This is, IMO, going to be a big topic in the coming year. Republicans have stated their aim to make voting more restrictive in just about every state where they have the means to do so. Democrats would like to pass the Voting Rights Bill named after John Lewis. I’m going to go look up the map of all the states which have pending legislation to restrict voting. Now that we have the election in the rear view, I thought we could try to make this a general discussion thread, where people who have concerns about voting abuses can post as well and we can discuss it from both sides. Please keep memes out of this thread and put them in the boards where we go to talk about the other side, lol.
Voting Law Proposals and Voting Rights Efforts (1 Viewer)
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Optimus Prime
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A Jim Crow-era provision of the Mississippi constitution designed to disfranchise Black voters is constitutional, a federal appellate court ruled on Wednesday.
The case deals with a provision of the Mississippi constitution, Section 241, that lays out specific crimes that cause its citizens to permanently lose the right to vote.
Mississippi officials initially adopted the provision at a constitutional convention in 1890, choosing crimes such as theft, arson, embezzlement and bigamy that they believed African Americans were more likely to commit. “We came here to exclude the Negro,” said the convention’s president. “Nothing short of this will answer.”
A majority of judges on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit did not dispute that the original provision was racist and unconstitutional.
But they said Mississippi had since “cleansed” the provision of its “discriminatory butt area” by tweaking the provision twice in the 20th century.
Voters removed burglary from the list of disfranchising crimes in 1950 and added murder and rape to the list in 1968.
“Plaintiffs failed to meet their burden of showing that the current version of Section 241 was motivated by discriminatory intent.
In addition, Mississippi has conclusively shown that any butt area associated with Section 241 has been cured,” a majority of justices for the fifth circuit, one of the most conservative in the US, wrote in an opinion.
The challengers in the case have said they plan to appeal the ruling to the US supreme court.
The decision will allow Mississippi to continue to enforce an extremely harsh policy when it comes to voting rights for those with certain felony convictions.
Ten per cent of the state’s voting age population – the highest rate in the country – cannot vote because of a felony conviction, according to an estimate by the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice non-profit.
That includes 16% of the Black voting age population. The vast majority of people disenfranchised in the state have completed their criminal sentence……
www.theguardian.com
The case deals with a provision of the Mississippi constitution, Section 241, that lays out specific crimes that cause its citizens to permanently lose the right to vote.
Mississippi officials initially adopted the provision at a constitutional convention in 1890, choosing crimes such as theft, arson, embezzlement and bigamy that they believed African Americans were more likely to commit. “We came here to exclude the Negro,” said the convention’s president. “Nothing short of this will answer.”
A majority of judges on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit did not dispute that the original provision was racist and unconstitutional.
But they said Mississippi had since “cleansed” the provision of its “discriminatory butt area” by tweaking the provision twice in the 20th century.
Voters removed burglary from the list of disfranchising crimes in 1950 and added murder and rape to the list in 1968.
“Plaintiffs failed to meet their burden of showing that the current version of Section 241 was motivated by discriminatory intent.
In addition, Mississippi has conclusively shown that any butt area associated with Section 241 has been cured,” a majority of justices for the fifth circuit, one of the most conservative in the US, wrote in an opinion.
The challengers in the case have said they plan to appeal the ruling to the US supreme court.
The decision will allow Mississippi to continue to enforce an extremely harsh policy when it comes to voting rights for those with certain felony convictions.
Ten per cent of the state’s voting age population – the highest rate in the country – cannot vote because of a felony conviction, according to an estimate by the Sentencing Project, a criminal justice non-profit.
That includes 16% of the Black voting age population. The vast majority of people disenfranchised in the state have completed their criminal sentence……
Mississippi’s Jim Crow-era felony voting law is constitutional, federal court rules
Law passed in 1890 was tailored ‘to exclude the Negro’ but appeals court says tweaks in 20th century ‘cleansed … discriminatory butt area’
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Optimus Prime
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And why is a 6am SWAT raid necessary??
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Last year, Republican state lawmakers passed at least 32 new laws in 17 states to change the rules of election administration, strip oversight from election officials and put it into the hands of GOP-controlled legislatures.
Within the first seven months of 2022, GOP-controlled legislatures introduced at least 244 such bills. Twenty-four became law, according to a new report from States United Democracy Center and Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organisation supporting democratic elections.
That state-level effort – supported by Donald Trump’s baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and false claims that voter fraud and manipulation damaged the results – “would make it far easier for hyperpartisan actors to stir up the doubt, chaos, and confusion that could be used as a pretext for election subversion,” according to the report.
Election experts and elected officials are also sounding the alarm, warning that the explosion of legislation – and a wave of prominent election deniers running for office to put it in place – give antidemocratic actors the tools to do what spurious attempts to overturn the 2020 results could not, and with a greater chance of success…..
www.independent.co.uk
Within the first seven months of 2022, GOP-controlled legislatures introduced at least 244 such bills. Twenty-four became law, according to a new report from States United Democracy Center and Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organisation supporting democratic elections.
That state-level effort – supported by Donald Trump’s baseless narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and false claims that voter fraud and manipulation damaged the results – “would make it far easier for hyperpartisan actors to stir up the doubt, chaos, and confusion that could be used as a pretext for election subversion,” according to the report.
Election experts and elected officials are also sounding the alarm, warning that the explosion of legislation – and a wave of prominent election deniers running for office to put it in place – give antidemocratic actors the tools to do what spurious attempts to overturn the 2020 results could not, and with a greater chance of success…..
‘Evolving’ antidemocratic threats could ignite election chaos, experts warn
Secretaries of state and voting rights experts warn against an explosion of legislation to ‘subvert’ election outcomes and a wave of prominent election deniers running for office
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DaveXA
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Still looking for my shocked face.
Yeah, color me shocked.
Optimus Prime
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a spectacle out of the round of arrests made by his election police force earlier this month, jailing 20 people on charges of voter fraud and promising more prosecutions to come. At least one target was dragged to jail in his underwear by a SWAT team at 6 a.m. But it turns out that the individuals ensnared in DeSantis’ dragnet had no idea that they could not lawfully vote. The governor’s own appointees flubbed their legal duty to stop them from registering. And because of their sloppy errors, all 20 defendants may well be acquitted of crimes they did not intend to commit.
DeSantis’ misadventure traces back to Amendment 4, the ballot initiative that was supposed to restore voting rights to most people who had completed sentences for felony convictions. (Those convicted of murder and sex offenses were excluded.) Floridians overwhelmingly approved the constitutional amendment in 2018. Yet DeSantis and his fellow
Republicans promptly sabotaged the amendment by enacting an unnavigable, incomprehensible system for individuals who wished to regain their right to vote. The state refused to establish a coherent process for people convicted of felonies to learn they are eligible to cast a ballot. Many Floridians with disqualifying convictions, including the defendants arrested this month, are therefore unaware that amendment 4 does not apply to them.
After Donald Trump pushed the lie of mass voter fraud in 2020, Florida Republicans created an investigative unit to uncover “election crimes.” It was obvious that this office would continue the work that GOP lawmakers began in the wake of Amendment 4: persecuting Floridians who made the honest mistake of voting despite a disqualifying conviction.
That, of course, is exactly what happened. It appears that most if not all of the 20 men and women arrested by DeSantis’ election police did not realize they were not allowed to vote due to disqualifying convictions. They believed, in good faith, that they could exercise their civil rights.
But they did not reach this conclusion on their own. As Politico’s Matt Dixon has reported, these defendants were told by Florida officials that they were legally permitted to vote. And because they believed these officials, they now face up to five years in prison for the crime of voter fraud..........
Optimus Prime
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And I agree, I would ask DeSantis about the Villages fraud, every time he talks about his task force
Voter Fraud is incredibly rare and it seems from the stories about the few genuine cases is a majority of people voting Republican and it seems that the Democrat cases are of the mistake variety, getting out of prison, being told 'yes you can vote' by officials or they've moved and there was a registration issue.
It seems that most of the Republican cases are the "I'll vote and I'll vote for my dead mother too" variety
Speaking of, has there been any update on the Pamela Bland case?
Voter Fraud is incredibly rare and it seems from the stories about the few genuine cases is a majority of people voting Republican and it seems that the Democrat cases are of the mistake variety, getting out of prison, being told 'yes you can vote' by officials or they've moved and there was a registration issue.
It seems that most of the Republican cases are the "I'll vote and I'll vote for my dead mother too" variety
Speaking of, has there been any update on the Pamela Bland case?
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DaveXA
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Yeah, this isn't surprising.
Yeah, I was looking for my "I'm stunned" button but I think I broke it.
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Optimus Prime
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should start an online campaign.
yes, elections are rigged and Republican votes are being switched to democrat. Even if you don't vote you'll be voting for democrats. The only way to prevent it is to remove yourself from the voting rolls
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An Arizona-based supporter of former President Donald Trump has demanded to have their name removed from the state's voter rolls because they are now convinced all elections are fraudulent.
Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer this week shared a message he had received from an aggrieved Trump supporter who no longer wanted to participate in any elections because Trump had convinced them there was no point.
"I am returning this ballot to you, because I no longer have confidence that your organization can conduct a legal, democratic and unaltered election," the person wrote. "I am appalled at the behavior of your office, that transpired in the 2020 election and the subsequent investigation into purported fraud.".........
"To conclude, I demand that you remove my name from the voter rolls of Maricopa County," the person wrote at the end of the message. "I will no longer play the game, you win!"
Richer commented that this is "not the first voter we've lost as a result of the misinformation and disinformation regarding elections," which he then added was "so sad."........
yes, elections are rigged and Republican votes are being switched to democrat. Even if you don't vote you'll be voting for democrats. The only way to prevent it is to remove yourself from the voting rolls
=============================================
An Arizona-based supporter of former President Donald Trump has demanded to have their name removed from the state's voter rolls because they are now convinced all elections are fraudulent.
Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer this week shared a message he had received from an aggrieved Trump supporter who no longer wanted to participate in any elections because Trump had convinced them there was no point.
"I am returning this ballot to you, because I no longer have confidence that your organization can conduct a legal, democratic and unaltered election," the person wrote. "I am appalled at the behavior of your office, that transpired in the 2020 election and the subsequent investigation into purported fraud.".........
"To conclude, I demand that you remove my name from the voter rolls of Maricopa County," the person wrote at the end of the message. "I will no longer play the game, you win!"
Richer commented that this is "not the first voter we've lost as a result of the misinformation and disinformation regarding elections," which he then added was "so sad."........
cuddlemonkey
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Yep.
"Don't play their games, True Patriots! Remove yourself from the voter rolls! That's how the FBI will track you to come after you after they railroad Trump! Don't vote, it might just save your life!"
Think we can convince enough people?
Optimus Prime
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First time hearing about Quadratic Voting
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Nashville is synonymous with country music and quiet conservatism, but the city is implementing the “The Handbook for Radical Local Democracy v2.0"— that will change how the city council votes, how contracts are awarded, and who owns what. It is fast becoming the most radical city in America.
Using an online tool developed by RadicalxChange, Nashville’s metropolitan council recently applied quadratic voting to aid deliberations on the county government’s budget for 2023. Rather than voting a simple “yes” or “no” on proposals, quadratic voting endows voters with “voice credits.” In this sense, voters who are indifferent about one issue can abstain from voting on it, reallocating the credit towards another issue.
Supporters of quadratic voting say the system recognizes individuals that are differentially engaged and informed on issues, and creates incentives for voters to channel those preferences towards issues that are broadly recognized as necessary to resolve. Smaller, and potentially more niche, issues, therefore, do not attract noisy proposals and votes.
“Quadratic voting is, on the surface, a simple tool that can improve most voting processes. But it has the potential to change the way we think about politics by helping groups identify subtle compromises that keep everyone happy,” said Matt Prewitt, president of RadicalxChange.
“We think building a better democracy depends on improving our toolkit for deliberations and decisions, instead of just playing political tug-of-war… we were pleased and honored to work with the Metro Council on this and excited about the momentum toward democratic innovation,” Prewitt said...............
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Nashville is synonymous with country music and quiet conservatism, but the city is implementing the “The Handbook for Radical Local Democracy v2.0"— that will change how the city council votes, how contracts are awarded, and who owns what. It is fast becoming the most radical city in America.
Using an online tool developed by RadicalxChange, Nashville’s metropolitan council recently applied quadratic voting to aid deliberations on the county government’s budget for 2023. Rather than voting a simple “yes” or “no” on proposals, quadratic voting endows voters with “voice credits.” In this sense, voters who are indifferent about one issue can abstain from voting on it, reallocating the credit towards another issue.
Supporters of quadratic voting say the system recognizes individuals that are differentially engaged and informed on issues, and creates incentives for voters to channel those preferences towards issues that are broadly recognized as necessary to resolve. Smaller, and potentially more niche, issues, therefore, do not attract noisy proposals and votes.
“Quadratic voting is, on the surface, a simple tool that can improve most voting processes. But it has the potential to change the way we think about politics by helping groups identify subtle compromises that keep everyone happy,” said Matt Prewitt, president of RadicalxChange.
“We think building a better democracy depends on improving our toolkit for deliberations and decisions, instead of just playing political tug-of-war… we were pleased and honored to work with the Metro Council on this and excited about the momentum toward democratic innovation,” Prewitt said...............
Optimus Prime
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MADISON, Wis. — Prosecutors brought voter fraud charges Thursday against a man who ordered absentee ballots in the names of two others to bolster his claims that breaking election laws is easy.
The endeavor to show election fraud is possible earned conservative activist Harry Wait two felony and two misdemeanor charges. In an interview, Wait said he stood by his decision to request that ballots be sent to his home in the names of the speaker of the state Assembly and the mayor of Racine, Wis.
“In hindsight, I’d do it all over again a hundred times over,” Wait said.
Wait is the president of a group called HOT Government, which derives its name from its pledge to advocate for “honest, open and transparent government.” He has used his platform for the last two years to question the state’s election laws and practices.
In July, he used a state online portal called MyVote Wisconsin to request primary ballots in the names of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) and Racine Mayor Cory Mason (D) — two officials he has long criticized. Mason’s ballot was sent to Wait’s home in Dover in southeastern Wisconsin, but Vos’s was not. Wait said he returned Mason’s unopened ballot to county officials...........
DaveXA
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Good, throw the forking book at this idiot.
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