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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LA - L.A.
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They're playing the long con. They give the marks, the majority of us, something that looks fair and equal, but it's really a set up to screw the majority of us over big time down the line. Gorsuch is the king of that.
DJ1BigTymer
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To be REALLY fair, ALL of Louisiana districts are racially gerrymandered and the lawsuit against this current one was insulting. The 2nd district ran from BR all the way to Mississippi, carving through 3 districts. Districts 1 & 6 shouldn't be Republican strongholds and yet, they are.
A neutral drawing would likely provide LA citizens better congressional representation splitting the 6 districts and eliminate that feeling that "your vote doesn't matter" that so many have in this state. The powers that be don't want that, they never wanted that.
This state is artificially "Ruby Red" when it should be "Lt Red" or even "Purple". Either way, it would force elected officials to pay more attention to all of its constituents instead of the ones that they selected to vote for them.
Optimus Prime
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Guess this can go here
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MAGA Republicans often raise the fanciful specter of foreigners voting in U.S. elections. That almost never happens, because only U.S. citizens can legally vote.
But foreign countries enjoy considerable leeway to influence U.S. elections. Russia took advantage in 2016 to intervene on behalf of Donald Trump, helping him eke out a narrow victory. The Kremlin appears to be gearing up another pro-Trump campaign this year. Should we now be worried about China entering the electoral fray, too?
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said there had been evidence of Chinese “attempts to influence and arguably interfere” with the U.S. election, and some analysts have suggested the Chinese influence operations might be designed to help Trump return to office.
The China watchers I’ve spoken to discount the danger, arguing that Beijing is not going to make a major push in the U.S. election, in part because it has trouble choosing between President Biden and Trump…….
“I’m not convinced Beijing has affinity for either Trump or Biden,” Ryan Hass, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, told me. “I think they dislike them both.”
Hass and other experts I spoke with suggested that Chinese accounts were amplifying MAGA messaging not because they necessarily want Trump to win but because they want to spread discord in the United States.
But even if China won’t try to decide this U.S. election, it will continue spreading disinformation to undermine U.S. democracy and U.S. efforts to counter Chinese aggression. The United States needs to boost its own information game.
While Russia and China spend billions to spread their lies, the State Department’s Global Engagement Center — the primary U.S. government vehicle for fighting disinformation — has a budget of just $61 million……
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MAGA Republicans often raise the fanciful specter of foreigners voting in U.S. elections. That almost never happens, because only U.S. citizens can legally vote.
But foreign countries enjoy considerable leeway to influence U.S. elections. Russia took advantage in 2016 to intervene on behalf of Donald Trump, helping him eke out a narrow victory. The Kremlin appears to be gearing up another pro-Trump campaign this year. Should we now be worried about China entering the electoral fray, too?
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said there had been evidence of Chinese “attempts to influence and arguably interfere” with the U.S. election, and some analysts have suggested the Chinese influence operations might be designed to help Trump return to office.
The China watchers I’ve spoken to discount the danger, arguing that Beijing is not going to make a major push in the U.S. election, in part because it has trouble choosing between President Biden and Trump…….
“I’m not convinced Beijing has affinity for either Trump or Biden,” Ryan Hass, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, told me. “I think they dislike them both.”
Hass and other experts I spoke with suggested that Chinese accounts were amplifying MAGA messaging not because they necessarily want Trump to win but because they want to spread discord in the United States.
But even if China won’t try to decide this U.S. election, it will continue spreading disinformation to undermine U.S. democracy and U.S. efforts to counter Chinese aggression. The United States needs to boost its own information game.
While Russia and China spend billions to spread their lies, the State Department’s Global Engagement Center — the primary U.S. government vehicle for fighting disinformation — has a budget of just $61 million……
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Optimus Prime
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A North Carolina Republican running to be the state’s attorney general dismissed a significant election fraud incident in 2018 that resulted in a new election as “some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting”.
Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast.
In 2018, Mark Harris, a Republican, won the race to represent North Carolina’s ninth congressional district. But shortly after the election, the North Carolina state board of elections voted to overturn a congressional election and call a new one after an investigation revealed that a Harris operative was illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters. Harris decided not to run again and Bishop ultimately won the seat.
The operative, Leslie McCrae Dowless, allegedly instructed those working for him to falsely sign as witnesses for voters though they had not witnessed the voter filling out the ballot and making it seem like the voter mailed back the ballot themselves when they had not.
People working for Dowless said they collected hundreds of mail-in ballots and in some cases were directed to fill in votes for local candidates.
In North Carolina, a voter must get two witnesses or a notary to sign an absentee ballot envelope and it is illegal for anyone other than the voter, a close relative, or a legal guardian to return the ballot.
Dowless was charged with several felonies for the conduct in the 2016 and 2018 elections. He died in 2022, before the case went to trial. Several others involved in the scheme pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
Bishop said in the interview that the board of elections “under Democrat control” decided to overturn the election. While Democrats did have a 3-2 majority on the board at the time, the vote for a new election was unanimous.
Mark Harris, the Republican candidate who won, also called for a new election, and the state Republican party supported Harris’s decision not to run again.
Harris, who won a Republican primary for Congress earlier this year, has since walked back his position, falsely accusing Democrats of stealing the election from him.…….
www.theguardian.com
Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast.
In 2018, Mark Harris, a Republican, won the race to represent North Carolina’s ninth congressional district. But shortly after the election, the North Carolina state board of elections voted to overturn a congressional election and call a new one after an investigation revealed that a Harris operative was illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters. Harris decided not to run again and Bishop ultimately won the seat.
The operative, Leslie McCrae Dowless, allegedly instructed those working for him to falsely sign as witnesses for voters though they had not witnessed the voter filling out the ballot and making it seem like the voter mailed back the ballot themselves when they had not.
People working for Dowless said they collected hundreds of mail-in ballots and in some cases were directed to fill in votes for local candidates.
In North Carolina, a voter must get two witnesses or a notary to sign an absentee ballot envelope and it is illegal for anyone other than the voter, a close relative, or a legal guardian to return the ballot.
Dowless was charged with several felonies for the conduct in the 2016 and 2018 elections. He died in 2022, before the case went to trial. Several others involved in the scheme pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
Bishop said in the interview that the board of elections “under Democrat control” decided to overturn the election. While Democrats did have a 3-2 majority on the board at the time, the vote for a new election was unanimous.
Mark Harris, the Republican candidate who won, also called for a new election, and the state Republican party supported Harris’s decision not to run again.
Harris, who won a Republican primary for Congress earlier this year, has since walked back his position, falsely accusing Democrats of stealing the election from him.…….
North Carolina Republican dismisses 2018 state election fraud as ‘fairly minor’
Dan Bishop says state board that called for new election after illegal absentee ballot collection was ‘under Democrat control’
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Just dishonesty all around from the GOP.A North Carolina Republican running to be the state’s attorney general dismissed a significant election fraud incident in 2018 that resulted in a new election as “some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting”.
Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast.
In 2018, Mark Harris, a Republican, won the race to represent North Carolina’s ninth congressional district. But shortly after the election, the North Carolina state board of elections voted to overturn a congressional election and call a new one after an investigation revealed that a Harris operative was illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters. Harris decided not to run again and Bishop ultimately won the seat.
The operative, Leslie McCrae Dowless, allegedly instructed those working for him to falsely sign as witnesses for voters though they had not witnessed the voter filling out the ballot and making it seem like the voter mailed back the ballot themselves when they had not.
People working for Dowless said they collected hundreds of mail-in ballots and in some cases were directed to fill in votes for local candidates.
In North Carolina, a voter must get two witnesses or a notary to sign an absentee ballot envelope and it is illegal for anyone other than the voter, a close relative, or a legal guardian to return the ballot.
Dowless was charged with several felonies for the conduct in the 2016 and 2018 elections. He died in 2022, before the case went to trial. Several others involved in the scheme pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
Bishop said in the interview that the board of elections “under Democrat control” decided to overturn the election. While Democrats did have a 3-2 majority on the board at the time, the vote for a new election was unanimous.
Mark Harris, the Republican candidate who won, also called for a new election, and the state Republican party supported Harris’s decision not to run again.
Harris, who won a Republican primary for Congress earlier this year, has since walked back his position, falsely accusing Democrats of stealing the election from him.…….
North Carolina Republican dismisses 2018 state election fraud as ‘fairly minor’
Dan Bishop says state board that called for new election after illegal absentee ballot collection was ‘under Democrat control’
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Optimus Prime
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Republican activists in at least three states where Donald Trump tried to reverse his defeat in 2020 — nearly all of them under criminal indictment for casting electoral votes for him despite his loss — are poised to reprise their roles as presidential electors this year.
Six activists in Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico have made clear to GOP leaders in their states that the investigations into their 2020 activities have not deterred them from seeking the position again.
If anything, their view that the prosecutions are bogus has motivated them to step up, according to party leaders.
Their eagerness to serve — and encouragement to do so from their parties — reflects a widespread belief among Republicans that the electors did nothing wrong in 2020, raising the question of what they might do or say if Trump once again loses any of those states.
Would they be willing to convene again and cast electoral votes for Trump? Would the Trump campaign try to organize such an effort? What might Trump ask of them? How far would they go to help him return to power?……
Six activists in Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico have made clear to GOP leaders in their states that the investigations into their 2020 activities have not deterred them from seeking the position again.
If anything, their view that the prosecutions are bogus has motivated them to step up, according to party leaders.
Their eagerness to serve — and encouragement to do so from their parties — reflects a widespread belief among Republicans that the electors did nothing wrong in 2020, raising the question of what they might do or say if Trump once again loses any of those states.
Would they be willing to convene again and cast electoral votes for Trump? Would the Trump campaign try to organize such an effort? What might Trump ask of them? How far would they go to help him return to power?……
DaveXA
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It's beyond baffling to me that people are literally getting away with election fraud and being allowed to seek the same positions in which they committed fraud. Just another example of the party having been irreversiblly corrupted by Trump and MAGA.
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SaintForLife
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Democrats: There is no evidence of voter fraud! It's already illegal for non citizens to vote in federal elections. There is no reason for the Republicans bill.
Also, Democrats fighting voter ID bills whenever possible:
Also, Democrats fighting voter ID bills whenever possible:
DaveXA
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Sigh...
GrandAdmiral
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Totally agree
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DaveXA
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I don't see how that's remotely constitutional. I would seriously consider kicking Texas out of the Union for that. Or better yet, if they want to secede, by all means, let them.
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Optimus Prime
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If this works in Europe why wouldn’t google do the campaigns here?
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Election officials and researchers from Arizona to Taiwan are adopting a radical playbook to stop falsehoods about voting before they spread online, amid fears that traditional strategies to battle misinformation are insufficient in a perilous year for democracies around the world.
Modeled after vaccines, these campaigns — dubbed “prebunking” — expose people to weakened doses of misinformation paired with explanations and are aimed at helping the public develop “mental antibodies” to recognize and fend off hoaxes in a heated election year.
In the run-up to next month’s European Union election, for example, Google and partner organizations are blanketing millions of voters with colorful cartoon ads on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram that teach common tactics used to propagate lies and rumors on social media or in email.
One 50-second animation features a fake news campaign in which “visiting tourists” are blamed for a “litter crisis.”
The example is meant to educate voters about “scapegoating,” a disinformation technique that places unwarranted blame for a problem on a single person or group.
Google has no plans to launch such a campaign in the United States, where former president Donald Trump and his allies are spreading falsehoods about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, laying the groundwork to cast doubt on the results of Trump’s rematch with President Biden in November.
Instead, humbler campaigns are springing up in locations across the nation, including Arizona’s Maricopa County, where election officials are enlisting local celebrities such as the Phoenix Suns basketball team to promote voting and explain the procedures.
Federal agencies are encouraging state and local officials to invest in prebunking initiatives, advising officials in an April memo to “build a team of trusted voices to amplify accurate information proactively.”
“Communicate early and transparently about the elections process to the American people,” said Cait Conley, an election security expert at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has conducted dozens of practice runs with local officials that include misinformation scenarios………
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Election officials and researchers from Arizona to Taiwan are adopting a radical playbook to stop falsehoods about voting before they spread online, amid fears that traditional strategies to battle misinformation are insufficient in a perilous year for democracies around the world.
Modeled after vaccines, these campaigns — dubbed “prebunking” — expose people to weakened doses of misinformation paired with explanations and are aimed at helping the public develop “mental antibodies” to recognize and fend off hoaxes in a heated election year.
In the run-up to next month’s European Union election, for example, Google and partner organizations are blanketing millions of voters with colorful cartoon ads on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram that teach common tactics used to propagate lies and rumors on social media or in email.
One 50-second animation features a fake news campaign in which “visiting tourists” are blamed for a “litter crisis.”
The example is meant to educate voters about “scapegoating,” a disinformation technique that places unwarranted blame for a problem on a single person or group.
Google has no plans to launch such a campaign in the United States, where former president Donald Trump and his allies are spreading falsehoods about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, laying the groundwork to cast doubt on the results of Trump’s rematch with President Biden in November.
Instead, humbler campaigns are springing up in locations across the nation, including Arizona’s Maricopa County, where election officials are enlisting local celebrities such as the Phoenix Suns basketball team to promote voting and explain the procedures.
Federal agencies are encouraging state and local officials to invest in prebunking initiatives, advising officials in an April memo to “build a team of trusted voices to amplify accurate information proactively.”
“Communicate early and transparently about the elections process to the American people,” said Cait Conley, an election security expert at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has conducted dozens of practice runs with local officials that include misinformation scenarios………
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