Obama says mandatory voting "would be transformative" (racist, how much, military)

[ditchlights]

[quote=jjrose;38870374]

Who said anything about illegals voting?

No one but me. Just throwing that out there.

It's not always as easy as getting off the couch when some places are cutting back on voting hours, removing locations which makes for hours long lines in others. Some people have to work and can't take off to go stand in line for 4 hours to vote.

Do you really believe this is the primary culprit in certain areas of the country? Some people have lots of time on their hands.....

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by Texas Minded

Mandatory voting? Obama says it would be 'transformative'


Just wow.

Discuss...

Discuss what? Dictatorship?

They had mandatory voting in East Bloc, too.

Secession is still on the table....

Mircea

[TrapperJohn]

Originally Posted by pch1013

As are those of the people who think there should be even less voting than there already is.

I think everyone should vote. As long as they are legally entitled to vote. But "mandatory" is counter our American freedoms.

[Goinback2011]

O's idiocy is getting worse.

[texdav]

I say individual freedom to vote or not is a right; that is crazy. I see if a person wants they can not vote as a show of lack of confidence in all the parties. What is he going to do fine them ;put them in jail? I sometimes wander if this guy wasn't imported to run ;really.

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by ditchlights

It IS easy to vote here. It helps, though, if one is motivated enough to get up off the couch and go to a voting booth.

It also helps if voting day is not also a work day.

Here's a wiki article on mandatory voting - 1o countries do impose a penalty for non-voting (plus one canton in switzerland), 10 don't.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting

Of the countries on either list, most would be considered by most americans as pretty free countries.

Here's another wiki describing which countries do not hold general elections on a work-day - it's a pretty long list - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_day

I have mixed feelings about making voting compulsory. I have pretty strong feelings that we in the US do not make it easy for *every* eligible voter to vote.

[TrapperJohn]

Originally Posted by jacqueg

It also helps if voting day is not also a work day.

Here's a wiki article on mandatory voting - 1o countries do impose a penalty for non-voting (plus one canton in switzerland), 10 don't.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_voting

Of the countries on either list, most would be considered by most americans as pretty free countries.

Here's another wiki describing which countries do not hold general elections on a work-day - it's a pretty long list - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_day

I have mixed feelings about making voting compulsory. I have pretty strong feelings that we in the US do not make it easy for *every* eligible voter to vote.

Yes. Early voting. Absentee ballots. Provisional ballots. Ballots in multiple languages. Electronic voting machines. All to dissuade voting and make it *hard* on voters.

[ntwrkguy1]

"If I had a son, he would make as much sense as Barack Obama."

-- Hank "Guam's Tipping Over" Johnson

[greywar]

I find it interesting how many people are against the idea of having everyone vote. Weird.

I dont like the idea of making it mandatory, but I certainly would be a fan of making it a federal holiday. Switch presidents day to a voting day for example.

[HeyJude514]

Originally Posted by TrapperJohn

Yes. Early voting. Absentee ballots. Provisional ballots. Ballots in multiple languages. Electronic voting machines. All to dissuade voting and make it *hard* on voters.

Sure, except that many states have cut early voting in an effort to discourage voters. And then there are the long waits.

In 2008, reports came out of Georgia of voters having to stand in line for up to 12 hours to vote. In 2012, the battleground state of Florida garnered national headlines with accounts of voters waiting six hours at the polls.

Waiting at the polls: Long lines and the right to vote

The study's findings: Race plays a role in the areas that have the longest waits because polling places in black and Latino areas have less voting machines than white polls. Who could wait in line for six hours to vote? That this happens here in America is unconscionable.

So yes, there is a concerted effort to dissuade certain segments of the population from voting. And surprise, surprise, all of this takes place in red states.