Democracy is broken in the US

[Deleted]

On top of this is the most absurd thing called "vote registration". How can the largest, richest so called democracy in the world not know where people live? Here in my country we see on our voting papers where we can go and when. If you live in the same area as last time you voted, you just go to where you last voted.
Why is there this blatantly redundant step to voting?

Presumably to reduce fraud, they've got the same thing here already which recently changed to individual registration. I think they were even going to fine people for not registering.

http://www.markpack.org.uk/27056/wha...egistration-2/

The current old electoral registration system is based on one registration form being delivered to each household, with the head of the household completing the form on behalf of everyone there and sending it back (“household registration”).

One reason therefore for switching to individual registration is a point of principle: someone’s ability (if they aren’t the head of a household) to vote shouldn’t be dependent on whether or not someone else has filled in a form for them.

[Alydael]

Then they'd probably be Republicans anyway, so it's just as well.

That is funny, it is always the Dems claiming the Pubs are trying "trickery" to prevent people from voting. I don't support the Pubs either, but "voting rights" is almost always a Dem issue. An ID! You can't require an ID to vote! That disenfranchises these poor people that (for some reason) can't obtain an ID (sound familiar?) Go ahead, tell those people they won 1,000$ an need an ID to claim it...... Watch how fast they produce an ID.

[phitness]

we need to force people to vote. make it illegal not to, and charge people steep fines if they don't.

also make it illegal to write in a stupid choice, like cat or something. it has to be someone on the ballot.

Well we get fined for not having insurance now so why not fine people for not voting also.

Dont agree with the second part tho, you should be able to write in anyone you want not just whoever the powers that be decide you should choose between.

[vilememory]

Because thanks to anti voter fraud laws they are making it that much harder for people to vote. It is such a huge problem we have to make it next to impossible for people to vote! IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE DEMOCRACY STANDS INTACT!

[Deleted]

democracy in America is broken, not for the lower voter turnout though, the entire electoral system is hugely flawed. these videos are pretty trite, but they sum things up nicely:

[apepi]

And btw United States is not a democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic.

[Fugus]

Those who don't vote are content. Make them mad and they'll vote.

Not entirely.

Some of those who don't vote are content.

Most of those who don't vote either see nothing worth voting for or are too busy due to the economy they are stranded in to even take the time to look at those running to vote or take the time off from their normal duties to do it.

This will actually be the first election I will have voted in since becoming old enough to vote as Bernie Sanders is quite literally the only candidate I have found running who actually seems worth voting for who might actually make it to the general elections.

I am 34 years old, my first 8 years at voting age real life kept me too busy between work, school and general survival to even think about that kinda stuff, the next 8 years I felt like I was throwing my vote away just by casting it given my choices.

[PC2]

democracy in America is broken, not for the lower voter turnout though, the entire electoral system is hugely flawed. these videos are pretty trite, but they sum things up nicely:

The system is fine, it always works out overall as long as the voting margin isn't razor thin.

[Sir Andy]

A lot of people don't pay attention or don't care.

Simple as that.

[Fugus]

It's doing fine. If your person doesn't win it's because their ideas were not good enough.

Or because it conflicted with the ideas of those in power who made sure to lie, slander or ignore it to the point no one even knows what your message is. We have had plenty of good ideas ignored because they weren't popular to the establishment.

[Seranthor]

we need to force people to vote. make it illegal not to, and charge people steep fines if they don't.

also make it illegal to write in a stupid choice, like cat or something. it has to be someone on the ballot.

I thought torture was illegal and the information gained from it not deemed useful. How is forcing folks to vote any different?

[PC2]

Or because it conflicted with the ideas of those in power who made sure to lie, slander or ignore it to the point no one even knows what your message is. We have had plenty of good ideas ignored because they weren't popular to the establishment.

What good ideas?

[Healing Rain]

Our education system should prepare people to vote but it doesn't really. Most young people voting for Obama is proof of that.

[Fugus]

That is funny, it is always the Dems claiming the Pubs are trying "trickery" to prevent people from voting. I don't support the Pubs either, but "voting rights" is almost always a Dem issue. An ID! You can't require an ID to vote! That disenfranchises these poor people that (for some reason) can't obtain an ID (sound familiar?) Go ahead, tell those people they won 1,000$ an need an ID to claim it...... Watch how fast they produce an ID.

Well since they could then afford to miss a day of work and go into debt purchasing the ID card as they will make up that lost money and time at work with that thousand dollars.

That argument of your is flawed from the start as the money offered fixes the main things that keeps them from getting it many times. That is like saying anyone can afford cosmetic surgery no matter how poor they are, just offer them a 10 million dollar job if they do and then watch how fast they get up the thousands of dollars it takes to get the surgery.

[alexkeren]

I'm having a look at voting turnouts for the last elections and parts of this one so far, and it's absolutely abysmal. How can anyone be called elected by the people when 48% eligible to vote in 2012 DIDNT?

Actually it was more like 45%, however you have to take into account how that percentage is determined.

It's determined just by taking the number of people who voted and dividing it into the number of people who are of [voting age] to vote.

This doesn't account for:

A) People who due to felony convictions aren't eligible
B) The vast majority of senior citizens who don't vote for a variety of reasons, most of which is they don't care/aren't mentally all there to comprehend.

[Seranthor]

I don't think it's really trickery so much as plausible deniability on their part. If we're going to let people vote just by virtue of being a citizen over the age of 18, then we should stop bending over backwards to disenfranchise as many people as possible via indirect methods. If that's not what we want, then put into writing the new limits on who can vote. However, all of the fear mongering over voter fraud to hide their disenfranchisement policies is ridiculous. If they want to require an ID, then they should also make an actual effort to help people who do not have one obtain one.

Citizen over 18... but how do we know who are citizens? No, seriously, without some way to identify folks how do we know who are citizens?

as far as Free ID...

Texas
https://www.texastribune.org/2013/06...id-cards-week/

Alabama
http://www.alabamavoterid.com/getfreephotovoterid.aspx

Wisconsin
http://www.gab.wi.gov/node/1917

North Carolina
http://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/driver/id/

Georgia
http://www.dds.ga.gov/drivers/dldata...49371755&ty=dl

Mississippi
http://msvoterid.ms.gov/

Rhode Island
http://sos.ri.gov/divisions/elections/Voters/voter-id

Just to list a few.

[Endus]

I'm having a look at voting turnouts for the last elections and parts of this one so far, and it's absolutely abysmal. How can anyone be called elected by the people when 48% eligible to vote in 2012 DIDNT?
Why is nobody in the US bringing up this horrendous failure? Is anyone going "Guys, what the fuck?"

It's not an "error". They have the right to vote, but aren't required to. This way, only those interested in shaping the country actually get that opportunity.

Nope, some people vote against a system they don't support by abstaining.

Which is ridiculous and worse than ineffective. It directly contributes to the system you claim not to support.

It's the equivalent of wanting pizza for dinner at work, but the office is voting on whether they're ordering Thai, or deli subs. So rather than say "hey, what about pizza", you go back to your office and go hungry because fuck those guys.

Congrats, you gave up any chance for pizza without making any effort to bring it about, and now you're going hungry, to boot.

Vote for a third party candidate. Are they likely to win? No. If there's enough disenfranchisement, though, they can. If people vote.

And btw United States is not a democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic.

This is a pointless bit of semantics. It's a constitutional republic with a democratic elections process. When people say a country is a democracy, they mean it has a democratic process, not that it's a literal Athenian democracy, which hasn't existed since, well, Athens.

[Underverse]

- Make voting day a national holiday
- Impose a $20 fee for not voting

[alexkeren]

we need to force people to vote. make it illegal not to, and charge people steep fines if they don't.

also make it illegal to write in a stupid choice, like cat or something. it has to be someone on the ballot.

Alaska called and said if it wasn't for the ability to write-in a candidate we would have had Miller instead of Murkowski as senator. It was already bad enough when Palin went batshit crazy after becoming governor (technically during that debacle of being a "VP" running mate. SMH)

[PACOX]

we need to force people to vote. make it illegal not to, and charge people steep fines if they don't.

also make it illegal to write in a stupid choice, like cat or something. it has to be someone on the ballot.

So you want to force people to vote for stuff that they don't care about. You don't think these people would just randomly pick choice or pick one out of spite because they're being forced to yote?