Tag: Voter Registration

Open Letter To ‘Independents’

College Of Political Knowledge

2024 Election Series

2024  vote is closer than most Americans think….

The news seems to be focused on what is humorously termed the ‘independents’ as the deciding voters for the next few elections…..

Independents reign as the voting bloc for political candidates to deal with this election year, new data show. Gallup has found that 43% of US adults identified as independent in its survey, while 27% of respondents said they’re Democrats or Republicans. That’s a low for Democrats, Axios reports. There have been blips, but independents generally started to outnumber the ranks of the two parties in 1991. “The increase in the percentage of independents has come more at the expense of Democrats than Republicans, which might be expected since Democrats were previously the largest political group,” Gallup’s post says.

To begin with I am not comfortable with the term ‘independent’…..simply because these self-described voters will vote either GOP or Dems….that is not an ‘independent’ in my book.

They are still part of the problem for it is the D or the R that they are voting for….is not in any way an independent voter.

I am an old fart so as an old person I apparently have a different definition for the term.

My thought is if you are an independent then you probably avoid politics like the plague….but that is just me…..

Independents often are portrayed as political free agents with the potential to alleviate the nation’s rigid partisan divisions. Yet the reality is that most independents are not all that “independent” politically. And the small share of Americans who are truly independent – less than 10% of the public has no partisan leaning – stand out for their low level of interest in politics.

Among the public overall, 38% describe themselves as independents, while 31% are Democrats and 26% call themselves Republicans, according to Pew Research Center surveys conducted in 2018. These shares have changed only modestly in recent years, but the proportion of independents is higher than it was from 2000-2008, when no more than about a third of the public identified as independents.

An overwhelming majority of independents (81%) continue to “lean” toward either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Among the public overall, 17% are Democratic-leaning independents, while 13% lean toward the Republican Party. Just 7% of Americans decline to lean toward a party, a share that has changed little in recent years. This is a long-standing dynamic that has been the subject of past analyses, both by Pew Research Center and others.

Political Independents: Who They Are, What They Think

But are these voters truly independent?

Not really.

On the one hand, more Americans identifying as independent probably doesn’t seem like a bad thing. Independents are often portrayed as more open-minded and less dogmatic in their political views. And in a nation whose founders feared factional politics, the value of political independence is also an attractive one to many Americans.

The problem is that few independents are actually independent. Roughly 3 in 4 independents still lean toward one of the two major political parties, and studies show that these voters aren’t all that different from the voters in the party they lean toward. Independents who lean toward a party also tend to back that party at almost the same rate as openly partisan voters.

“Independents tend not to look all that different from partisans,” said Samara Klar, a political scientist at the University of Arizona and co-author of the book “Independent Politics.” “But they do tend to be more averse to identifying themselves as a partisan when there is a negative stigma associated with partisanship. So, it’s really the arguments, the hostility, the negativity that seems to be driving this behavior.”

Few Americans Who Identify As Independent Are Actually Independent. That’s Really Bad For Politics.

Or these voters could be ‘undecided’ voters…..another term I do not agree with…..

All in all a true independent has principles beyond party then more political parties would be in the mix….as it is they are not….most vote either ‘R’ or ‘D’…..and the nation suffers.

Is there any debate?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2024–Is This Good News?

Most of this year the news from the election front has been really bad, that from the point of view of a Dem, that is, Biden was polling horrible especially after the dismal debate performance then the Dems turn against him and forced him to drop out at this late stage of the game….then the focus on the GOP side was on the Heritage tome, Project 2025, that most see as some form of authoritarianism….the news just kept getting bad….

Then a glimmer of good news came out….voter registration was up….

The group behind a popular get-out-the-vote technology platform said Friday that it’s registered more than 100,000 new U.S. voters since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, a surge that came amid mounting Republican efforts to make it harder to register and vote.

Vote.org said that 84% of voters registered in the new wave are under age 35. Nearly 1 in 5 new registrees is 18 years old. Andrea Hailey, the group’s CEO, said that “since 2020, we have led the largest voter registration drive in U.S. history,” with more than 7.8 million people registered.

After dropping out, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to face former Republican President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) in the November election. The new presumptive Democratic candidate has already earned endorsements from many Democrats in Congress and groups advocating on issues including climate, labor, and reproductive rights.

Vote.org’s success comes as Republicans at the federal level are proposing and passing legislation creating obstacles to the ballot box.

Earlier this month, U.S. House Republicans passed Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-Texas) Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of American citizenship to vote in federal elections. Republicans claim the bill is meant to fix the virtually nonexistent “problem” of noncitizen voter fraud.

However, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) slammed the bill as a “xenophobic attack” meant to silence “Black voices, brown voices, LBGTQIA+ voices, [and] young voices.”

Lee said the SAVE Act underscores the need to pass her recently introduced Right to Vote Act, “which would establish the first-ever affirmative federal voting rights guarantee, ensuring every citizen may exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/u-s-voter-registration

This indeed does sound like good news….there is always a ‘but’….

Those thousands of new voters that were registered is NO guarantee that they will get off their butts and actually vote.

In a country where less that half of the registered votes actually vote this is not all that positive in my book….I hope I am wrong….and we shall see….

Let’s not forget the words of the Lord High Master of the Right…..

During a recent campaign rally, former President Donald Trump appeared to suggest that voting in elections will be a thing of the past if he gets a second term in office.

The 45th president of the United States made the remarks while addressing a crowd of evangelical supporters at the Turning Point Action summit in West Palm Beach, Florida. After former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson introduced Trump, he launched into a speech that culminated with him calling on evangelicals to vote for him. The former president insinuated that 2024 would be the last election they would have to participate in because society would be “fixed.

“And again, Christians: Get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore,” he said. “In four years you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not gonna have to vote.”

https://www.alternet.org/trump-supporters-vote/

Do you think this will make a big difference?

Is that what you want?   Never to have to vote again?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Don’t Count Trump Out Yet!

I know that most people do not want to think about the outside chance of Trump winning this election….but there are a few signs that could put him in the winner’s circle.

But the stats I see tell me the election is a virtual tie nationwide…..don’t celebrate just yet.

There seems to be a rise in GOP voter registration…..that could be a boon to the Trump campaign…..

The polls continue to show Joe Biden with a steady lead nationally and in most battleground states, and the AP notes that President Trump himself has been publicly speculating about losing in November. Biden’s campaign, meanwhile, is busy warning Democrats about over-confidence. The race is a “lot closer” than people think, campaign chief Jen O’Malley Dillon wrote last week. A look at why that might be:

  • Registering voters: The No. 1 source of concern for Democrats is that Republican registration is up in crucial states, reports Politico. Yes, Democrats appear to have a clear edge in record-setting early voting, but will that be enough to overcome an expected large turnout of Trump voters on Election Day?
  • 3 key states: GOP registration gains in Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina, paired with hopes of the heavy turnout mentioned above, are boosting Republican spirits, reports the New York Times. “The tremendous voter registration gain by the Republicans is the secret weapon that will make the difference for the Republicans in 2020,” Dee Stewart, a GOP political consultant in North Carolina, tells the newspaper.
  • Pollsters’ blind spot? An analysis by JPMorgan Chase finds that the GOP has picked up 200,000 voters in Pennsylvania since 2016, when Trump won there by less than 50,000 votes, per Fox News. The analysis finds similar progress in Florida, North Carolina, and New Mexico. All of which has Guy Benson wondering at Town Hall, “Are Pollsters Missing a Key Factor That Could Benefit Trump?”
  • Other factors: Uncertainty of polling in swing states, the disqualification of mail-in ballots, and young voters failing to return their mail-in ballots also make Politico’s list of “hidden” reasons why Democrats are nervous. “I predict in the coming weeks the Democratic narrative will change from euphoria over the apparent large leads in early voting to concern that a disproportionately large number of younger voters have yet to return their mail ballots,” writes Michael McDonald in an analysis at the US Elections Project.
  • Not done? If Trump does indeed lose, that’s the end of his presidential aspirations, right? Maybe not. Steve Bannon tells the Australian that he thinks Trump would run again. “I’ll make this prediction right now: If for any reason the election is stolen from, or in some sort of way Joe Biden is declared the winner, Trump will announce he’s going to run for re-election in 2024,” he said. “You’re not going to see the end of Donald Trump.”

There is only one way to defeat Trump and his minions……

VOTE!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Your Mail-In Vote

There is a problem these days….voting will be a bitch and the solution that many have offered is that of a mail-in vote and of course that will not fit into the plan for Trump….he and his ilk are saying that a mail-in vote would be riddled with fraud.

He much prefers absentee voting.

Think about that for a minute.

Your ballot comes in the mail ……you fill it out…..then you mail it in…..

Do I need to let that sink in?

Let me help and explain a bit about mail-in voting…..

Vote-by-mail, mail-in voting, and absentee voting are essentially the same thing. We use these terms interchangeably. They all mean that a voter is submitting a ballot through the mail.

The process is fairly standard. First, a voter needs to apply for an absentee ballot if one has not automatically been sent in the mail. Once local election officials receive the request for an absentee ballot, the ballot is mailed to the voter. 

Lucille Wenegieme, spokesperson for the National Vote at Home Institute, told WhoWhatWhy that offering voters the opportunity to cast a mail-in ballot provides a sense of confidence because the voter has more time with the ballot.

“When I talk to somebody about vote-by-mail, somebody that hasn’t done it for the first time, I like to tell them that it really offers a level of convenience,” Wenegieme said.

America Decides 2020: Voting by Mail, Explained

Since this idea during the pandemic is gaining in popularity what can be done to thwart this process?

Slow the mail down!

Mail is piling up at post offices, and employees are worried that November election ballots could be delayed. The backlog has been building since the new postmaster general and President Trump ally, Louis DeJoy, enacted changes at the Postal Service this month that were billed as needed to cut costs, the Washington Post reports. They include turning off mail sorting machines early, requiring letter carriers to leave without some mail to avoid making extra trips or late deliveries, and ending overtime pay. Trump, who has called the post office “a joke,” this week floated the idea of postponing the election rather than having widespread voting by mail. He cited the potential for fraud, but workers and union officials say the new changes could at least bring chaos. “I’m actually terrified to see election season under the new procedure,” said a union local president in New York.

DeJoy took office in June. In announcing the changes, Vice points out, he said the Postal Service will trade delayed mail in exchange for saving money. A spokesman said the changes are necessary after decades of financial problems. Any delays are temporary, he said, adding that DeJoy was appointed by a bipartisan board and doesn’t take his marching orders from Trump. But a union president representing 200,000 workers and retirees put his objections on the record in a meeting with DeJoy. “It’s wrong for the people of the country, it’s wrong for the public Postal Service,” he said. “It drives away business and revenue.” Four Democratic senators asked DeJoy for more information this week, saying his lack of transparency “only increases concerns that service compromises will grow in advance of the election.”

This is an obvious attempt to try and alter the outcome of the election……

And the president just cannot let this go…….

President Trump escalated his criticism of mail balloting in a big way on Monday, first in a press conference in which he hinted at using executive action to curtail it and also in an interview. Coverage:

  • Two months: In a sit-down with Axios on HBO, Trump said widespread mail voting would lead to chaos. “You know, you could have a case where this election won’t be decided on the evening of Nov. 3. This election could be decided two months later.” He added: “Lots of things will happen during that period of time. Especially when you have tight margins. Lots of things can happen. There’s never been anything like this.”
  • Executive order: At his White House press conference Monday, Trump said some kind of executive order on mail voting is within his authority. “I have the right to do it,” he said, per Politico. “We haven’t gotten there yet, we’ll see what happens.” Trump didn’t provide specifics about what is under consideration.
  • Nevada: Trump also said the White House would sue Nevada after lawmakers there passed a bill to provide mail ballots to every voter ahead of the election, reports Reuters. “We will be suing in Nevada. And that’s already been taken care of, we’ll probably file something tomorrow,” he said.
  • The evidence: Trump continued to assert that mail balloting is vulnerable to fraud, while news stories (including this one at the AP) continue to assert that he has no evidence to back that up. Politico calls cases of fraud “exceedingly rare” but adds that mail voting might have higher risks if proper safeguards are not in place.
  • A GOP worry: The Washington Post reports that GOP leaders around the US are worried about an unintended consequence of the president’s campaign against mail voting—his supporters are refusing to embrace the practice. “As a result, state and local Republicans across the country fear they are falling dramatically behind in a practice that is expected to be key to voter turnout this year,” write Amy Gardner and Josh Dawsey.

This bit of theater has a new twist….

President Trump is OK with voting by mail … in one state, at least. “Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA.” It’s quite a shift from his typical stance on mail-in voting, which he has for weeks claimed will lead to voter fraud—CNN calls it “one of the most epic reversals in recent political history.” But he has said in the past that he is OK with absentee voting, and a spokesperson for his campaign said that’s what the tweet reflects: “What most states call ‘absentee voting’ has long been termed ‘vote-by-mail’ in Florida—it’s been that way for years, and it works,” she said.

“President Trump is fighting to make sure every valid vote counts—the exact opposite of what’s happened in New York’s and California’s train wreck primaries, where we saw Democrats’ rush to implement a faulty universal vote-by-mail system,” the campaign statement continued. At a White House briefing later Tuesday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany added that Trump has “been unmistakably clear that when you have this mass mail-out voting like what Nevada wants to do, the consequences are real.” (PolitiFact said last month that “there is no objective difference between absentee voting and voting by mail.”) The Hill notes that some on the right are concerned Trump’s harping on mail-in voting will end up suppressing the GOP vote, and adds that polls show Trump lagging behind Biden in Florida, a battleground state.

Does anyone else see how silly this whole thing is?

Not worry it can all end soon….but only if you VOTE!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Voter Fraud Literally Less Likely Than Being Hit By Lightning | Mother Jones

Speaking of voter fraud………

For years now the GOP has been obsessed with voter fraud……every time they lose an election they cry voter fraud…..and now that they control so many states they are trying desperately to rig the election process in their favor……but really…..just how rampant is voter fraud?

Glad you asked!

 

Voter Fraud Literally Less Likely Than Being Hit By Lightning | Mother Jones.

Gerrymandering

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Voting

Today’s focus is on politics in general in the US.  One of our fundamental rights is the right to vote and it appears to be under attack.  These days there is a lot of debate about voting and voting rights.  Even if you deny the attack on voter rights you have to be aware of the game played to insure a certain outcome to an election…..that game/tactic is the one we call gerrymandering.

For those not sure what the term actually means…….

…….a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating district boundaries to create partisan advantaged districts. The resulting district is known as a gerrymander.

In addition to its use achieving desired electoral results for a particular party, gerrymandering may be used to help or hinder a particular demographic, such as a political, ethnic, racial, linguistic, religious, or class group, such as in U.S. federal voting district boundaries that produce a majority of constituents representative of African-American or other racial minorities, known as “majority-minority districts”.

There are two techniques for the act of gerrymandering……these are packing….this is when a minority is in a few districts so that they can elect only a small number of representatives…..and then there is stacking…..minorities are spread thin across many districts so that they can elect NO one……

If you understand the definition then you can understand what is being done…..it is an attempt to create a foolproof win for a particular party.  Do not get me wrong…..I am not blaming one party over another…..this is a process that is done after each census…..about every ten years or so.  And both parties are guilty.

But when did this process begin……was it an original part of the government from the beginning?

To answer the question simply……

The word gerrymander (originally written Gerry-mander) was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette on 26 March 1812. The word was created in reaction to a redrawing of Massachusetts state senate election districts under the then-governor Elbridge Gerry. In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic-Republican Party.

It was said the the re-drawn districts had the shape of a salamander….ergo Gerry after the gov and mander from the salamander and it has ever since been known as Gerry-Mander.

This is nothing, serves NO purpose other than making a loss proof district for politicians…..and in today’s country used to make it harder for some voters to elect a desired representative……it has NO socially redeeming qualities….it has out lived its usefulness, at least in my mind…..but then I am not a bottom feeding politician……time for it to GO!  As a matter of fact it is time for the whole electoral college con to go (that is a post for another day)……..

Let me close with one simple statement……..Remember when the voter pick its candidates….well gerrymandering has made it possible for the candidate to pick his/her voter!

Fact-checking voting laws: a year-end report | PolitiFact

With the upcoming 2014 elections, the mid-terms, you can bet that this subject will get lots of air time….all the debate, the lies, the truths, that head scratching……

I am not a big fan of Politifact….I think their grading system kinda sucks…..something is either true or false….a lie is a lie….no matter how you try to spin it….a lie is a lie!

But this will give my readers an idea of where the debate on voter suppression is at……..at least for now.

Fact-checking voting laws: a year-end report | PolitiFact.

Gaming The Voter

Everyone in this country should know that if you are an American citizen and are at least 18 years of age then you have the right to vote………….even after the Conserv court tried to gut the Voter Rights Act….we still have the right to vote….the problem is some states are trying to make it all but impossible for some residents to exercise the right to vote……..North Carolina comes to mind and their attempt to suppress voters………

Here is their (North Carolina) attempt to basically decide who can vote……..

  • Implementing a strict voter ID requirement that bars citizens who don’t have a proper photo ID from casting a ballot.
  • Eliminating same-day voter registration, which allowed residents to register at the polls.
  • Cutting early voting by a full week.
  • Increasing the influence of money in elections by raising the maximum campaign contribution to $5,000 and increasing the limit every two years.
  • Making it easier for voter suppression groups like True The Vote to challenge any voter who they think may be ineligible by requiring that challengers simply be registered in the same county, rather than precinct, of those they challenge.
  • Vastly increasing the number of “poll observers” and increasing what they’re permitted to do. In 2012, ThinkProgress caught the Romney campaign training such poll observers using highly misleading information.
  • Only permitting citizens to vote in their specific precinct, rather than casting a ballot in any nearby ward or election district. This can lead to widespread confusion, particularly in urban areas where many precincts can often be housed in the same building.
  • Barring young adults from pre-registering as 16- and 17-year-olds, which is permitted by current law, and repealing a state directive that high schools conduct voter registration drives in order to boost turnout among young voters.
  • Prohibiting some types of paid voter registration drives, which tend to register poor and minority citizens.
  • Dismantling three state public financing programs, including the landmark program that funded judicial elections.
  • Weakening disclosure requirements for outside spending groups.
  • Preventing counties from extending polling hours in the event of long lines or other extraordinary circumstances and making it more difficult for them to accommodate elderly or disabled voters with satellite polling sites at nursing homes, for instance.

Take a close look at these changes proposed to the voting in North Carolina…….if it is successful then we will see a form of this bill in every Red state…….this is an attempt to decide who can vote….there will be many on the Right that will hit on the theme of voter fraud……I will agree with voter ID as long as every voter is issued the same ID…….the rest are nothing short of voter suppression….well an attempt and we will have to see how it plays out……

I have heard all the preserving the integrity of the institution of voting argument…….but if ONE qualified voter is kept from voting…then integrity is gone and it is a failed argument……..and conservs would be screaming the loudest if this was being attempted in a Blue state……….

Voter Fraud?

Daily Agitator

Since McCain was crushed to death by Obama in 2008, there has been a concerted effort to try and do away with all the institution that was used to help Obama win…..ACORN is the first one that comes to mind…..Breitbart and his pet toad did an excellent hatchet job on the organization…..why?  Because they help thousands of people register to vote and most of them wound up voting Democratic…..so the organization had to go…..and now many states are trying to pass laws that would make registering new voters much harder….which is a stab at …wait for it….Democratic voters since most of the people that are helped by easier access to the registration process are poor or elderly and would most likely vote Democratic…..many GOP legislators used the magic slogan of voter fraud to try and push these restrictive laws through the state houses./…and then there is the assault on labor by the many states and why?  Wait for it!  They mostly vote Democratic…..

Do you see a trend here?

Now it seems that the battle ground state, Wisconsin is using a tactic that is just WRONG!

In letters obtained by No Quarter, local Republican Party officials are encouraging their GOP colleagues to collect enough signatures to get a fake Democratic candidate on the ballot in each of two upcoming recall elections.

The spoiler Democrats, who are identified by name in the letters, would run in the Democratic primaries for the seats now held by Republican Sens. Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

Both of the fake Democrats have a history of giving almost exclusively to major Republicans.

“We need to make sure Democrat challengers face primaries to allow our Republicans time to mount a campaign,” Dan Feyen, chairman of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party, wrote in the letter to “fellow conservatives” on Friday.

Let me see……the Dems are attempting voter fraud by registering people, but the Repubs are being up and up in their underhanded attempt to influence an election?  And has the media taken on this situation?  Nope!

Explain please!

Voter Registration Fraud

The Repubs have ACORN to bitch about….and they do…constantly. Now the Dems have something to counter with…if only they will.

Voting rights groups demanded a criminal investigation this week into whether or not New Mexico’s Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office released confidential voter information to Republican Party operatives in violation of state privacy laws.

According to a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Wed., Oct. 22, local Republican Party officials released a press packet last week that contained photocopies of dozens of voter registration forms. Evidence on the completed forms showed that they were reviewed by the Bernalillo County Clerk’s office before being handled by the Republican Party.

The ACLU said the evidence indicates that the completed voter registration forms were given to the Republicans by the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office.

New Mexico state law prohibits the release of voter registration materials to anyone other than the voter. If found guilty, officials at the County Clerk responsible for the transmission of sensitive documents could be charged with a 4th degree felony.

In a statement, ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson said, “The evidence suggests to us a stunning disregard for the privacy of New Mexico voters and the laws of our state that ensure orderly elections.”

Simonson added that the apparent illegal release of such documents may constitute a form of voter intimidation. “Voters should not have to fear that their identifying information is going to make its way into the hands of people who want to influence their vote or intimidate them into not voting at all,” he said.

Because the Republican Party officials handled the illegally obtained materials and distributed private information to the press, they are implicated in the matter as well. The Republicans distributed the material in an attempt to demonstrate voter fraud on the part of voter registration groups. While they produced no evidence of that, they did appear to jump into another scandal tying them to apparently illegal actions by someone at the County Clerk’s office.
Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver denied providing the Republicans with the documents and suggested to other media outlets that another county clerk with access to the same database could have done so. She did agree, however, that an investigation into the matter is warranted.