2014 U.S. Mid-term Elections

[BubberMiley]

Oh I know. Liberals can never lose an election without it being because of supression. Otherwise, they should win 100% of all elections.

The Liberals are a Canadian political party. Please keep this thread on the topic of the U.S. midterm elections.

[cybercoma]

Oh I know. Liberals can never lose an election without it being because of supression. Otherwise, they should win 100% of all elections.

This statement is severely deficient of logic. There's been concerns about voter suppression for a number of years now. In case you weren't aware, there's a Democrat in the White House and the Senate is currently controlled by the Democrats.

[Shady]

This statement is severely deficient of logic. There's been concerns about voter suppression for a number of years now. In case you weren't aware, there's a Democrat in the White House and the Senate is currently controlled by the Democrats.

There's also been concerns of voter fraud for years too. Regardless, this isn't the topic of the thread.

[bush_cheney2004]

Voting fraud may be more important this time around, because actual voter turnout is expected to be very low for the midterm election tomorrow. Interest is so low, even Canadians aren't expressing a desire to vote in a U.S. federal election (presidency not in play).

Maybe I will vote just to get the time off from work and enjoy a nice Big Breakfast at McDonald's !

[Mighty AC]

The Big Breakfast: 2,150 milligrams of sodium, 1,090 calories, 575 milligrams of cholesterol but oh so good.
http://www.answers.com/article/1191587/the-10-unhealthiest-items-from-mcdonalds?paramt=31&param4=fb-ca-de-food&param1=food&param2=12651191&param5=10152107949746186&param6=12651381#slide=3

[Topaz]

Doesn't it really matter who get s elected, two parties but they ALL the same, the voters don't have much of a choice.

[bush_cheney2004]

Oh yeah...it matters all right. People in America (and Canada) will be watching the results roll in tomorrow night (no NFL games on Tuesdays, unless your dome roof collapses in a snow storm).

Edited November 3, 2014 by bush_cheney2004

[On Guard for Thee]

The Big Breakfast: 2,150 milligrams of sodium, 1,090 calories, 575 milligrams of cholesterol but oh so good.

http://www.answers.com/article/1191587/the-10-unhealthiest-items-from-mcdonalds?paramt=31&param4=fb-ca-de-food&param1=food&param2=12651191&param5=10152107949746186&param6=12651381#slide=3

You'll be getting a reprimand from Shady too.

[kimmy]

Oh I know. Liberals can never lose an election without it being because of supression. Otherwise, they should win 100% of all elections.

If its impact is as trivial as you seem to think, then why do Republicans continue to have such enthusiasm for finding ways to keep people from voting?

"Let's close polling stations at colleges!"

"Let's purge thousands of names from the voter lists and notify them too late for them to get reinstated!"

"Let's force students to vote at their parents' address, even if they live hundreds of miles away!"

"Let's provide inadequate facilities in 'urban' precincts so that 'urban' voters have to line up for hours!"

"Let's hold voter registration drives in 'urban' areas and throw boxloads of registration papers in the dumpster afterward!"

For people who love democracy so much, they sure seem to hate it when people vote.

-k

[The_Squid]

There's also been concerns of voter fraud for years too. Regardless, this isn't the topic of the thread.

The midterm elections are the topic. Here is an article concerning those elections:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/10/al_jazeera_america_s_reveals_massive_gop_voter_suppression_effort_millions.html

But this doesn’t explain the Republican-led push to end or limit same-day registration (condemned by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a “trick”) and early and weekend voting, procedures used most by minorities, black Americans in particular.

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“voting officials in 27 states, almost all of them Republicans, have launched what is threatening to become a massive purge of black, Hispanic, and Asian-American voters. Already, tens of thousands have been removed from voter rolls in battleground states, and the numbers are set to climb.”

Specifically, officials have a master list of 6.9 million suspected “potential double voters.” And in Virginia, Georgia, and Washington the lists are “heavily over-weighted with names such as Jackson, Garcia, Patel, and Kim,” all common to Democratic-leaning minority groups.

The process for checking those names, a computer program called Crosscheck—touted by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a vocal supporter for voter identification—is incredibly inaccurate.

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Whether Republican officials are trying to nudge the electorate in the GOP’s favor is almost beside the point—since, intentions aside, that’s what’s happened. And when you take this out of its isolation chamber and put it in context—a world where Republicans want voter identification and reduced early voting and stiffer registration laws—it looks like a pattern of deliberate suppression, where some officials prune voter rolls with lists of minorities while others make it harder to vote altogether.

[bush_cheney2004]

I just came from my polling place....same day registration has always been available and is actually used by "white people", not just minorities.

[Shady]

I just came from my polling place....same day registration has always been available and is actually used by "white people", not just minorities.

Yep, I guess not many here know that. I don't think they also know that many states that require ID, offer it free to people that don't have any. God forbid voting is as difficult as buying cigarettes, or getting on an airplane.

[bush_cheney2004]

Well here's the funny part....every two years I go to the polling station (this year it was a church) and they check your registration for the precinct before giving you a printed mark-sensor ballot. Senior citizen volunteers are seated at a table with printed registration rolls sorted by last name. You walk up to the table to verify your name and sign the printed list, but they panic if you pull out an ID to verify who you are and where you live. So on the one hand they want to make certain that you are who you say you are, but they don't want to use ID to prove it because it is "politically sensitive" and not required by law.

This year there was a new twist with pre screen list at another table to make sure you were at the correct polling place / precinct. Again, no ID required or even desired...just say who you want to be for the day !

Sometimes if you vote late in the day, somebody will mistakenly (or fraudulently ) sign your registration and the voting judge(s) have to sort it out. This kind of mistake would not be completely eliminated by voter ID because some folks would still make a mistake.

Just for fun, there was a "Legal Marijuana Now" party on my ballot....a sure winner !!

Edited November 4, 2014 by bush_cheney2004

[cybercoma]

Show me one post where someone said white people don't use same day registration.

[bush_cheney2004]

I feel sorry for the "white people" who have no permanent residence / address...the poor dears have to live like "visible minorities". Some of them only have a rented mailbox which can be used for voter fraud. I hope all of them who want to vote get to do so.

[Big Guy]

Voting day predictions by Big Guy;

Senate - Republicans 53 Democrats 47

House - Republicans 243 Democrats 192

[Shady]

Voting day predictions by Big Guy;

Senate - Republicans 53 Democrats 47

House - Republicans 243 Democrats 192

You might be right. But I'm still skeptical about Republican senate wins. It's certainly possible, but I wouldn't be shocked if Democrats held on to a 51/49 senate. I guess I could be wrong though.

[The_Squid]

The lack of an independent body that decides on election boundaries is a huge problem in the USA. The gerrymandering by Republicans has often fixed the election before a vote is cast.

House Republicans have stretched their votes through state-level gerrymandering (defined here as the artful redrawing of district boundaries to help a party’s entire congressional delegation). Such redistricting is a bit like Hamburger Helper: if you come up a bit short, it helps you get the most out of what you have on hand.

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Democrats won the House popular vote by 1.2 per cent, but still remained in the minority, with two hundred and one seats to the G.O.P.’s two hundred and thirty-four. A major cause of the mismatch arose from post-2010 gerrymandering in seven states, which gave the G.O.P. an approximately fourteen-seat advantage. Through a creative arrangement of district boundaries, large groups of voters can be put on the losing side of every election—which is what Republican-controlled redistricting was able to accomplish.

---------------------------------

Using the tool of redistricting, they have successfully tilted the political playing field to secure a large majority for at least the next two years without the same popular appeal.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/gerrymandering-made-impossible-democrats-win-house

[On Guard for Thee]

Show me one post where someone said white people don't use same day registration.

[bush_cheney2004]

The lack of an independent body that decides on election boundaries is a huge problem in the USA. The gerrymandering by Republicans has often fixed the election before a vote is cast.

It's not a huge problem at all. Other objectives are satisfied by the process. Democrats are in no hurry to change it either.

[The_Squid]

It's not a huge problem at all. Other objectives are satisfied by the process. Democrats are in no hurry to change it either.

Regardless of who is doing it, gerrymandering is electoral corruption, especially when used on racial grounds to swing the vote in favour of your party.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/opinion/their-opinion/columnists-blogs/guest-columnists/mueller-we-must-end-political-gerrymandering/article_1faa2dc4-09dc-5c78-88e1-462f82be2a4c.html

[bush_cheney2004]

Regardless of who is doing it, gerrymandering is electoral corruption, especially when used on racial grounds to swing the vote in favour of your party.

No...it's a political process influenced by many things, not just race. Population demographics are ever changing. Other interests must be satisfied, including the courts. It's not corruption because it is perfectly legal.

Today's election losers will bring out the usual whining.

Edited November 4, 2014 by bush_cheney2004

[On Guard for Thee]

Looks like the US may be headed down the road of complete and utter gridlock. I guess Obama may have to do what Bushy boy always did and polish up his golf clubs.

[sharkman]

Yeah, they've been in gridlock for quite a while already, and Obama's been hacking up the course like he's got a part time job. Anyway, sweet to see the guy get what he deserves.

[The_Squid]

He got 2 terms! lol