AMERICAblog: Ballot Shortages (or How to lose votes and alienate people)
theWalrus
· 1 year ago
Paper can be recycled. Lost votes cannot.
lynchie
· 1 year ago
Another reason we need to clean out the incumbents in all positions. By continuing to make voting harder here than in Russia we convince the young that not only does there vote count for nothing, in fact no one wants it. Think about showing up at a poll in November to vote, regardless of who for, and getting told after waiting in line, "sorry no more ballots better luck in 4 years". Is there no one left in this country with any brains, is there no one left who gives a shit, I am starting to believe the answer is No to both questions.
jr
· 1 year ago
These royalists see democracy as a burden instead of a benefit
MarxMarvelous
· 1 year ago
Not printing extra ballots is akin to election rigging, IMHO. Same goes for media blackouts of certain candidates. Ballot machines should record a vote electronically, then print out a 2-part stub with the votes recorded on each side, preforation down the middle. The voter rips the stub in half, puts one in a ballot box, and keeps the other in case of recount, lawsuit, etc. Who's ready to make the machine? I've got the domain waiting :-)
TruthCounts
· 1 year ago
Part of the problem of ballot shortages was created by Bill Clinton back in the 90's. When Billary set up the superdelegate system to ensure his/her ability to buy votes and perpetuate the system of cronyism, he/she also instituted the current restrictions on voter registration to suppress the African-American vote. History will record that Bill and Hillary Clinton were backstabbing enemies of the African-American community and hindered civil rights progress for decades. http://www.hillarythebitch.com/
lynchie
· 1 year ago
TruthCounts:
You wouldn't be a racist would you? The link you provided is proof enough that your loyalties lie under a sheet.
TruthCounts
· 1 year ago
"You wouldn't be a racist would you?"
What in the world are you referring to? Are you a Hillbot? I simply oppose the desperate attempts of Bill and Hlllary Clinton to trash the Democratic Party in order to secure their own personal kingdom. Sorry if that is politically incorrect, but Hillary is truly a "b-word" by any measure of it's definition.
grandma
· 1 year ago
For most of us our vote is the only voice we have... It's not as if paper is not recyclable
Paul_In_SF
· 1 year ago
"Haake printed more ballots in his office and sent them out. But some people couldn't wait for delivery. Those voters were allowed to leave paper slips indicating their preference, but the state disqualified those slips. "
They should have some official generic ballots which could be filled out and counted in such cases, and being as they are generic could be used for any election in which they are needed. Sort of like those generic stamps the post office issues right after a stamp rate hike.
GrantinHouston
· 1 year ago
It's also a tool, like used by the Republicans in power in Ohio in 2004, to ensure the Democrats don't get all of their votes in. That and having a shortage of voting machines in Democratic precincts with too many machines, some standing idle, in Republican precincts. After a few hours of standing in line to vote, many will finally give up and go home.
Lilly
· 1 year ago
Everywhere that Republicans are in charge, we'll see "ballot shortages" and obvious places. You can bet on it.
Truth Counts. The link you provide "HillarytheBitch" is just as vicious in opposing Sen. Obama. It's a reich-wing Republican website if one scrolls down through it. You won't find any here, both Clinton and Obama supporters who will support such a hate site.
brian
· 1 year ago
If they print too many ballets, then they can recycle them. Its worth the money!
lynchie
· 1 year ago
TruthCounts: did you read a single article at that site. If you did you will see that they are all lies, all slanted at demeaning both Candidates and totally racist. If you are providing a link at least take the time to see what is there. You found only the site "HillarytheBitch" and got a chubby.
TruthCounts
· 1 year ago
lynchie: "did you read a single article at that site. If you did you will see that they are all lies"
Yes, I have read the site. The data on Hillary is totally correct as far as I can tell. What specifically are you contesting? I don't agree with most of that sites criticisms of Senator Obama, but I don't agree with everything on Americablog either. I just think we need to look at the fact regardless of partisanship. Looking at those objective facts reveals that Hillary is indeed a bald-faced liar and not to be trusted: http://www.hillarythebitch.com/
grandma
· 1 year ago
I just read this at Chicago-Tribune's The Swamp:
On overseas trips, including this one in the Middle East, Cheney and newspapers, listen to music and spend time with his wife.
On this trip, the vice president was reading Rick Atkinson's The Day of Battle, about the U.S. Army's campaign to capture Sicily and mainland Italy during World War II. He also carried a collection of essays about that way and a book about the Revolutionary War.
Lynne Cheney spent time working on a new book proposal and editing a children's book coming out in the fall about the Constitution.
What the hell would any Cheney know about the Constitution.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
What the hell would any Cheney know about the Constitution.
----
Doesn't matter.
You know the book is going to say the founding fathers were a bunch of right wing religious zealots.
kiki
· 1 year ago
They had almost 8 years to fix voting irregularities, "NOTHING WAS DONE." They probably had all the machines fixed for McBush and Hillary. Surprise, Obama took off like a bat out of h*ll. Whoops, no time to redo all the machines so let's come up with something new. What difference does it make anyway, especially with the electoral college. Your vote doesn't count, it's the delegates and super delegates that count. Again, screw the American people and your vote. IT'S THE POPULAR VOTE THAT SHOULD COUNT, NOT WHO THE DELEGATES AND SUPER DELEGATES WANT TO WIN, BUT WHO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT TO WIN! (AND THEY WONDER WHY PEOPLE DON'T VOTE-GIVE ME A BREAK1)
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out why they can't just print extra ones at the polling places if they need them.
What do you need? A template, heavy paper, a PC and a laser printer, right?
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Or download them from some web site and print them out.
That's how I get my boarding passes now.
grandma
· 1 year ago
Exactly Bush Bites...
One can even print out tax forms....why not ballots.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Not that we use paper ballots here anyway.
We use the touch screens with paper backups.
Seems to work, though my city's so hard core democratic it hardly matters.
OlderAndWiser
· 1 year ago
Sorry, folks, but the "fixes" require technology. Has anyone actually seen who runs elections in some counties? I'll bet there isn't anyone under 60 in my county. And they're Rethugs. I found this out when I volunteered to be a poll worker in 2004, at age 63. Lousy training given, too--they just assume you're one of them.
I'll vote early and may poll watch this time.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
I'll vote early and may poll watch this time.
----
Good. It sounds like they need poll watchers in your area.
firebrand
· 1 year ago
Rumor: Elizabeth Edwards hates Hillary's guts. Interesting!
Those memorials will now take place against the backdrop of Obama's bid for the White House and it might be tempting to see a straight line linking the two. But for Steele many Americans were missing one of the most overlooked points of King's career. The fact is, by 1968, King himself had moved on from purely racial issues. Yet again he was ahead of his time. His final campaigns were focused on fighting poverty and labour disputes. He came to Memphis in support of striking workers. 'He was killed in Memphis because he had started to focus on poor folks, regardless of their colour,' Steele said. That was 40 years ago. As Obama's campaign changes the American political landscape, it might be wise to remember that race is not the only controversial issue that mainstream politics still tends to shun. There is the thorny issue of class, too. 'If you thought having a talk about race was difficult in America, then having one about class is even harder,' said Podair. Yet 40 years ago King tried to start that debate as well. A bullet cut short his ambitions. Room 306 at the Lorraine was not the only thing his death left frozen in time. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/30/rac...
Tom3
· 1 year ago
Ballot shortages are just another way to fix elections. They should never ever happen under any circumstance.
mike31c
· 1 year ago
What is wrong with these people? Cost too much? We have a freaking war that is costing is going to cost US Taxpayers TRILLIONS beyond what we are spending now and these morons want to argue over a few thousand of dollars?
Okay, I can see the point of not wanting to waste taxpayers $$$ but since the people have already proven the last two elections that we WANT to vote and you idiots in charge of the voting process are denying us that chance because you think we are not going to show up at the polls!
Quite frankly, I can see the conspiracy theories between the Monkey King Bush and the people who do not want the common people to vote... It's in the repulsican's best interest in denying the people to vote to keep the fools in office.
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 1 year ago
Didn't Jimmy Carter say America's election practices are so flawed and BAD that he would never consider monitoring a US election?
Just do what my state does--hold every election by mail-in (or drop-off) ballot. No problems with knowing how many to print and plenty of time (2 weeks) to remedy any shortages.
I don't know why all states don't do it that way.
SPatrick
· 1 year ago
Well, if the voting gets to problematic in any state we can just decide not to count their votes. I don't see a problem.
Sarah B.
· 1 year ago
Ballot Shortages?
I have a creative solution -- it's called a printing press! -- an Ingenious invention with movable type that has worked rather well since the Gutenburg Bible (1454-55) -- and now they can prepare the text with computers!
And what to do about a pile of unused ballots? It's called "recycling" -- and it, too, seems to work quite well.
Actually, the problem is more serious than simply "losing votes and alienating people" -- it may very well constitute serious violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is a federal offense, especially, if the shortages appear in precincts that that serve a high proportion of minority voters.
Finally, judging by the huge and unprecented record turnouts during the primary season, there is no excuse for any ballot shortages come November -- consequently, any shortages that might emerge could be construed as part of an intentional scheme to disenfranchise voters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
I have no idea how that got posted twice. Oh well, not a bad hiccup.
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
I don't know squat about you Jacki Schechner and I apparently missed your introduction to Ablog but I like you already :-)
Now if you can convince John to add a few more smart female voices to the blog.......
All Comments
You wouldn't be a racist would you? The link you provided is proof enough that your loyalties lie under a sheet.
What in the world are you referring to? Are you a Hillbot? I simply oppose the desperate attempts of Bill and Hlllary Clinton to trash the Democratic Party in order to secure their own personal kingdom. Sorry if that is politically incorrect, but Hillary is truly a "b-word" by any measure of it's definition.
It's not as if paper is not recyclable
They should have some official generic ballots which could be filled out and counted in such cases, and being as they are generic could be used for any election in which they are needed. Sort of like those generic stamps the post office issues right after a stamp rate hike.
Yes, I have read the site. The data on Hillary is totally correct as far as I can tell. What specifically are you contesting? I don't agree with most of that sites criticisms of Senator Obama, but I don't agree with everything on Americablog either. I just think we need to look at the fact regardless of partisanship. Looking at those objective facts reveals that Hillary is indeed a bald-faced liar and not to be trusted: http://www.hillarythebitch.com/
On overseas trips, including this one in the Middle East, Cheney and newspapers, listen to music and spend time with his wife.
On this trip, the vice president was reading Rick Atkinson's The Day of Battle, about the U.S. Army's campaign to capture Sicily and mainland Italy during World War II. He also carried a collection of essays about that way and a book about the Revolutionary War.
Lynne Cheney spent time working on a new book proposal and editing a children's book coming out in the fall about the Constitution.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog...
What the hell would any Cheney know about the Constitution.
----
Doesn't matter.
You know the book is going to say the founding fathers were a bunch of right wing religious zealots.
What do you need? A template, heavy paper, a PC and a laser printer, right?
That's how I get my boarding passes now.
One can even print out tax forms....why not ballots.
We use the touch screens with paper backups.
Seems to work, though my city's so hard core democratic it hardly matters.
I'll vote early and may poll watch this time.
----
Good. It sounds like they need poll watchers in your area.
Who’ll Stop the Pain?
http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid/45604/
Those memorials will now take place against the backdrop of Obama's bid for the White House and it might be tempting to see a straight line linking the two. But for Steele many Americans were missing one of the most overlooked points of King's career. The fact is, by 1968, King himself had moved on from purely racial issues. Yet again he was ahead of his time. His final campaigns were focused on fighting poverty and labour disputes. He came to Memphis in support of striking workers. 'He was killed in Memphis because he had started to focus on poor folks, regardless of their colour,' Steele said. That was 40 years ago. As Obama's campaign changes the American political landscape, it might be wise to remember that race is not the only controversial issue that mainstream politics still tends to shun. There is the thorny issue of class, too. 'If you thought having a talk about race was difficult in America, then having one about class is even harder,' said Podair. Yet 40 years ago King tried to start that debate as well. A bullet cut short his ambitions. Room 306 at the Lorraine was not the only thing his death left frozen in time. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/30/rac...
Okay, I can see the point of not wanting to waste taxpayers $$$ but since the people have already proven the last two elections that we WANT to vote and you idiots in charge of the voting process are denying us that chance because you think we are not going to show up at the polls!
Quite frankly, I can see the conspiracy theories between the Monkey King Bush and the people who do not want the common people to vote... It's in the repulsican's best interest in denying the people to vote to keep the fools in office.
A blast from the past and an unexpected bit of humor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz68KvMtHOA&feat...
I don't know why all states don't do it that way.
I have a creative solution -- it's called a printing press! -- an Ingenious invention with movable type that has worked rather well since the Gutenburg Bible (1454-55) -- and now they can prepare the text with computers!
And what to do about a pile of unused ballots? It's called "recycling" -- and it, too, seems to work quite well.
Actually, the problem is more serious than simply "losing votes and alienating people" -- it may very well constitute serious violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which is a federal offense, especially, if the shortages appear in precincts that that serve a high proportion of minority voters.
Finally, judging by the huge and unprecented record turnouts during the primary season, there is no excuse for any ballot shortages come November -- consequently, any shortages that might emerge could be construed as part of an intentional scheme to disenfranchise voters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now if you can convince John to add a few more smart female voices to the blog.......