Mega-Thread: 2020 United States General Election

[Edge-]

I'd be interested in seeing more adoption of blockchain for voting to make ballot counting easier and prevent votes from being changed.

Oh please no. I remember when this was the solution to literally every problem and the technology would be integrated into literally everything and it would change the digital world as we know it and and and and....

Then it went the way of 3D TV's because it never lived up to the hype.

[Mihalik]

The voting machines and ways to count ballots definitely needs to be improved. IIRC though the GOP constantly oppose any reform or updates.

The electoral college as whole needs to done away with. In a proportional voting system we could have called the election the first night. Through the popular vote.

[Forogil]

McConnell finally speaks up, mimics Pence ("every legal vote should be counted") then flees.

Is it just me, or is that just the minimum required to be seen as supporting Trump - without actually supporting the massive-vote-fraud-conspiracy?

[Amunrasonther]

I really hope Biden tackles election reform. How election day is not a national paid holiday is criminal at this point. And mail-in votes need to become a staple of our election. Wasn't it Michigan that sent out a ballot to every eligible voter? Every state needs to do this and every state should have the exact same election process.

[Rustedsaint]

With what money will he do such a thing...?

With the power of make believe. Honestly his family should put him in an care home sooner then later, the guy is clearly suffering from mental problems

[TigTone]

With what money will he do such a thing...?

Don’t worry his cult will each donate 100dollars each to kick start it.

But you know they hate paying taxes and seeing it pulled together to be used to help people.

[For_The_Horde]

What are the chances of a 50/50 Senate? Those gaps in the Georgia races seem ridiculously large.

They're gonna switch to runoff elections most likely. Basically like a whole second election, which usually favors republicans but dems are pretty determined this year. I have no idea how or if mail-ins even work for that though, its gonna be absolute chaos no matter what.

[Kathranis]

The voting machines and ways to count ballots definitely needs to be improved. IIRC though the GOP constantly oppose any reform or updates.

Yep, many of the states that couldn't make solid calls on election night were due to Republican legislator interference forcing stuff like paper ballots, delayed counting of absentee ballots until election day or later, etc.

Other states were allowed to start counting absentee ballots early so it was just a matter of counting in-person votes, and where those were done digitally it was even quicker.

[Skulltaker]

I really hope Biden tackles election reform. How election day is not a national paid holiday is criminal at this point. And mail-in votes need to become a staple of our election. Wasn't it Michigan that sent out a ballot to every eligible voter? Every state needs to do this and every state should have the exact same election process.

I think he'll be busy mending bridges to all the people Trump pissed off, which is basically everybody except Israel.

[Breccia]

Is it just me, or is that just the minimum required to be seen as supporting Trump

Yes. It's what Kellyanne Conman said, What He Meant Wassing Trump. It's a way to say "keep counting where we're losing, stop where we're ahead"

[Timester]

40k votes left in Philly.

[Breccia]

Trump is going to try to launch Trump TV and destroy Fox...

You'd think he'd destroy CNN. Oh, wait, he can't. His rabid fanbase doesn't watch CNN.

[Biglog]

I do agree with the Demo caucus yesterday that the 2020 Demo campaign as a whole was run horribly. Democrats need new and much better upper leadership or they absolutely will get destroyed in the 2022/2024 elections. I don't see any change happening, but it's desperately needed. Election cycle #3 of underperforming in a row, and this election was as teed up for them to be successful as it gets and they flubbed it badly.

Democrats were way too passive this election in ad running, and failed to deliver their message badly. Specifically, they failed to answer the GOP attack ads that painted every Democrat that was running as someone who was going to implement socialism, defund the police, etc. And that was not the Demo platform at all. Biden has been VP for 8 years and he didn't implement socialism, it's nonsense. But fear mongering is effective, and if you show pictures of rioters after the George Floyd killing, along with fear mongering of socialism and defunding the police, and many easily manipulated people fall for it. People on these forums fell for it. Even if Demos wanted to stay positive in message, the #1 thing Biden and upper Demos did not do is clearly message to the American people that the fear mongering about socialism and defunding the police was untrue. Biden did say it and made it clear he wasn't defunding the police and or implementing socialism, but it wasn't forceful enough and didn't come across to the average voter at all. For the average voter, the fear mongering in GOP attack ads was far more effective than the Democrat's deflection of the attacks.

In the end Democrats can say they still came out ok with Biden winning, holding the House, and TBD how the final Senate tally falls out. If the Senate ends in a tie then Kamala is the tie breaker they essentially have the Senate also. But if they had even a moderately well-run campaign it wouldn't have been nearly this close.

[Ivanstone]

I think he'll be busy mending bridges to all the people Trump pissed off, which is basically everybody except Netanyahu.

Fixed that for you.

[Underverse]

I really hope Biden tackles election reform. How election day is not a national paid holiday is criminal at this point. And mail-in votes need to become a staple of our election. Wasn't it Michigan that sent out a ballot to every eligible voter? Every state needs to do this and every state should have the exact same election process.

100% this. It's ridiculous that we have 50 different election processes with rules even changing moments before the election.

[wunksta]

Oh please no. I remember when this was the solution to literally every problem and the technology would be integrated into literally everything and it would change the digital world as we know it and and and and....

Then it went the way of 3D TV's because it never lived up to the hype.

I don't think so, it's still a very good system for having an unalterable record. For example it's been used as a way to maintain land ownership. It has already been used in some voting situations. This doesn't seem like some unnecessary fad that is being added somewhere it shouldn't be, but something that can provide tangible value where there are currently flaws.

- - - Updated - - -

I really hope Biden tackles election reform. How election day is not a national paid holiday is criminal at this point.

Yes, I think president's day and election day should just be swapped.

[starlord]

I do agree with the Demo caucus yesterday that the 2020 Demo campaign as a whole was run horribly. Democrats need new and much better upper leadership or they absolutely will get destroyed in the 2022/2024 elections. I don't see any change happening, but it's desperately needed. Election cycle #3 of underperforming in a row, and this election was as teed up for them to be successful as it gets and they flubbed it badly.

Democrats were way too passive this election in ad running, and failed to deliver their message badly. Specifically, they failed to answer the GOP attack ads that painted every Democrat that was running as someone who was going to implement socialism, defund the police, etc. And that was not the Demo platform at all. Biden has been VP for 8 years and he didn't implement socialism, it's nonsense. But fear mongering is effective, and if you show pictures of rioters after the George Floyd killing, along with fear mongering of socialism and defunding the police, and many easily manipulated people fall for it. People on these forums fell for it. Even if Demos wanted to stay positive in message, the #1 thing Biden and upper Demos did not do is clearly message to the American people that the fear mongering about socialism and defunding the police was untrue. Biden did say it and made it clear he wasn't defunding the police and or implementing socialism, but it wasn't forceful enough and didn't come across to the average voter at all. For the average voter, the fear mongering in GOP attack ads was far more effective than the Democrat's deflection of the attacks.

In the end Democrats can say they still came out ok with Biden winning, holding the House, and TBD how the final Senate tally falls out. If the Senate ends in a tie then Kamala is the tie breaker they essentially have the Senate also. But if they had even a moderately well-run campaign it wouldn't have been nearly this close.

its hard to have a clear message when theres factions hellbent on directly undermining the message.

[Grapemask]

Trump is going to try to launch Trump TV and destroy Fox...

That will be interesting.

https://twitter.com/Santucci/status/1324763737862086656

I really hope that they do.

Conservatives apparently don't realize that having fewer networks is exactly how their propaganda and dishonesty is so effective. Fox News doesn't have to appeal to anyone but conservatives because it has the entire conservative base to make money off of. But the minute Fox News loses them, it will have to start appealing to more independents and even liberals in order to pay the bills. That's the driving factor behind all of the "liberal networks" still being honest despite having a leftward bent - they still have to keep clicks coming from the other side of the aisle.

[Cthulhu 2020]

That was a pretty close race, too close to be honest. I'm glad it's over. Though of course, after all the right wingers in here claimed that there would be massive riots from the left if Trump won, and nothing but peace if Biden won, just gotta ROFL. The Trumpers are out in force, and we're going to see a lot of independent "lone wolf" gunmen trying to avenge Trump.

[Forogil]

Because there's always one side that thinks it will change things. And sometimes, it actually does.

I see no problems with a recount if it's a VERY tight election, personally. Better to double check and ensure accuracy if it's that close, so that nobody can contest it later.

I don't have a problem with the actual recount, just with the fascination with recounts.
(I have more of a problem with the idea of throwing out the remaining ballots after one side concedes.)

As far as I know we always count the votes two times.