2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumbravenak
(34,648 posts)It really does.
I have never waited in line for more than a couple of minutes to vote. Ever. We have lots of polling stations and short ballots. Takes me two minutes on a party line vote. If i take my time.
daybranch
(1,309 posts)are you saying because you never experienced this, it doesn't matter? Or are you saying that it looks like something in a totalitarian regime and we should stop it?
In Ohio, voters from Beavercreek waited hours in the 2004 Presidential election lines. Now they want to restrict early voting and voting by mail. Just trying to keep those that have a harder time voting from doing so.You would have thought the Republican enacted Gerrymander would have been enough. In 2012, we as a state split our votes pretty equally for the two major parties, but due to the Partisan Gerrymandering installed by Republicans 12 Republicans versus only 4 democrats went to the US House of representatives. In state elections, the Gerrymandering itself selected the winners in 106 of 109 positions according to a study by the League of Women Voters. I suspect that we do not have to think very hard to recognize the Gerrymander will again subvert the will of the majority in 20i4, enabling corrupt politicians to ignore the wishes of their constituents again as they did before when Republicans, emboldened by Gerrymandered districts back home shut down the Federal Government hurting millions of people and costing billions of dollars.
I recognize that we cannot remove Gerrymandering in time for the 2014 elections in Ohio, but we can band together to oppose this attack on the structure of our democracy. We can start to shame and blame the politicians who support Gerrymandering. We can later start collecting signatures for a referendum to overturn this Gerrymander and install a non-partisan controlled redistricting board. If we work now to demonstrate the appeal of our cause to the people, any politician aided by expressing his support will be an ally after election. Any politician who visibly stands in support of Gerrymandering will lose voters of both parties. In this way we will create the movement to remove this foot off the neck of voters that allows corrupt Ohio politicians to remove accountability to us and proceed to directly support their rich donors at our expense.
To do these things we need people to actively work to protect the rights and dignity of Ohio citizens and consequently rights of people across the country. I ask each of you, no matter your age, economic situation, or geographic location, to help us fight to return rule to the people in Ohio. Please go to our petition on MoveOn and pledge to work with us. The link is http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/gerrymandering-in-ohio?source=c.fwd&r_by=99591 . We urgently need to do this for ourselves, for our families, and for our country. Please pledge to help in whatever way you can.
bravenak
(34,648 posts)In my state we ( not me) vote republican for the most part. We are not a swing state. They make it easy to vote, because they know how we will vote. I'm scared that this is coming to a town near me soon, because people up here are disillusioned with the tea party. I will sign the petition right now.
DreamGypsy
(2,252 posts)Vote by mail.
Works like a charm in Oregon.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)However there are others who make it a ritual to go to a voting booth with a ballot.
Then there are the voter motor drives. Not to mention the black churches delivering by the busload.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)I thought it was the unemployed at a job fair.