Americans Get Out & Vote!

[MKSheppard]

I remain unmoved by the arguments for complete mail in voting. It makes sense as a stopgap for the aged and infirm who would not otherwise be able to vote. But for everyone else?

If you can't get off your ass to go to a polling place, then you don't deserve the right to vote.

[General Zod]

I remain unmoved by the arguments for complete mail in voting. It makes sense as a stopgap for the aged and infirm who would not otherwise be able to vote. But for everyone else?

If you can't get off your ass to go to a polling place, then you don't deserve the right to vote.

Fuck that shit. I'm not putting up with lines and crowds when I can vote from home without having to put my pants on. But the simple fact that mail-in voting is cheaper for the state than setting up hundreds of electronic machines should be more than enough reason to switch.

[Bakustra]

I remain unmoved by the arguments for complete mail in voting. It makes sense as a stopgap for the aged and infirm who would not otherwise be able to vote. But for everyone else?

If you can't get off your ass to go to a polling place, then you don't deserve the right to vote.

So what about people that work long hours and don't get time off to vote? Or people that have to walk in wintry weather? Are they not "real Americans"? For that matter, it seems that you're in favor of making it harder to vote. Might I ask why that is?

[MKSheppard]

Fuck that shit. I'm not putting up with lines and crowds when I can vote from home without having to put my pants on.

I rest my case.

Do we want somone like Zod -- who is so lazy he won't even get his pants on for an event that occurs every two years -- deciding the fate of the Republic?

[Thanas]

Jesus Christ.

This thread is so low in quality that I am not sure whether I should kill it, lock it, punt it to the HoS or testing.

[General Zod]

Fuck that shit. I'm not putting up with lines and crowds when I can vote from home without having to put my pants on.

I rest my case.

Do we want somone like Zod -- who is so lazy he won't even get his pants on for an event that occurs every two years -- deciding the fate of the Republic?

The fact that it's cheaper for the state doesn't count? Or can you just not be bothered to address the entire point?

[Cycloneman]

Cause if you don't, you do not have any right to complain in the future.

Actually, I think if you check the constitution you will find that I have every right to complain in the future regardless of whether or not I vote.

[Bakustra]

I have to admit, I'll never understand exactly why so many people think that democracy works better the fewer people participate. Surely making it easier to participate (especially in election-happy America; some people have as many as 41 opportunities to vote in a four-year election cycle) would make democratic societies more responsive to the opinions of the people, no?

[Razorgeist]

Just voted 20 minutes ago.

[MKSheppard]

The fact that it's cheaper for the state doesn't count?

You still have to sort the votes and feed them into a scantron. That costs money in terms of temp election workers.

Plus of course there's the whole issue of how to mail the ballot back -- does the voter pay for the stamp on the ballot; or do you pay for the return shipping costs?

If you pay the return, it adds up when you're moving a lot of ballots by the US Mail; even with the rather lenent rates a government entity gets.

[General Zod]

You still have to sort the votes and feed them into a scantron. That costs money in terms of temp election workers.

A few scantrons are cheaper than electronic voting machines, and many election workers are volunteers. The fact that it costs money isn't so much important as that it costs less than having poll places.

Plus of course there's the whole issue of how to mail the ballot back -- does the voter pay for the stamp on the ballot; or do you pay for the return shipping costs?

If you pay the return, it adds up when you're moving a lot of ballots by the US Mail; even with the rather lenent rates a government entity gets.

The ballots don't include return postage, you have to pay that yourself. That's how it works in Colorado anyway.

[Edi]

First of all, you're not disenfranchised. Arguably, you are inconvenienced.

There's a line where they become one in the same; where actually voting is sufficiently difficult that it's just not practical to do it anymore. Sure, you technically still could (I'm sure ex-slaves could technically pay the poll tax and pass the literacy tests too, if they tried hard enough), but the turnout would be so poor that those people's interests aren't fairly represented at all.

An individual not voting isn't a big deal, but if this inconvenience knocks a large percentage out of the running, is it really any different, in terms of the actual results, than a law saying outright that this portion of the population isn't allowed to vote at all?

Do you actually have anything in the way of hard evidence that this inconvenience of cold weather is sufficiently large to prevent large numbers of people from voting? Because we're just talking about slightly cold weather instead of a snowstorm.

I'm certainly not the only one that the weather affects or who has other obligations (children, work, whatever) on election day. Making it more convenient can only help matters.

Making the process more convenient would certainly help and the current US system is retarded for not providing a holiday for election days, but the weather excuse for mild cold is just that, an excuse.

[Uraniun235]

Fuck that shit. I'm not putting up with lines and crowds when I can vote from home without having to put my pants on.

I rest my case.

Do we want somone like Zod -- who is so lazy he won't even get his pants on for an event that occurs every two years -- deciding the fate of the Republic?

Vote-by-mail is significantly cheaper, has a better track record of integrity than electronic voting in the US, deters voter discouragement, and is a more efficient use of time and resources. Voting holiday? We don't need a fucking voting holiday. Here's a two-week window - do it when you have time, get it in by the deadline, no time wasted standing in a line waiting to fill out a ballot.

You cannot tell me that the thought of "b-b-but those lazy poors might start to vote!" is so burdensome as to outweigh the advantages described above.

The fact that it's cheaper for the state doesn't count?

You still have to sort the votes and feed them into a scantron. That costs money in terms of temp election workers.

Plus of course there's the whole issue of how to mail the ballot back -- does the voter pay for the stamp on the ballot; or do you pay for the return shipping costs?

If you pay the return, it adds up when you're moving a lot of ballots by the US Mail; even with the rather lenent rates a government entity gets.

Yeah, too bad that in this case we're not talking about a hypothetical but a reality. Oregon saw election expenditures drop markedly after going to full vote-by-mail.

Ballot return can be done by mail (which requires the voter to provide postage), but in Oregon there are also secured drop boxes around the county; these can be found at city halls, libraries, and wherever else the county elections office sees fit to install one. You can also carry it directly to the county elections office if you like. I pulled up to a drop box right next to a library on my way to work and dropped in my ballot - incredibly convenient.

[Dave]

If you can't get off your ass to go to a polling place, then you don't deserve the right to vote.

It seems like you are suggesting that physical mobility and/or access to transportation should be a requirement for voting. This doesn't make sense to me. I can undertstand requiring citizenship or perhaps ability to comprehend the measures on the ballot, but not transportation.

I would be all in favor of mail-in voting for everyone. I also think said mail-in vote should come with a pre-paid return envelope, as proper postage should also not be required for voting.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Shep, in Washington State, the voter pays postage if they return the ballot by mail. You can also however drop the ballot off anytime in the month before the election at the county elections office in a big red drive-up/walk-up bin, or else drop it off on election day at portable drop boxes the temp workers take to a bunch of locations just for election day--mostly schools and commmunity centres. They then collect those drop boxes at the end of the day and then join the ranks of the people doing the counting. Furthermore it's still possible to use an old style punch voting machine, but only at the county elections office of each county, if you refuse to vote by mail or have some disability which for whatever reason makes it harder for you to vote by mail instead of in person.

[Shroom Man 777]

What if mail voting was cheaper and the budgetary savings could be used to fund the procurement of more F-22s or restart the XB-70 program, Shep?

What is wrong with more convenient methods of voting, anyway? Instead of spending time lining up on poll centers, and wasting time going to the voting places, just mailing the vote can save time that can be better spent sifting through 1960s graphs and stuff anyway.

[Sute]

Shep, in Washington State, the voter pays postage if they return the ballot by mail.

That depends on the county and the number of issues. This year there were enough issues in my county that our ballot was heavy enough to require extra postage, so the return envelope came with its postage already paid. That came as a pleasant surprise when I voted last week.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Shep, in Washington State, the voter pays postage if they return the ballot by mail.

That depends on the county and the number of issues. This year there were enough issues in my county that our ballot was heavy enough to require extra postage, so the return envelope came with its postage already paid. That came as a pleasant surprise when I voted last week.

Dayum. What county are you living in? (Clark, for me, which I sort of revealed with the sample ballot in the other thread.)

[Sute]

Kitsap. I don't think there were really that many issues to vote on, but that was the explanation I found when I looked up the change.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Kitsap. I don't think there were really that many issues to vote on, but that was the explanation I found when I looked up the change.

Heh. I lived in Kitsap county for a while, up in the hills just west of Bremerton. I wonder if the mess of Kitsap Transit is up for more voting with more budget deficits...

[Kyler]

Why in the hell do they have election day on the 1st Tuesday of November?

If my memory from early American History serves me correct, since much of early America was a farming culture, the date allowed most landing owning farmers time to travel and vote. Late Spring, Summer, and Early Fall were busy times for farmers in the 1700's. Since the first eligable voters in our country were land owning men, it makes a lot sense to make sure they have plenty of time to travel to a polling place to cast their vote. Remeber a farmer back then may have to travel long distances by foot or horse to cast a ballot.

If someone is more familar with the early American political system please correct the information I provided.

Since the above statement really isn't the case, Congress could alway pass an amendment to change the date for the national elections.

If you are too concerned about weather there is always early voting, absentee voting, or voting by mail. I would love to see a national holiday for election day, but until than it really doesn't matter to me how you vote as long as you vote.

My polling place was not very busy, I had to wait just a minute before I got to vote. I got up 20 minutes just incase but really didn't need to. Though reports in my area say the turnout has been pretty high for a midterm election year.

[Big Phil]

I voted weeks ago, and my boss just grabbed my wife's mail in ballot and is dropping it off on her lunch break. Pretty simple and no whining involved

[SCRawl]

Why in the hell do they have election day on the 1st Tuesday of November?

It's actually the first Tuesday after the first Monday. In other words, it can't be Nov. 1, which is also All Saints Day. But yeah, otherwise it's all about the farmers, who had little to do in November and could afford to go and vote then, while the weather didn't suck.

[Questor]

Why in the hell do they have election day on the 1st Tuesday of November?

It's actually the first Tuesday after the first Monday. In other words, it can't be Nov. 1, which is also All Saints Day. But yeah, otherwise it's all about the farmers, who had little to do in November and could afford to go and vote then, while the weather didn't suck.

I thought that that had as much to do with the fact that a lot of bookkeeping is done the 1st. I know our accountants work late that day.

[SCRawl]

I thought that that had as much to do with the fact that a lot of bookkeeping is done the 1st. I know our accountants work late that day.

It might be -- the fact that Nov. 1 is an important day for Catholics doesn't preclude the possibility that there's a perfectly secular reason for avoiding having an election on that day.