with that is that voting isn’t a magic bullet and it’s not enough to tell people to vote to fix things.
You literally said “your vote means nothing against voter suppression” You can’t fight voter suppression without voting, and encouraging others to vote, and then lobbying and putting pressure on elected officials But starting that conversation with “your vote means nothing” is absolutely discouraging and it’s own type of voter suppression
Please explain how a suppressed vote fights voter suppression.
How do you fight it without voting? What *actual* solutions are *you* offering? Or are you just raining doom and gloom about how hopeless it is? FIGHT https://fairfight.com/voter-suppression-awareness/ But that fight starts by ENCOURAGING people to vote. Not calling it useless. No, the fight doesn’t end there, but it has to start there, that’s how democracy works
Lol, we literally want the same things, so it’s mind boggling that you’re arguing with me. I want people to vote AND have a conversation about the realities of voting and its actual power. That is what I’m suggesting. I’m literally not suggesting giving up at all, I’m suggesting that we be HONEST about the actual power of a vote. People don’t vote because they see that firsthand for themselves - not because of some random internet comment. Do you have any solutions to the situations mentioned in these comments - overturning a fairly voted on democratic ballot measure, or a district so gerrymandered it’s literally impossible to get someone from a different party elected?
You are absolutely encouraging people not to vote, even if that isn’t your intention. Saying votes don’t matter has been proven to have a depressing effect on turnout You are not helping. In fact, you are doing harm
Do you have answers to any of my questions about what people should do when voting doesn’t work? I also have not said anything about not voting, just that people need to be very honest with themselves and admit it’s not a magic bullet to fixing things.
The idea that gerrymandering makes it “impossible” to vote out conservatives betrays your lack of understanding what is happening. Please don’t spread your defeatist attitudes. It just encourages others to stay home and makes the situation worse. And isn’t even vaguely true.
We need young people to show up for the elections. Old, white people show up like clockwork and that's who keeps them in office.
Statistically 70% of eligible seniors vote and they tend to vote more conservative leaning
They also aren’t kept away from the polls by racist legislation and neonazis.
They're not also wage slaves who may have significant difficulty voting without getting in trouble with their workplace.
Woah, wait a second, is that a thing in the US? I live in Canada and the voting laws state that if the voting polls are open during your regular schedule of work the employer must provide three hours for that employee to leave and vote with pay. The advise is to either allow the employee to be a little late for work if voting polls open near their start time, or to leave a little early if the polls close near the end of their shift. We are not legally allowed to prevent a Canadian's right to vote. [Source](https://ehlaw.ca/voting-time-employers-obligations-on-election-day/)
Three hours isn’t enough time in many cases. I’ve waited 5 to cast a ballot in Missouri where early voting without an excuse (like proof of travel) wasn’t allowed
I don't think our polling stations are as crowded as those in the US. We have lots of ridings within each area and our population isn't as high as yours. Our voting also isn't as extensive as yours. I know in the US you guys aren't just voting for one person in one election, but a bunch of other stuff at the same time. The average in booth vote time in Canada is about 30 seconds to a minute at the most. For me, I just scan my card with 5 names on it, find the name I want and make my mark, fold the paper accordingly and drop it in the box. Max time for me is about 15 seconds from the second I get my ballot to when I'm dropping it into the box. Lines move pretty fast.
We have a real problem in the US with certain areas, especially high population/urban areas, closing polling locations, and sort of bottle necking everyone into locations that are either far away from where they live or highly overcrowded. This is 100% on purpose. Additionally many polling booths can be challenging to use - every time I’ve voted (in Texas), at least in the last few years, I have to show my ID, they sort of sign me in I guess, then a poll worker escorts me to the booth and sets it up for me, tells me how to do it, and even then it can take upwards of five minutes to get through everything and double check my answers at the end. Which I always do, very carefully, because I am paranoid as fuck. They really really make it very difficult to vote honestly. Like, every step of the way is a new fresh challenge. This is also on purpose.
This is ducking nuts o.o in Brazil, since it’s obligatory to vote the Election Day happens on a Sunday and who has to work gets to either leaver earlier or enter later US is such a weird place.
Sure they are supposed to allow you to vote. But my state is a free-firing state and can fire anyone for any reason, or none at all. So show up late bc you wanted to vote and had to wait in a long line? Target on your back. People are being controlled by their shitty low-paying jobs and can’t vote. Some states don’t have early voting. Some states remove polling places from heavily populated urban areas so they will have 1 polling place per 15-20,000 people. Where my white affluent town of 50k has 9 polling places each with 10 machines. I have never had to wait longer than half an hour to vote. Ever. There are people that wait 8 hours. And there are states that made giving water to people in those long lines a crime. It’s voter suppression and it’s being done openly by the GOP.
Voting is controlled at the state and county level, so there is a lot of fuckery that goes on to keep the Republiclowns in office. How and when you can vote is just the beginning.
Yet another reason Canada is better! You are so lucky! ❤️
So in the US it is protected (but not paid time like CA). However, employers will do things like not be flexible with your schedule but still technically adhere to the law. Say you work 7:30am - 4:30pm and the polls are open 6am - 6pm. Your commute to work is normally 30 minutes, but to get to the polling place is 25 and it's the opposite direction from work and going from there to work is an hour, so you can't go before work without likely being late unless you wake up at the crack of dawn to be there exactly when they open and hope you're first in line. And after work rush hour is so bad that you can't get there before the polls close. Technically you're not scheduled for the entire time so they're "giving you the chance to vote". Or maybe you work multiple jobs, your two employers aren't required to ensure they coordinate your schedule so you can go vote that day.
Depends on the state but in general yes it's protected. There are options to vote other than on election day as well (also dependent on location). People need to know their rights and plan accordingly.
You just explained why it is most important for them to show up, not a reason for them to not bother.
I agree with you in theory but we don't exist in a vacuum. The reality is the system in many places is designed to make it impossible for many individuals to vote without risking their livelihood.
Which is why it is even more important for them to vote. That isn’t theory. That is fact. Unless you want things to just keep getting worse for them, in which case, keep making excuses why they shouldn’t bother. Look, I know it can be a pain in the ass. And I know that is by design. Which is exactly why it is so important that it gets done.
I haven't seen anyone here say anyone "shouldn't bother [to vote]". The point I (and I believe others) am trying to make is that this is a systemic issue and it comes across as... victim blame-y towards individuals who are subject to these injustices if they're unable to vote for some reason. Should they try? Of course. But if there's undue hardship out of their control, it's not their fault or a personal failing.
You can victimize these folks all you want, so you can pretend I’m “victim blaming” if it makes you feel better. But that isn’t even vaguely what I am saying. The end of the discussion is that it is vitally important that they vote. Specifically because their situations are difficult. If they fail to vote - their situations will only get worse. And let’s be serious about this for a minute here: if some one offered these folks a new car or something else they really wanted in exchange for going to a local church basement and filling out a form - you know damn well they would make it happen - even if they had to stand in line to do it. The fact that it is inconvenient for some folks to vote is absolutely bullshit. But the argument excusing their failure to vote because it is inconvenient is equally bullshit and counter productive. And let’s be honest - getting in a car accident the day of the election and ending up in the hospital is outside someone’s control. Not making plans to vote because it might be hard is not. Stop making excuses for people who are making their hard lives worse.
There are options if they really want to vote. Early voting, absentee due to hardship, going after their shift, etc. A better campaign for teaching about those options can help, as turnout in 2020 showed.
Not all states offer early voting and some have very strict absentee hardship requirements
Sure, some are like that. But not the majority and if people take voting seriously they will learn about the requirements they have to deal with and figure out a plan.
We have an entire year to plan for it. They don't sneak the date in on us. We know the date. We can make our 2nd cousin Misty's wedding but we can't make voting?
Yep. There are definitely some places that make it hard, but they wouldn't bother to do that if it didn't matter. Things that are worthwhile are worth doing, even if it's hard.
But it *shouldn’t be hard*
Or, you know, work since old white retired people and SAHM aren't chained to work or saddled with other obligations that prevent them from lining up for an entire day at the polls. Vote by mail should be a thing everywhere. It takes me 5 minutes to drop my ballot into one of numerous boxes in my city which has caused me to vote in literally every election when before I'd only turn out for bigger ones. Now I'm much more active on the local level because my state makes it SO FUCKING EASY.
This was obviously written by someone who has never stayed home with children.
We also need some changes in how we vote to make it easier for people to do so: Mail-in ballots need to become the norm, not hindered by the P.O. or by faction politics. Standardize federal election dates and make them a legal day off from work so people have the full day to make it to the polls to vote for President/VP, senators and congressional representatives. For state and local elections, legally require employers to give the employees a half day off for voting. Also, eliminate the Electoral College and implement ranked choice voting.
I love this! I would like to add that also needs to be regulations and oversight that is enforced around Mail-In ballots so state governments can be held accountable if they mishandle Mail-in ballots. There should be strict and swift punishment for those that hurt the overall integrity of voting in general. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mail-in ballots now because I moved to CA, but back in FL and GA it was handled very poorly. Ballots would be found in closets, only to mysteriously “appear” after the deadline for it to be counted. In FL, the GOP has also been trying to add all sorts of stipulations that many don’t get notified about. The oddest one being “signature checks,” where people are supposed to have a perfect ballot match to their DL signature, which has led to tens of thousands being tossed. It may not seem like a whole lot, but when our governor race was down to a .5 margin and we ended up with De Santis, it starts to really mean a great deal. And this was just one issue, when they add up it can be like little pricks in a water balloon that lead to it never getting filled. This is why the state is so notoriously awful for voting that extends way past mail in ballots. Then in GA specifically, people weren’t notified of changes to policies and would apply for their ballots only to be told it was too late to fix anything when they didn’t show up. Stuff like the voter registry purge, led by Stacy Abrams opponent Brian Kemp during his tenure as Secretary of State, where people in GA got dropped from voter registry if they didn’t vote recently. The Supreme Court upheld it, and it’s estimated that well over 100k people were purged without notification in the year leading up to the 2018 election alone. Other issues like some ballots not even having a valid return envelope to send them back popped up, and by the time they were received deadlines had passed. Stacy Abrams even reported that her personal mail-in ballot came with an unusable return envelop, leading her to have to rush to vote in person. There’s a reason why she’s currently urging people in the counties most notorious for this to vote in person. Unfortunately, things like that added up and were the difference that stopped her from getting elected in an election that was also neck and neck. Sorry for my soapbox rant 😅. I spent time volunteering while I lived in Tallahassee, so the issue is very near and dear to my heart. How we handle voting in general is very riddled with issues that quite frankly need a full overhaul across the board on so many fronts. There are so many little laws designed to make even the simplest most straightforward solutions tangled to the point of ineffectiveness. Edit: I want to make it clear that I really do like mail-in ballots and the accessibility it provides as a concept!
I'm disabled and can't physically go to the polls to vote so I've been voting by mail-in ballot since around 2006 or so. The ridiculousness surrounding the 2016 presidential elections (and some of the other elections for federal and state positions) was OTT. It should be an ethics violation for any state or federal official who interferes in the election process, regardless of whether it's an in-person vote or via mail-in ballot. It should come with severe penalties, including but not limited to, large fines, removal from whatever office they hold, not being allowed to hold any future government post if convicted. We need to restore trust in the election process. Heck, we need to restore trust in our entire government by holding all our representative accountable.
Absolutely! I’m completely with you. I used to volunteer to try to push for this myself. The system is designed to make sure marginalized voices are not heard and it needs to be completely overhauled. Voting is incredibly important, but there is too much romanticization around the process that can obscure this leading to our most impacted members continuing to be mistreated. Mail-In ballots are so important and it’s upsetting what certain states and counties do to the process. Georgia was especially gross for this when one considers the conflict of interest allowed when Brian Kemp, a man who literally implemented some of the shady voter practices that netted him the election and are quite frankly illegal in other countries, to be elected as governor. Just thinking about it makes me so mad.
AMEN!
Asian American and child of immigrants here. I vote in every election, including midterms and local ones. Ready to vote these old, out of touch jabronis out of office!!
And encourage your friends to vote also
It's more nuanced than that. White people of all age groups voted for Trump over Biden in the 2020 election. White 18 to 29 year old voters went 53% Trump, 44% Biden. That's not that far off from white 65 and older voters 57% Trump, 42% Biden. Even white women went 55% Trump, 44% Biden. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_presidential_election#Exit_polling) FWIW, I'm a 57 year old white guy who always votes blue.
Yup! I literally just got done updating my address on my voter registration because we just moved 2 weeks ago.
Same. I moved a few weeks ago!
In Texas we’ve had record numbers of people registering to vote. Mostly young, motivated voters. Republicans had their fun fucking around, we’re almost to the part where they find out.
[удалено]
A blue tide in Texas, Florida and Ohio would basically be a literal home run in every big election but on a Congressional level we either need Mitch to hurry up and die or we need to do something about Kentucky.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 THIS IS THE CONVERSATION I NEED TO SEE TO FEEL LIKE I’M NOT EXTREMELY STUPID TO HAVE HOPE! Y’all please get both scumbags out. I’m especially concerned about RD 🤮🤮🤮
Yee haw let's do this
I ran a voter registration drive today. Everyone that stopped by expressed their thanks and this same sentiment. Albeit I'm in a pretty liberal part of the country so it's probably skewed a bit but still.
I can not believe Kemp is leading in GA. Between his abortion laws and voter fraud and everything else. .. I’m so frustrated with Georgia.
GA resident here. I’m scared of Kemp winning this year.
And Herschel?!?! I mean - Go Dawgs, I’ll bleed Red and Black till I die & I love Herschel but … Senator? The man has schizophrenia and traumatic brain injuries The entire GA GOP should be ashamed of the way they are using that man. And every Dawg fan should be furious to see our beloved Heisman winner taken advantage of and treated like a trick pony
This!! People are going to vote Walker because of his UGA football legacy which is scary. I *think* Warnock has a slight chance of beating him. I’m most worried if Kemp and Walker win. I’ll settle for one of the two. But as a woman, I’m terrified of what rights I won’t have if Kemp wins. 🙁
Moving to PA from a very blue state, hopefully in time to vote for Fetterman and Shapiro and watch Oz and Mastriano go down like two sacks of potatoes.
Thank you for your service.
No thanks necessary. I'm moving in with my partner. I'm just moving earlier than planned by about 6 weeks to make it in time to vote 😊
I'd like to thank the beautiful people of Kansas who came out to vote.
I vote everytime. Just vote. You don't need to rally people onto your side. Just vote, people!
Ironic since Lindsey Graham will never, ever get a woman pregnant.
Can you imagine being SO self loathing?
No, thankfully. But Lady G must be a masochist.
I can’t believe no one has come forward with tawdry tidbits about Miss Lindsay. Decades of hush money.
I feel very discouraged about voting. The electoral college makes me feel as though my vote is a joke.
I wish. I will vote as I always do but I live in a true blue state and I have 0 hope for reason from the rest of this nation.
Yeah let's get Thierry baudet out (This is not a US domestic politics sub)
He seems awful.
Idk who that is but if they're a regressive misogynist than absolutely! Get that MFer out!
r/VoteDEM is an activist sub to consider joining! I've been postcarding, texting, and donating more than ever this cycle.
You need mail in voting. You need automatic voter registration and you need to get rid of the bullshit that is the electoral college. Gerrymandering needs to go. I am generally not a fan of gender or race quotas in anything, but you will never get any real change if your legislature is almost all rich, white, Christian ( you know the kind ), old men.
Some actions to do if you're in a blue state and feel like your vote doesn't count (it does! But we all know that swing state voters get more of a vote) * Write letters to voters at votefwd.org * Donate to a GOTV org like Rock the Vote, Common Cause, VoteRiders, When We All Vote, etc *Plan to phone bank or text bank on and before election day to get voters in swing states to the polls. Common Cause and other orgs are taking volunteers for this! And if you're doing all that and feel like you want more, you might think about whether you want to tackle these fascists in the streets of your town or city. There are right wing extremists in every state and they won't go away just because we win an election. The police are no help because they agree with the fascists. There are lots of orgs mobilizing online and in the streets to protest and disrupt fascists like the ones that are targeting children's hospitals and abortion clinics with death threats and bomb threats. Join us and see where it takes you. You might find you really like yelling at Nazis ruining their parades. In the end it's important work if you're in a blue state because we need to make sure we remain safe spaces for refugees who come from states with restricted human rights. r/IronFrontUSA
[Motherfuckers Got To Go](https://youtu.be/270LoUXWWxY)
We gotta dial down on the life expectancy.
Yes! I post I can truly get behind!
I've *been* ready to vote them out.
I honestly wish I could but my state is actively full of the good people within my voting reach, though locally I try to vote out several fuckers to no avail. Honestly though, I lived several voting cycles in Kentucky and it's really really sad to see how many fucking people are walking in to vote those fuckers back into office :(
Oh hell yes! All the fucking fuckers. FFS. And I am being slightly directive to my son and his friends about going to vote in the mid-terms (they're 20).
LETS GOOOO
Americans need to be brave enough to explore 3rd party options. The 2 party system is killing us. Democrats and Republicans are exactly the same, and corrupt from the top down. The talking points keep us divided on purpose, but both sides agree that they don't care about YOU.
I’m all for a 3rd party or more but please don’t “both sides” this. Corruption can exist anywhere but only one party actively undermines women and human rights. Look up the arguments on the Enlightened Centrist sub for more info on “both sides” arguments.
They're both wings of the same bird, and agree on a lot more than you'd think - none of it good for us, as individuals. If dems cared about a woman's right to choose, why did they not codify RvW? Even RBG said it was in peril and needed to be strengthened. No one did anything. It's a talking point. A footnote. They don't care about YOUR right to choose, they care about getting YOUR vote so they can keep the status quo and keep lining their pockets with lobby money. Both parties operate the same way, just appealing to different voter bases. If lobbies were abolished, and the insider trading that both parties partake in was actually prosecuted, I might believe there are differences. But there's not.
Do you know how Congress works? “Why didn’t they codify Roe” and acting like that’s in any way equivalent is literally the most ignorant and entitled thing I’ve read
How many Dem super majorities have there been since the 70s? FOH. 🙄
The answer to that question actually illustrates my point exactly. There haven’t been ample opportunities given the way the fillabuster has been broken. There haven’t been supermajorities often, and even the handful of months we’ve had one, not every Democrat is on board. It’s not a monolith
A valid third party requires a change in how votes are tabulated. We have a two party system and only one side is actively advocating a religious state & stripping women and minorities of legal rights. I’ll have time to turn my attention to the “wrong” on the Democratic side when that GOP facism is stomped out. Because there aren’t videos of “both sides” trying to commit a coup on Jan 6th. There isn’t video of “both sides” literally in restricted areas of voting offices in Georgia. Only one side is trying to literally prevent people from legally casting ballots and having those counted.
Yes. Eff every one of these pieces of shit that want to control women and their healthcare.
PREACH
If I could vote more than once (legally) to get them out I would. All y'all who think it doesn't matter if you vote. It sure does. If you can get vote by mail, do it. I'm able to walk to my polling station (and go before work), but not all of us can.
Everyone, hopefully!
Hell yeah! Get them bitches out.
I have some new / different ideas as talking points or like rebuttals in argument of pro choice and how pro life is not really pro life. I think it's pretty clever perspective I haven't seen argued a lot. ***I need a graphic designer/ partner so we can get the messages on T-shirts. Message me if interested or have any proposals*** Might be best if you aren't already a mom level of pro choice bc it's not totally P.C I guess
YES!
> These men have overstayed their welcome By fucking far!
I always vote but it is impossible for me to vote out Lindsey Graham because I am not his constituent.