I was going to vote on Tuesday morning, but my wife persuaded me to get it done early and submit our ballots today. Usually the polling places are quiet and empty, even during a presidential election, since this is a very small town…but maybe my wife knows something I don’t. I dropped the ballots off at 2pm on a Friday, and…
There was a line at the county courthouse of people doing the same thing.
I haven’t had to wait in line to vote in 20 years. OK, sometimes I’m second in line, but waiting times are negligible. Still, this is the longest delay ever. I’m going to have to complain to someone.
This is a red county, so don’t assume this means the DFL is going to triumph — in fact, one little group of women in line were members of the apostolic cult in town (easy to spot, long hair in a bun, long skirts) and I’d be surprised if they were voting for anything other than conservative theocracy. But I could be surprised, it’s a secret ballot after all, maybe there is a revolution brewing.
Over 35 million votes have already been submitted, mostly from registered Democrats. The MAGA crowd is going to be complaining again.
I already voted absentee weeks ago to avoid the lines and the possibility of armed fascist thugs at the polls.
I stopped hoping for a massive upset in 1972.
I live in Oregon and voted three days ago. Day after Halloween. Handed my ballot straight to the mailman. Yeah, Oregon got it figured out. Make it easy and as mandatory as possible. I like what the Aussies are doing with mandatory voting. You are taxed if you DON’T vote. The GOP these days is spewing a lot of Jim Crow poll tax and vote test rhetoric. Hit the people who DON’T vote. Get everyone engaged. That is DEMOCRACY. Sure there will be people who just check the first option and mail it away, but there will be a lot more people who think about it and weigh their options. There’s a myth out there about the “one single vote”. Those of us in the Boomer/Gen-x crowd grew up with it. There was probably a Disney propaganda cartoon about it. Polls are just surveys. Well orchestrated surveys, but just surveys. Shoot for the closest answer. That’s how democracy works. It’s not sacred. It’s not absolute. Anytime, like 2000, there should be a re-do. No I’m never letting 2000 go.
I always wanted to say this to a PhD. I can’t actually say it to you, so I will type it: Well, DUH!!!!
Wife and I voted, by mail, about two weeks ago.
We have also been stacking all of the single sheet of almost cardboard campaign flyers. It is almost an inch thick. And still growing.
GOP candidates started months ago suggesting that if they loose it’s because of “election fraud”. And if they do loose, do we need to worry about how their supporters will react.
I would not be so sure of those women with long skirts and a bun. They might be religious, but they also have cows, and understand reproduction and value of the life of the mother above it’s fetus.
Voted a month ago. They mail our ballots early in NYC. I don’t understand fundie women at all . Why would you vote to be oppressed? SMH
@brightmoon #7:
Because it’s God’s Divine Will. Do anything to upset the natural order of God’s Grand Design and you will burn for eternity. Because He loves you.
Here in IL I was able to sign up for doing all my voting by mail. I received my ballot almost a month ago. filled it out the next day, and got it to the Post Office within couple of days. The progress of the ballot can be tracked on the County Clerks web site. Mine has been received, deemed a valid ballot, and will be counted with the rest of the ballots. Did my part to keep IL blue.
[Hey Nerd. Good to see you’re still active]
I agree with John, Nerd. It is good to see you active. I’ve missed seeing your frequent comments from the past. I enjoyed reading them but just never said anything.
I am afraid you might give be hope for the midterms, only for be to be cruelly disappointed.
American politics have än impact over here on European countries, especially now with the war.
Spell check altered “me” to “be”.
jsrtheta @ 2
I remember the 1972 election.
And the 1980 one, when Merica got Reaganized for a 40-year period.
@12. birgerjohansson : I’m really nervous and worried about what the midterms could bring for the USA and the rest of us too. It affects Australia as well as, well, pretty much everywhere.
The Trump cultists including theElection realitydeniers he is backing really have it in for Ukraine since they revealed Trump’s “perfect” phone call (https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/04/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-perfect-call-defense/index.html ) and his pressuring them to get him politically useful dirt on the Biden family. Ie interfering in US politics on Trump’s behalf. So, If the Repugs take control of Congress again Ithink there is little doubt they will either stop or reduce the USA’s support for Ukraine and give Putin’s invasion a helping hand and support. I’m sure Putin and Xi in China are cheering on the Repugs here and possibly invovling themselves in moves to help them too. I think more needs to be made by the Democratic party of the lack of “patriotism” and at leats metaphorical if not technical treason of the Repubs here. The self-proclaimed American “patriots” (who often ironically now glorify the Slaver States flags & fascist symbols) need a big weake up call. Wish Biden & others would call them out more strongly for this & rub these por-Putionanti-Democracy Hatriots noses in their oiwn hypocrisy.
I would very much like to believe that most of my fellow Americans are at least a little sensible and we’ll see the sort of results that send the open fascists and unlicensed medical dabblers scurrying back under their rocks. But after 2016 (the general election AND the primaries) holding onto that hope feels a lot like believing in the easter bunny.
I ask this after i read the post of #5 Robro
Why no one that makes unfounded accusations of election fraud is not heavily fined and forbidden any participation in elections for a set amount of time?
Is that dificult to make a law about that?
That kind of behavior is sabotaging the democratic process.
Again @12. birgerjohansson : FWIW I’ve just seen this Guardian article discussing, among other things, how “..the midterms could have dramatic consequences for Ukraine.” :
Source : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/03/why-do-the-us-midterms-matter-abortion-rights-democracy-2024
I voted early. No lines at all during the first week of early voting; walked right in. My polling place is my local library which I visit often; there were long lines Thursday and Friday. Despite the lines, I’m not feeling hopeful. Last election 94% of registered Dems in my precinct voted. Early voting ended yesterday. but lists from the registrar of voters show only about 75% of registered Dems in my precinct voted early. I will be busy calling and knocking on doors from now through election day trying to get that number up over 95%. Even then I’m not feeling hopeful. Too many silly people out there.
Some might accuse me of ‘harvesting ballots’, but what I did is completely legal. I dropped off ballots for my wife and I INSIDE our county office in Scarizona, avoiding the ballot box outside. However, we are in a small Northern Scarizona city overrun by rtwing Nat-C’s and the armed miscreants here (many) had not besieged the election site yet. Don’t know current state of things.
Off Topic, but huge (academic and real world) implications:
It’s a VERY long article, but the main points are scary –
https://scheerpost.com/2022/11/05/harvard-professors-call-for-500k-more-armed-cops/
Harvard Professors Call For 500k More Armed Cops
November 5, 2022
I would really like PZ’s, and other commenter’s, opinions on this ‘academic’ work.
I am pleased and impressed by all the international commenters here. You show enlightened caring on a worldwide scale. I am sorry our maniacal country impacts yours so negatively. But, we, here, must deal with these dire issues in a more local, oppressive and impactful way.
Also, PZ’s enlightened comment about ‘I’d be surprised if they were voting for anything other than conservative theocracy. But I could be surprised, it’s a secret ballot after all’ is refreshing even if it might trigger the vengeance of the RtWing Nat-C’s.
Here in Florida, they count (and report) in-person votes before they even begin tallying “absentee” ballots.
So, typically, Republicans have led in the early reports, giving them a tiny footing for accusation of cheating when the already-voted Dem ballots swing the outcomes later.
Ergo, I vote in person on the final day, to give my little share of democracy an iota more influence.
I plan to vote in person early in the morning. I don’t expect any problems from right wing thugs since the outcome, in my district, isn’t really in doubt, and won’t change the balance in the U.S. House or Senate.
Missouri is mostly rural and deeply red, so my new junior senator will almost certainly be a clone of the guy (who shall remain shameless) who will now be my senior senator. The new guy is an election denier who wants to stop socialism and CRT, and to “protect girls’ sports.” Also, the Democratic candidate, Trudy Busch Valentine (that’s “Busch” as in “Anheuser-Busch”), is a wealthy heiress who strikes me as a weak candidate. (She has an actual job as a nurse, so she’t not only a rentier; and she ticks off all the points that neo-libs and progressives have in common.)
I live in Missouri’s Second Congressional District, mostly western suburbs of St. Louis, which is gerrymandered deep red; and so my U.S. Rep. will likely continue to be a woman who doesn’t seem to do much of anything at all except raise money and vote with Trump.
I also expect to vote on the losing side of the race for state auditor.
My state rep. will likely remain the incumbent Democrat, as will the county executive and prosecuting attorney. I’m not sure how the county assessor race will turn out…we’ll see.
Those are all the partisan races that will be on my ballot. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. 8-)
@19 Shermanj, the article you posted is indeed terrible. You can read a detailed analysis of the Harvard article by Alec Karakatsanis here: https://equalityalec.substack.com/p/a-warning-to-journalists-about-elite
Oops, the article you linked WAS a reference to Alec Karakatsanis. I thought you were posting the actual Harvard article. Well, that will teach me to post first and ask questions later. Congratulations me, you contributed to the problem of not reading for comprehension.
@24 davebot,
That’s O.K., the article has a link to the actual paper. I think it’s https://direct.mit.edu/ajle/article/doi/10.1162/ajle_a_00030/112647/THE-INJUSTICE-OF-UNDER-POLICING-IN-AMERICA1