We're a 3rd world country on election day

Good Luck said:
Why shouldn't we say that? Do you not believe in ANY level of personal responsibility when it comes to the individual authority to select our leadership?

Yes, there are other solutions to cut down on ridiculously long waits in polling lines. But some of those solutions should require a MINIMUM of personal responsibility placed on the individual voter.
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I don't see how anyone can turn this into a "personal responsibility" argument. We have elections. In those elections, there are often unbelieveable waiting times, even for early voting.

Voting should be the easiest thing imaginable. No one should have to wait for more than 20 minutes or so to cast a vote in a national election.
 
uscitizen said:
that was a stupid thing you said. taking your ballot home to fill it out. would be handy for your employer, union, spouse or whomever you sell a vote to though.

Vote buying still happens.
They just nailed a guy in KY for it this year.

Not bad up to 20 bucks now, cheaper than running commercials too. Direct marketing, cut out the middle man :clink:
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People can already do this through absentee voting. I just show my employer my filled out absentee ballot and get paid. In Oregon ALL ballots are sent to peoples home where they fill them out. This fear of getting paid for a vote is not supported with mass vote buying. It might happen sometimes but not often enough to do away with the idea. Hell people get paid to use their cars to transport drugs, but we still let people drive.
 
cawacko said:
well its the truth. you ask about personal responsibilty
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As far as voting. You're talking about a registration issue. Yes, it is the voter's responsibility to make sure they are registered.

HOWEVER, it is not an unreasonable expectation for a legally registered voter to be able to go to a polling place on election day and not have to wait for 8 hours.
 
The latest from VA:

VIRGINIA: Dozens of polling places are experiencing varying degrees of machine malfunctions. Some polling places are either completely closed or have been closed for hours. Thousands of voters may have been turned away illegally by polling workers. Voters have illegally been issued with provisional ballets where machines have been broken.

Students at Virginia Tech, previously the victims of misinformation, have seen their polling place suddenly and unexpectedly moved six miles to a location with little parking.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/04/1634499.aspx
 
I would have less problem with long lines on election day IF it was a national holiday. But some people live in states with no early voting. My bet is lots of bosses frown on employees being gone for 4 to 6 hours to vote, probably would fire you if you were gone from work that long even on election day. Some states make it hard to vote just for the purpose of keeping turnout low.
 
Onceler said:
I don't see how anyone can turn this into a "personal responsibility" argument. We have elections. In those elections, there are often unbelieveable waiting times, even for early voting.

Voting should be the easiest thing imaginable. No one should have to wait for more than 20 minutes or so to cast a vote in a national election.
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Again, it is up to the individuals to prepare themselves for the vote. If they are unfamiliar with the ballot measures and races prior to voting, they are going to take an inordinate amount of time while in the booth reading the measures and trying to decide how to vote. In doing so, they cause delays in voting for others. When you get a bunch of them doing so... you get long lines.

IF people have access to early voting (either mail in or early voting locations) and they don't use them, then it is on the populace for not taking advantage of the extra time and rather procrastinating until the last moment. Even if you are undecided, you can get a mail-in ballot and fill it out as you decide each issue and then you can go on election day and drop it off if you are undecided until the last moment on an issue or candidate.

Long lines are NOT necessarily indiciative of systemic problems. They can also be problems that are out of the control of the election officials.
 
Superfreak said:
Again, it is up to the individuals to prepare themselves for the vote. If they are unfamiliar with the ballot measures and races prior to voting, they are going to take an inordinate amount of time while in the booth reading the measures and trying to decide how to vote. In doing so, they cause delays in voting for others. When you get a bunch of them doing so... you get long lines.

IF people have access to early voting (either mail in or early voting locations) and they don't use them, then it is on the populace for not taking advantage of the extra time and rather procrastinating until the last moment. Even if you are undecided, you can get a mail-in ballot and fill it out as you decide each issue and then you can go on election day and drop it off if you are undecided until the last moment on an issue or candidate.

Long lines are NOT necessarily indiciative of systemic problems. They can also be problems that are out of the control of the election officials.
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All of this is true but states like Florida had legislatures that made early voting as unmangable as regular voting. I know this is true of FLorida because when Crist extended voting hours members of his own party complained that he screwed McCain by doing so. Ballots should be available after the last convention duing Presidential Election years and 45 days before election day in non presidential years. Then people who complained about problems voting and long lines would basically have themselves to blame.
 
Socrtease said:
All of this is true but states like Florida had legislatures that made early voting as unmangable as regular voting. I know this is true of FLorida because when Crist extended voting hours members of his own party complained that he screwed McCain by doing so. Ballots should be available after the last convention duing Presidential Election years and 45 days before election day in non presidential years. Then people who complained about problems voting and long lines would basically have themselves to blame.
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I am obviously not familiar with each state. In the case above, I would agree with you... all 50 states should adopt such a policy.
 
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