Author Topic: America's Broken Electoral System  (Read 869 times)

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Offline JMT

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America's Broken Electoral System
« on: October 27, 2020, 11:35:05 am »
Yes the court could be a factor.  Democrats will be resigned to follow existing law.  The court had been remarkably consistent.  They’re not going to overturn state law while an election is in progress.  In Pennsylvania, that resulted in what Democrats wanted.  In Wisconsin, it didn’t.

What would really be great is if America could simply centralize and standardize voting rules and procedures. Do you agree?
« Last Edit: November 06, 2020, 01:12:26 pm by JMT »

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guest78

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2020, 11:43:19 am »
What would really be great is if America could simply centralize and standardize voting rules and procedures. Do you agree?
Centralizing it would be impossible.  Standardizing it would rules and procedures would be difficult because each state designs their own ballots.  You may also need to amend the constitution. 
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Offline Michael Hardner

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2020, 11:44:44 am »
Then it wouldn't be the disunited states, it would be a disunited STATE

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Offline JMT

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2020, 12:30:35 pm »
Centralizing it would be impossible.  Standardizing it would rules and procedures would be difficult because each state designs their own ballots.  You may also need to amend the constitution.

So amend the Constitution. You can't tell me that you can compare Elections Canada to what goes on south of the border, and with that comparison, think they're doing a good job.

Offline Queefer Sutherland

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2020, 02:44:47 pm »
So amend the Constitution. You can't tell me that you can compare Elections Canada to what goes on south of the border, and with that comparison, think they're doing a good job.

Amending the constitution is always easier said than done.  I doubt states want to give up power to the central government.  It's an antiquated system, but i suppose as long as the rules are stated and they are fair and followed that's what counts.  Since laws/rules vary from state to state it can cause a bit of confusion, which is probably the biggest drawback.

This is a system where the states elect the POTUS.  Again antiquated, it's not 13 independent colonies forming a protective union anymore/
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Offline JMT

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2020, 03:10:04 pm »
i suppose as long as the rules are stated and they are fair and followed that's what counts.

They're not. They haven't been for...well, ever.

Offline segnosaur

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2020, 03:35:59 pm »
Amending the constitution might be extremely difficult (if not impossible). But, i do wonder if there are alternatives that may not fix ALL the problems, but at least improve the situation.

The U.S. had a 'voting rights act' which forced various states to stop practices with suppressed minority votes. (Eventually the supreme court said the law was no longer needed, but then some of those states went right back to suppressing the votes of minorities again.) Congress could try passing such laws again. (Admittedly they would need a friendly supreme court to make sure they weren't struck down as unconstitutional, so Biden might have to stack the court.)

They could pass laws like:
- forcing all states to offer a vote-by-mail option, with times that ballots can be received
- Ensuring a minimum number of polling stations and advanced polling days
- Set universal ID requirements (ones that are less stringent than what many republicans want to enact)

Yes, some of these provisions go against things that have traditionally been the state's responsibility. But, as I pointed out before, the Voting rights act existed for decades (and parts were ruled as constitutional), and it also impacted the state's setup for voting.
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Offline Queefer Sutherland

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2020, 03:46:45 pm »
They're not. They haven't been for...well, ever.

If they aren't then fixing the laws at the state level would be a lot easier than a constitutional amendment, even though i would think national standards would likely be a good thing.
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Offline JMT

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2020, 03:49:41 pm »
If they aren't then fixing the laws at the state level would be a lot easier than a constitutional amendment, even though i would think national standards would likely be a good thing.

National standards would be a great way to start. The one thing that we do share with the US is a very rigid constitutional amendment formula (in our case, at least it's only for the written parts).

Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2020, 03:30:10 pm »
There is a remedy for the recent SC judges.... 

If it is found that they lied under oath (as Kavanaugh did, and perhaps the most recent judge as well), they can be impeached. 

The senate can remove them from their post.  When the Dems get a majority in the Senate, they should certainly do this. 
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Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2020, 05:26:26 pm »
In addition to impeachment, President Biden can assign new seats to the SC.   

The court was stacked by not allowing Obama to nominate a judge in the last year of his term and then reversing that and allowing Trump to do so in the last couple weeks.

Also, the Senate refused to hear any nominations for lower federal courts from Obama....  100+ vacancies weren’t filled due to Senate obstructionism.   

The courts are stacked with right-wing hacks.  So the Republicans certainly have no leg to stand on criticizing anything the Democrats choose to do, as long as the Constitution allows.
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Offline eyeball

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2020, 05:47:49 pm »
So amend the Constitution. You can't tell me that you can compare Elections Canada to what goes on south of the border, and with that comparison, think they're doing a good job.
It should go without saying that Republicans will declare Elections Canada to be socialized voting and like socialized anything that will be the end of any discussion that America should adopt something similar.

America is a failing state, nothing can save it. Got popcorn?
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Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2020, 09:22:37 pm »
This is how badly the dirtbag Republicans don't want their citizens to vote:

Quote
Not everyone has welcomed the changes. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an order in October limiting counties to only one drop-off location for absentee ballots, forcing 11 other sites across the sprawling Harris County to be closed. And the Texas GOP waged an unsuccessful legal battle to force Harris County to close its drive-thru voting sites. Leading state Republicans also sued unsuccessfully to block Abbott’s order allowing counties to add six additional days of early voting during the pandemic.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/houston-voters-are-turning-out-record-numbers-could-they-flip-n1245165

Offline Montgomery

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #13 on: October 30, 2020, 01:31:05 pm »
Their union was based on compromises, but a special sort of compromises that included pandering to the evils of slavery. Reason enough for whay it can't work, never mind the money graft.

So they take it out on minorities and it becomes Trump's very popular agenda. Not dissimilar to Hitler's method of taking it out on the Jews.
Ironically, if not for the completely unfair treaty imposed on Germany after WW1, the next world war may not have happened. America doesn't have that excuse and the trouble is completely internal and American made.
It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said. ~M.T.

Offline Squidward von Squidderson

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Re: Americans Broken Electoral System
« Reply #14 on: October 30, 2020, 07:06:40 pm »
Democrats should appoint and approve 21 new Supreme Court justices. 

I think a dilution of the power of an individual president or party is exactly what is needed down there. 

I don’t see why cases of this import shouldn’t be decided by 29 judges.  Anyone see a downside to this?