Oregon does it and there's been no problem with voter fraud. Voting should be made easier, not harder.

7/15/2011 9:16:04 PM

Tell that to the state GOP who are trying to end or reduce:

Early Voting
Same Day Registration
Sunday Voting
Provisional Ballots
Pre-registration for nearly of age voters

Voting being easier is exactly the opposite of their to-do list. Way after double banning gay marriage b/c it's not illegal enough yet and making abortion more difficult to access.

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 9:25 PM. Reason : .]

7/15/2011 9:23:40 PM

Quote :

"Back in 1980, Paul Weyrich, a founding father of the conservative movement, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, addressed a Religious Right gathering in the Fall of 1980. During his speech, he said: “Now many of our Christians have what I call the goo-goo syndrome — good government. They want everybody to vote. I don’t want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people, they never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.“ "

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 9:40 PM. Reason : ...]

7/15/2011 9:39:07 PM

Voter fraud is a nonexistent problem in Wake County. We had 10-15 cases last election, the votes were not counted, of course. With our volume I consider that a non-issue.

It is my expert opinion that the GOP's proposed legislation concerning voting restrictions is all about holding power and has nothing to do with justice. Let's at least be honest about it.

Doing a complete absentee by mail system is an interesting thought. The paper processing and postal expenses would be massive, but at least they wouldnt have to hire poll workers, which is currently our biggest expense.

7/15/2011 10:13:03 PM

Quote :

"It is my expert opinion that the GOP's proposed legislation concerning voting restrictions is all about holding power and has nothing to do with justice. "

Yeah, and I don't even see how someone can tell the story that letting a 17 year old pre-register to vote makes for more voter fraud, at least any more than allowing a 42 year old register to vote.

I could see how you could tell the story that not discouraging the youth might hurt the re-election campaigns for elected officials who prefer to focus on socially conservative issues rather than economic/governance issues.

7/15/2011 10:27:08 PM

You know what would be awesome? Entirely write in ballots. That was you would actually have to know who the fuck you wanted to vote for rather than blindly picking shit because there's a D or R next to the name.

Too many uninformed people vote, for both parties might I add. I'd love to see voting made substantially more difficult, just not from an access standpoint. People who have no clue who or what they are voting into office or law shouldn't be casting votes.

7/15/2011 10:50:53 PM

I think the general sentiment of making elections less partisan may have merit. On a more practical level I don't know that I'd say go full write in, because that's a world where a Smith would start out with a leg up on a Brandanowitz or an Ansari every time.

7/15/2011 11:34:43 PM

I suppose, but then again if you can't be bothered to learn to spell the name of your candidate of choice y'all quite likely you don't know enough about them to be voting for them.

7/15/2011 11:48:45 PM

^^^

That's my take. Voting now is so easy that I view it as a waste of time. There are few candidates worth voting for, because they all have to cater to the ignorant masses. Fuck, I'll be 33 years old at the time of the 2012 election, and probably won't vote. I have so far voted for President once, and I regret that I voted that time.

We need to make it WAY tougher to (a) vote and (b) drive.

7/16/2011 1:51:56 AM

Quote :

"Oregon does it and there's been no problem with voter fraud."

really? and how do you know? 2+2=5, everyone knows it

Quote :

"Same Day Registration"

you don't see a problem with same day registration? you don't think that we should actually VERIFY the fucking info before we allow you to vote?

[Edited on July 16, 2011 at 4:58 AM. Reason : ]

7/16/2011 4:57:59 AM

Quote :

"Oregon GOP files for governor-vote recount PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon Republicans have asked for a test re-count of the votes for governor in three Multnomah County precincts, aiming to see whether major irregularities turn up that would warrant a broader re-count. "

http://www.katu.com/news/local/111542509.html

The result?

Quote :

"Gov.-elect John Kitzhaber scores one more vote in Multnomah County recount"

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2010/12/gov-elect_john_kitzhaber_score.html

7/16/2011 2:16:49 PM

The Rights outrage on this is pretty hollow given how rampant voter fraud is. How can it be when we actually don't give a shit in general about getting out to vote.

7/16/2011 2:43:21 PM

Quote :

"You know what would be awesome? Entirely write in ballots. That was you would actually have to know who the fuck you wanted to vote for rather than blindly picking shit because there's a D or R next to the name."

Yeah, I agree with this. Would it reduce voter turnout? Yes. Would that be a good thing? Yes.

7/16/2011 5:00:33 PM

Quote :

"you don't see a problem with same day registration? you don't think that we should actually VERIFY the fucking info before we allow you to vote?"

Nope. I see no problem at all.

http://ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_163/GS_163-82.6A.html

Quote :

"To register and vote under this section, the person shall do both of the following:... Provide proof of residence by presenting any of the following valid documents that show the person's current name and current residence address: a North Carolina drivers license, a photo identification from a government agency, or any of the documents listed in G.S. 163-166.12(a)(2). The State Board of Elections may designate additional documents or methods that suffice and shall prescribe procedures for establishing proof of residence."

Quote :

"Voting With Retrievable Ballot. – A person who registers under this section shall vote a retrievable absentee ballot as provided in G.S. 163-227.2 immediately after registering. If a person declines to vote immediately, the registration shall be processed, and the person may later vote at a one-stop voting site under this section in the same election."

Quote :

"Verification of Registration; Counting of Ballot. – Within two business days of the person's registration under this section, the county board of elections in conjunction with the State Board of Elections shall verify the North Carolina drivers license or Social Security number in accordance with G.S. 163-82.12, update the statewide registration database and search for possible duplicate registrations, and proceed under G.S. 163-82.7 to verify the person's address. The person's vote shall be counted unless the county board determines that the applicant is not qualified to vote in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter."

7/16/2011 9:27:15 PM

Voter suppression and intimidation has been more prevalent and is more aggregious than the few numbers of voter fraud cases.

Voter suppression is a republican practice.


One of the few voter fraud cases was committed by none other than Mitt Rommey.

7/16/2011 11:18:22 PM

Quote :

" Scant evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found among the general population. When voter fraud does occur it seems confined mostly to two demographics: felons who vote in States that disenfranchise people after they have served their terms in prison, and prominent Republicans. The former, given its disparate impact on poor and minority communities, is nothing more than Jim Crow dressed in fresh feathers while the latter remains inexplicable. In Indiana, where conservative darling Mitch Daniels instituted voter suppression laws so draconian it disenfranchised a group of Catholic Nuns, former Secretary of State Charlie White is under indictment for three alleged counts of voter fraud out of a total of seven felony charges that is to answer to in Court. Ann Coulter is a serial voter fraudster, voting from her parents’ address in Connecticut in 2002 while living in the $1.49 million condo she bought on the Upper East Side of New York City after moving from her previous apartment on East 82nd Street, allegedly owing over $11,000 in rent. Then in 2006 Coulter lied under oath and swore she lived at an address in Palm Beach actually owned by her real estate agent and then voted in a precinct where she did not legally reside. "

http://open.salon.com/blog/laura_wilkerson/2011/06/16/voter_fraud_among_the_privileged_classes

7/16/2011 11:27:11 PM

What I see in here is people whose opinion of voting rights comes down to whichever position best ensures that their team will win.

And as usual, libertarians are convinced that they'll win when the smart/rational people lead. Yep.

7/18/2011 2:25:31 PM

Quote :

"Voter suppression and intimidation has been more prevalent and is more aggregious than the few numbers of voter fraud cases."

which is why Obama really went after those New Black Panther guys. yep

Quote :

"One of the few voter fraud cases was committed by none other than Mitt Rommey."

And Rahm Emmanuel.

[Edited on July 18, 2011 at 5:11 PM. Reason : ]

7/18/2011 5:10:55 PM

I know you think there was a conspiracy more than likely, but it was a pretty weak case, that Black Panther Party thing.

No voters filed complaints.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/13/commission.shouting/

And no other polling places were terrorized by those two guys or their supposed army of thugs who were apparently so intimidating that no one went home and filed a complaint. I guess they were that super scary? And no, you can't put together any case based on the uncorroborated possible sightings of people being turned away. Once again, how would we know? They didn't file complaints. The police dismissed one guy that had a club, but no one else called the cops to say they were intimidated or whatever. It's a weak case being brought by people who think Obama is a scary black Muslim Marxist or whatever, or that want people to think he is one.

And who the hell would scary black guys be intimidating in a majority black neighborhood that went heavily for the black guy?

I thought you had decided to be a Ron Paultard now, and not a World Net Daily conspiracist? The people who push this thing also still think Obama hates all white people and might be a Muslim. Are you worried about the UN coming for our guns, too?

And yes I'm strawmanning you, but can you blame people for not taking you seriously after all these years?

[Edited on July 18, 2011 at 5:44 PM. Reason : x]

7/18/2011 5:43:20 PM

Quote :

"And as usual, libertarians are convinced that they'll win when the smart/rational people lead. Yep."

How'd you gather that?

My point was more along the lines of...we'd get better leaders if people weren't corralled into voting for the same party that they always have voted for. You know, if people had to actually know the name of the person they were voting for.

7/18/2011 6:18:10 PM

Quote :

"which is why Obama really went after those New Black Panther guys. yep"

was anyone intimidated by them? is it the federal gov't who should be investigating cases of voter intimidation (at least as a first line of defense) anyway? shouldn't that be more up to the state BOEs?

7/18/2011 6:51:08 PM

Quote :

"I know you think there was a conspiracy more than likely, but it was a pretty weak case"

they were standing outside a god damned polling place WITH A FUCKING WEAPON. it doesn't get any fucking stronger than that.

Quote :

"was anyone intimidated by them?"

yes. yes there were. do some research.

Quote :

"is it the federal gov't who should be investigating cases of voter intimidation"

they've done it plenty of times before, why not this time. oh, right, it was a democrat in office defending someone intimidating non-democrats.

7/18/2011 8:36:21 PM

1.Make sure election day is same day as check day
2. Cash checks at polls
3. Profit

7/18/2011 8:44:44 PM

Quote :

" they've done it plenty of times before, why not this time. oh, right, it was a democrat in office defending someone intimidating non-democrats. "

Are you talking about 2008 when George Bush was President?

7/19/2011 12:30:13 AM

Quote :

"You know what would be awesome? Entirely write in ballots"

Move to Tar Heel. None of the less than 200 registered voters filed for mayor or 3 city council seats. Board of Elections decided not to extend filing, will be decided by write in

7/19/2011 12:31:59 AM

If I can pay taxes by mail, I should be able to vote by mail.

7/19/2011 2:04:05 AM

Quote :

"yes. yes there were. do some research."

Ahahahaha, the link was right there. Google is right there.
complaints filed? You just ignored that entirely. Are you trolling or just trying to be silly?

And the cops did eject the dude with the weapon. Do some research, moran.

[Edited on July 19, 2011 at 8:26 AM. Reason : v]

7/19/2011 8:26:05 AM

I like the idea of getting rid of same day registration because the only people it would stop are those not paying attention.

Absentee ballots own tho. I live in maine and i usually vote a week or so ahead of time. I just walk down to the "city" hall and get 'er done. Way way faster than voting on election day.

7/19/2011 10:54:49 AM

Quote :

"Are you talking about 2008 when George Bush was President?"

Yes. and then when Obama got in office, the lawsuits conveniently disappeared. hmmm...

Quote :

"If I can pay taxes by mail, I should be able to vote by mail."

No one has any interest in paying your taxes for you. Plenty of people have an interest in voting for you. stupid fuck.

Quote :

"Ahahahaha, the link was right there. Google is right there. complaints filed? You just ignored that entirely. Are you trolling or just trying to be silly?"

because a complaint has to be filed for someone to have been intimidated. Brilliant, I tell you.

7/19/2011 3:13:51 PM

Quote :

"Voter fraud is a nonexistent problem in Wake County. We had 10-15 cases last election, the votes were not counted, of course. With our volume I consider that a non-issue."

This isn't a big issue for me, but this reasoning is very silly. The only cases of voter fraud are the ones that actually are brought to light. There's really no way of calculating how many people get away with it, but it wouldn't be a hard thing to get away with.

7/19/2011 3:28:01 PM

Quote :

"because a complaint has to be filed for someone to have been intimidated. Brilliant, I tell you."

If you're aware of a law where the cops are required to investigate unsubstantiated rumor, please post it. Some cops are dicks, but they won't arrest and try a guy that hasn't had charges pressed against him.

Jesus retard, watch Law and Order.

7/19/2011 4:48:16 PM

Quote :

"No one has any interest in paying your taxes for you. Plenty of people have an interest in voting for you. stupid fuck. "

More people would be interested in getting refund than voting. stupid fuck.

7/19/2011 5:25:11 PM

Quote :

"If you're aware of a law where the cops are required to investigate unsubstantiated rumor"

what was unsubstantiated about a video clip of the guys in front of a polling place holding a weapon?

7/19/2011 5:47:26 PM

Yes or no: did anyone press charges? Did anyone say they were intimidated?

[Edited on July 20, 2011 at 9:24 AM. Reason : xx]

7/20/2011 9:24:19 AM

Yes or no: Did they have a weapon outside of a polling place, in specific violation against existing law?
BTW, the average person COULD NOT have brought charges. It is specifically the gov't's job to do so. That's a disingenuous question


But seriously. Why is it that when a white person does something like this, it is automatically assumed that blacks were intimidated? Yet, when the shoe is on the other foot, now we have to show that someone was intimidated? Why the fuck does it not work both ways? Oh, right, cause it's liberals and their pet race/voting block

[Edited on July 21, 2011 at 7:25 PM. Reason : ]

7/21/2011 7:23:42 PM

Quote :

"Yes or no: Did they have a weapon outside of a polling place, in specific violation against existing law?"

Yes. The police asked him to leave. He left.

Quote :

"BTW, the average person COULD NOT have brought charges. It is specifically the gov't's job to do so."

Bad wording on my part. They bring charges in response to a complaint. What formal complaints were filed? Well, one poll watcher submitted an affidavit by request, but essentially said exactly what was seen on video. No voters filed complaints.

Why did the Bush Justice Dept. drop this case and then take it back up right before they left office?

And why do you think the Obama Justice Dept. would be trying to cover something up anyway? What interest do they have in trying to protect 2 guys from a hate group no one seems to fear?

[Edited on July 25, 2011 at 1:31 PM. Reason : xx]

7/25/2011 1:22:22 PM

Quote :

"Yes. The police asked him to leave. He left."

Ahhh, so if the police ask you to stop murdering someone, and you leave, then I guess that's that, right? Dude broke the law, period. It didn't require a complaint for prosecution

Quote :

"Why did the Bush Justice Dept. drop this case "

Because it wasn't really a Bush DOJ at that point. There is NO reputable source saying that Bush's DOJ dropped it. Rather, it's the insinuation of a blogger. Yes, it happened 11 days before the inauguration, but Obama was effectively running things at that point. Don't insult my intelligence.

Quote :

"And why do you think the Obama Justice Dept. would be trying to cover something up anyway"

They aren't trying to cover anything up. They just didn't care about prosecuting these guys because it wasn't important because they weren't white

7/25/2011 9:36:03 PM

Quote :

"Ahhh, so if the police ask you to stop murdering someone, and you leave, then I guess that's that, right?"

YES THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE SAME SORT OF CASE AS MURDER, A WEIRD DUDE STANDING WITH A CLUB, YOU R SMRT. Cops gave their first warning to leave and he left. That's what you do. But yes, same as murder.

Quote :

"They just didn't care about prosecuting these guys because it wasn't important because they weren't white"

K

[Edited on July 26, 2011 at 10:15 AM. Reason : x]

7/26/2011 10:14:34 AM

We should be able to vote online, every week. The time for direct democracy is upon us.

[Edited on July 26, 2011 at 11:23 AM. Reason : .]

7/26/2011 11:22:58 AM

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/392598/july-20-2011/voter-id-laws

7/27/2011 3:54:56 PM

Quote :

"YES THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE SAME SORT OF CASE AS MURDER, A WEIRD DUDE STANDING WITH A CLUB, YOU R SMRT."

The point. YOU MISSED IT.

Quote :

"Cops gave their first warning to leave and he left."

Too bad the guys had already committed a crime before the cop even arrived and asked him to leave. Thus, you know, the whole point.

7/28/2011 3:42:04 AM

Quote :

"You know what would be awesome? Entirely write in ballots. That was you would actually have to know who the fuck you wanted to vote for rather than blindly picking shit because there's a D or R next to the name. Too many uninformed people vote, for both parties might I add. I'd love to see voting made substantially more difficult, just not from an access standpoint. People who have no clue who or what they are voting into office or law shouldn't be casting votes."

should be re-posted.

7/28/2011 9:11:48 AM

Hell, I say bring back poll tests (no sarcasm). I wouldn't entirely be against repealing the 24th Amendment-- it'd be a great way to fund elections.

I'm continually embarrassed by the Democratic Party's mission to make it easier for dumb people to vote.

7/28/2011 11:51:21 AM

^There's an easy test to eliminate dumb people from voting.

If they watch Fox News, they don't get to vote.

7/28/2011 5:49:45 PM

If someone can't even figure out who they want to vote for without seeing a "D" or "R" next to their name, are they really informed enough to vote?

7/28/2011 6:00:04 PM