I heard that votes have been changed to behave closer to how people would expect, and boost is staying here as well. So I had an idea how to bring it all together in the interface....
Recently I posted that some libraries in southern Oregon were under attack. Racist, bigoted fascists were trying to infiltrate their Board so they could ban books.
Well, the voters have spoken. Our candidates—kind people with integrity—won the election. They won!
Small elections are huge. They mean so very much. Just wanted to share, because these victories have been few and far between.
I occasionally encounter people who still think that voting 3rd party in the US is a good idea; that it’s a way for them to express support for a maverick candidate; or that it’s an effective way to express dissatisfaction with their preferred major party.
There’s one really big problem with that: the #voting system most widely used in the US is INCAPABLE OF CAPTURING THAT KIND OF NUANCE. You may think you’re sending a message when you vote 3rd party, but the system quantizes your vote and essentially turns it into a vote AGAINST THE MAJOR PARTY MOST ALIGNED WITH YOU.
Unless the voting system is changed to capture voter nuance (e.g. #RankedChoiceVoting), you should NEVER vote 3rd party. Hold your nose and vote for the lesser evil. Realize that 3rd party candidates are usually funded explicitly to siphon votes away from a major party. Don’t fall for it.
CGPGrey made a video that I find invaluable in explaining why this is the case. Please give it a watch.
An army of conservative activists is poring over state voter lists in search of registration errors that can be used to file what are known as voter challenges.
The GOP’s Secret to Protecting Gerrymandered Electoral Maps? Claim Privilege.
Through new and expansive assertions of privilege, #Republican legislatures around the country are shielding their work on allegedly discriminatory #voting maps to prevent the public from finding out how and why they made their decisions.
"Biden is not evil. Trump is truly evil," Robert Reich says in a statement I excerpted here yesterday critiquing the "voting for the lesser of two evils" argument that justifies putting Trump back into the White House by voting third-party or refraining from voting.
Negative responses to Reich's statement run the gamut:
A panel of federal judges on Monday began a review Alabama’s redrawn congressional map which opponents argue blatantly defies the court’s mandate to create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to influence the outcome of an election.
Bullied By Her Own Party, a #Wisconsin Election Official's #GOP Roots Mean Nothing in Volatile New Climate
In the face of repeated calls to back Donald Trump's bogus claims that the 2020 #election was stolen, Marge Bostelmann of the Wisconsin #Elections Commission remains resolute: “I’m a #Republican who stands up for the truth and not for a lie.”
"Some people tell me they hate Trump but don’t particularly like Biden. They say Biden is too old, or he’s not doing enough to stop Israel’s bombing of Gaza, or he’s caved to Big Oil, or he isn’t tough enough.
So they tell me they’re not going to vote next November. Or they’ll vote for a third-party candidate.
Maybe you know someone like this. Or you yourself fall into this camp."
I'm thinking about writing a popular piece on voting theory, with the hook of "voting gone wrong".
Borda count voting is much-discussed in textbooks but rare in practice. Does anyone know a real-world example of Borda voting going wrong because of strategic voting behavior?
”Organized crime has now extended its tentacles throughout #Mexico. Going down the list of the 32 states, at least half of them are wracked by #crime and violence at the highest levels we have seen in a century.”
Sometimes people take politics too personally, eventually resorting to violence but the question is whether violence is justified during the time of elections?
Nearly half of voters across a group of swing-states said they expect violence around the upcoming presidential election, according to a new poll.
BREAKING: Canada's federal Liberal party are announcing new legislation today to reform the Elections Act. The motion will allow a total of three days to vote, including weekends along with allowing you to vote at ANY polling place and advancements in mail in voting.
Huh, so weird… the California Secretary of State sent me a notice that I’m registered as a No Party Preference, but I’ve been registered as a Democrat before. Did I miss a notice to refresh the registration? #sfba#california#voting
I just saw someone compare US elections to cancer treatment. And they seem OK with that.
I mean, did they even read the words they wrote? If voting is a cancer treatment then the candidates or the system, or whatever is the cancer.
Seems like I would spend all of my energy trying to fix that instead of lecturing people about their voting choices in a country that's supposed to be a democracy.
NEW: Update & Clarification on Votes, Boosts, Favorites, and Reputation Points on kbin
Ernest just posted some comments clarifying recent changes to Votes, Boosts, Favorites, and Reputation Points:...
Virginia admits thousands of voters wrongly purged days before election (www.theguardian.com)
Voting rights groups decry error days before elections that will determine which party controls the state legislature
OC Assuming boost stays as some sort of a super-upvote/share combo alongside regular up/downvote buttons, here's a UI idea on how to merge it into one unified voting system. App animation + web block mockup
I heard that votes have been changed to behave closer to how people would expect, and boost is staying here as well. So I had an idea how to bring it all together in the interface....
Eligible voters are being swept up in conservative activists' efforts to purge voter rolls (www.cbsnews.com)
An army of conservative activists is poring over state voter lists in search of registration errors that can be used to file what are known as voter challenges.
Federal judges question Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black district (apnews.com)
A panel of federal judges on Monday began a review Alabama’s redrawn congressional map which opponents argue blatantly defies the court’s mandate to create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to influence the outcome of an election.
What drives people to vote the way they do? (www.economist.com)
A new study using data on charity donations highlights the role of moral values