Poll of the Day > A simple alternative to mail-in voting

(+) Yeah! (+)

Why can't the voting period be 7 days? That way everyone can find the time to get out to vote and the lines wont be nearly as bad. Or is that open to voter fraud as well?

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because republicans dont want disenfranchised people to vote

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Polling from the first few days would heavily influence who people voted for later.

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DirtBasedSoap posted...

because republicans dont want disenfranchised people to vote

Well besides the obvious, I'm just curious what kind of imaginary voter fraud can come from a week long voting period.

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or we could just allow mail in voting like many states already do

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Nightwish posted...

Well besides the obvious, I'm just curious what kind of imaginary voter fraud can come from a week long voting period.

None. It's not so easy for mail-in either, though. Republicans just don't want any solution that makes it easier for more people to vote, b/c a strong majority of the country would vote against them every time, because they appeal to a very narrow slice of the population.

Having longer voting times helps w/ social distancing, but it's still the same (probably more...you made it easier for people, after all) amount of people touching the voting machines and being near the poll workers. It's better than nothing, but...I sure as hell wouldn't want to be a poll worker with the virus still spreading in that circumstance, still.

DirtBasedSoap posted...

because republicans dont want disenfranchised people to vote

Basically this.

If you want to improve the ability of people to vote, there are *lots* of easy ways to do it. Mandate a minimum number of polling stations per population; make election day a national holiday; make voter registration automatic and free, with a national voter ID sent at no charge to every eligible adult; allow voting over multiple days.

The thing is, Republicans don't *want* any of those, because they don't want it to be easier to vote. The Republicans are the minority party and have been for decades - the last time they won a nationwide popular vote was over 15 years ago, in 2004. The time before that was in the fucking 1980s. That's one victory in 30 years, which is pretty damn impressive for all the wrong reasons.

And that's with demographics that tend to be more politically active and have better turnout (such as seniors); if the Democrats could get their demographics to turn out at the same levels as the Republicans, the GOP may never win another election until they dramatically reform their policies and platform. And their strategists understand this - Republican leaders from Moscow Mitch to Donald Trump have given statements announcing their opposition to making voting easier purely because it would be bad for the Republicans.

The Republican strategy has long hinged on structural advantages given to them by the senate and the electoral college (both of which are weighted towards smaller, rural states that lean Republican, as opposed to larger, urban states that skew Democrat) and even that is starting to fail them as demographic changes swing against them. At this point, voter suppression is one of the last tools they have left in their toolbox. Moscow Mitch will not let any of the proposals for easier voting ever see the light of day, because he would be signing away the Republicans' only chance of winning future elections on their current platform.

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Isn't early voting a type of extended voting period? I've voted several times and I've never had to wait in a line more than five minutes.

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Dragooncancer_ posted...

Isn't early voting a type of extended voting period? I've voted several times and I've never had to wait in a line more than five minutes.

early voting is mail in voting

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I think a better system would be to just stop this facade and except whatever figure head the Illuminati wants us to believe is in charge as usual. And if it makes you happy you can write a letter to Santa telling him who you want to vote for.

Mead posted...

early voting is mail in voting

i don't know about other places, but where i am, early voting is just like normal voting at a physical location, and lasts for weeks, ok?

i've voted early the past few elections that way, ok?

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dedbus posted...

I think a better system would be to just stop this facade and except whatever figure head the Illuminati wants us to believe is in charge as usual. And if it makes you happy you can write a letter to Santa telling him who you want to vote for.

I can except your twisted world view, but I'll never accept it.

Got eem

darkknight109 posted...

If you want to improve the ability of people to vote, there are *lots* of easy ways to do it. Mandate a minimum number of polling stations per population; make election day a national holiday; make voter registration automatic and free, with a national voter ID sent at no charge to every eligible adult; allow voting over multiple days.

This is actually brilliant.

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Aculo posted...

i don't know about other places, but where i am, early voting is just like normal voting at a physical location, and lasts for weeks, ok?

i've voted early the past few elections that way, ok?

Same. I'd go to my local polling place, confirm my id and cast my ballot.

Never mailed in anything.

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