These discussions always assume the elections are fair, which in many states is not true.
Perhaps instead of bickering about unimportant stuff ( at least to me they are not important), everyone griping should at least check to make sure their local elections at least meet United Nations specifications? Maybe they do, but depending where you are at, probably not.
I will never ever understand political discussions done by the majority of Americans.
Political discussions between strangers probably never will be productive. I am just frustrated and fed up with the stupid ideas I see floating around. People who don’t understand the country’s politics are influencing it with this “both sides” bullshit and it’s ruined our country because now the worst imaginable humans rule over us. Before it was a mix of people between true human garbage and genuinely well meaning people. It is idiotic to suggest everyone is fully on one side or the other, but that’s what these idiots are peddling. And it’s working unfortunately.
Eh, it’s been a long journey for me. Years ago I was active in the Democratic Party in Texas, later I was a keyboard warrior who wrote millions of words, none of which did any good.
Now I just want fair elections; again writing words, now in a very small community, that also does no good.
But I’m done with the partisan stuff, and think both sides are equally out of their minds.
Democracies need accurate ballot counting, most states fail this. The primaries in both parties and the general elections have been tampered with for decades in many states. This has totally changed the character and leadership of both parties over the decades.
This is not a falsifiable argument because the only way to prove the above is wrong is to not use the election machines run by private organizations. While at the same time exit polls and stats hint of extreme ballot stuffing by these very companies. It’s not rocket science.
But, most commentators and social media participants in USA politics don’t care or want to know.
The ballot manipulation will allow democrats to win the midterms by a landslide, and most likely have the presidency again in 2028, and people who want paper ballots will be rendered mute again by most. Then next cycle the republicans will win again!
It’s a very long game, with each iteration moving more wealth away from the majority. And the only way to fix it is with paper ballots counted in front of witnesses and unlimited recounts allowed. Even then, it will take a long time to fix
Agreed we need much better voting protections and a complete overhaul of the system, with national standards the states should be required to meet. I think there is probably a more modern solution available that would satisfy the requirements you’ve laid out, but would be happy to start with paper ballots if that’s all we can muster. Eventually I’d like to see something like a 1 way hash that can be combined with some of a voter’s PII to publicly verify votes cast and results while protecting voter identities.
Most democracies use hand counted paper ballots. It works, and it’s fast enough, no need to improve it.
I don’t understand the American need to tinker with a good system.
That said, there is no way the majority of USA states will switch over to better counting systems. Some areas of the world will never be able to be truly democratic. The Americans have some weird system that works for their upper class, and the lower classes fully believe in it. This will not change in my lifetime
It sounds like you were politically active in TX around the same time I was, during GW era, based on prior comment. But this reads as if you are an expat now. Did you leave?
One of the reasons I think paper can be problematic is actually part of the same debacle that got W elected - the hanging chads in FL. After numerous recounts, it was in fact confirmed that Gore won, but by then fucking Fox News had declared the winner and the corrupt SCOTUS went along with it.
Those were really badly designed ballots. Look at France or the UK or Canada or Virginia etc for how they should be. No self respecting democracy should ever use a half mechanical design that fails like that.
What really made me angry later was that this was used to justify worse ways counting ballots. But my main issue was the shut down recounts. Busy was never properly elected, in my mind, and he made several problems for the USA that still have ramifications to this day.
His dad introduced modern computer voting. He used his contacts to form the first private voting companies we know today. And in my view his son was elected to Texas only because of that.
an expat now. Did you leave?
No, still in Texas. Unfortunately, during the gw era I was not interested in politics much. If I sound like an expat its because I am totally not on board with any of the major political movements
These discussions always assume the elections are fair, which in many states is not true.
Perhaps instead of bickering about unimportant stuff ( at least to me they are not important), everyone griping should at least check to make sure their local elections at least meet United Nations specifications? Maybe they do, but depending where you are at, probably not.
I will never ever understand political discussions done by the majority of Americans.
Political discussions between strangers probably never will be productive. I am just frustrated and fed up with the stupid ideas I see floating around. People who don’t understand the country’s politics are influencing it with this “both sides” bullshit and it’s ruined our country because now the worst imaginable humans rule over us. Before it was a mix of people between true human garbage and genuinely well meaning people. It is idiotic to suggest everyone is fully on one side or the other, but that’s what these idiots are peddling. And it’s working unfortunately.
Eh, it’s been a long journey for me. Years ago I was active in the Democratic Party in Texas, later I was a keyboard warrior who wrote millions of words, none of which did any good.
Now I just want fair elections; again writing words, now in a very small community, that also does no good.
But I’m done with the partisan stuff, and think both sides are equally out of their minds.
Democracies need accurate ballot counting, most states fail this. The primaries in both parties and the general elections have been tampered with for decades in many states. This has totally changed the character and leadership of both parties over the decades.
This is not a falsifiable argument because the only way to prove the above is wrong is to not use the election machines run by private organizations. While at the same time exit polls and stats hint of extreme ballot stuffing by these very companies. It’s not rocket science.
But, most commentators and social media participants in USA politics don’t care or want to know.
The ballot manipulation will allow democrats to win the midterms by a landslide, and most likely have the presidency again in 2028, and people who want paper ballots will be rendered mute again by most. Then next cycle the republicans will win again!
It’s a very long game, with each iteration moving more wealth away from the majority. And the only way to fix it is with paper ballots counted in front of witnesses and unlimited recounts allowed. Even then, it will take a long time to fix
Agreed we need much better voting protections and a complete overhaul of the system, with national standards the states should be required to meet. I think there is probably a more modern solution available that would satisfy the requirements you’ve laid out, but would be happy to start with paper ballots if that’s all we can muster. Eventually I’d like to see something like a 1 way hash that can be combined with some of a voter’s PII to publicly verify votes cast and results while protecting voter identities.
Most democracies use hand counted paper ballots. It works, and it’s fast enough, no need to improve it.
I don’t understand the American need to tinker with a good system.
That said, there is no way the majority of USA states will switch over to better counting systems. Some areas of the world will never be able to be truly democratic. The Americans have some weird system that works for their upper class, and the lower classes fully believe in it. This will not change in my lifetime
It sounds like you were politically active in TX around the same time I was, during GW era, based on prior comment. But this reads as if you are an expat now. Did you leave?
One of the reasons I think paper can be problematic is actually part of the same debacle that got W elected - the hanging chads in FL. After numerous recounts, it was in fact confirmed that Gore won, but by then fucking Fox News had declared the winner and the corrupt SCOTUS went along with it.
Those were really badly designed ballots. Look at France or the UK or Canada or Virginia etc for how they should be. No self respecting democracy should ever use a half mechanical design that fails like that.
What really made me angry later was that this was used to justify worse ways counting ballots. But my main issue was the shut down recounts. Busy was never properly elected, in my mind, and he made several problems for the USA that still have ramifications to this day.
His dad introduced modern computer voting. He used his contacts to form the first private voting companies we know today. And in my view his son was elected to Texas only because of that.
No, still in Texas. Unfortunately, during the gw era I was not interested in politics much. If I sound like an expat its because I am totally not on board with any of the major political movements
Edit: confused bushes