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Post by GayTime on Nov 4, 2008 6:08:44 GMT -5
Use this thread to discuss today's events.
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Post by lolaruns on Nov 4, 2008 6:47:44 GMT -5
So, did all you Americans guy vote yet? I'm so sad that Obama's grandmother just by a shred didn't live long enough to see him win It just makes me so mad because I just read a bunch of people trashing him for going to visit her.
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Post by Bonobochick on Nov 4, 2008 8:13:12 GMT -5
My polling place opens up in 2 hours. It's in a retirement home, so that's always fun. I have on CNN right now but it is rather repetitive and it's annoying me so I am going to watch last night's Gossip Girl and Spooks until it's time for me to hit the polling place. For all those who vote today, Starbucks is offering a free tall cup of coffee if you tell them you voted:
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nana29
Junior Member
Posts: 622
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Post by nana29 on Nov 4, 2008 8:16:32 GMT -5
My polling place opens up in 2 hours. It's in a retirement home, so that's always fun. I have on CNN right now but rather repetitive and it's annoying me so I am going to watch last night's Gossip Girl and Spooks until it's time for me to his the polling place. I think you need to show them your 'i voted' sticker I have voted but have turned my ballot but I will in two hours!!! ;D ;D I know my friends and I were talking about Obama's grandmother, it is so sad that she passed away especially the day before the elections... why were people trashing Obama for going to see her? i know i could click on the link but i don't want to read nasty stuff so if you want to you can give the recap version..lol
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Post by lolaruns on Nov 4, 2008 8:17:23 GMT -5
I was rather wondering when you guys would start I was watching some programm and Michael Moore was on and he was talking about voting reforms (I don't like him that much, but he was on). I was pretty shocked, I hadn't realized that the US votes on weekdays I'm just so used to always voting on a Sunday. And then they had the CNN guy on talking about how you can look up your polling place on their website in case it changes. I'm confused, do you not get official notification? For us everybody who is eligible to vote gets an official government letter, telling them their place to vote and some details on what to do. I don't know I have ever understood this registering to vote thing either.
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Post by lolaruns on Nov 4, 2008 8:20:00 GMT -5
BTW, you guys need to seriously check out this clip of the Simpsons' take on the election. The only funny moment from the entire Treehouse of Horror episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aBaX9GPSaQ
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nana29
Junior Member
Posts: 622
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Post by nana29 on Nov 4, 2008 8:41:17 GMT -5
watching Obama vote in Chicago in TV, i don't know why but i m really excited!!
lola thank you for the clip, and totally missed the Simpson's episode.
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Post by lolaruns on Nov 4, 2008 8:48:00 GMT -5
You know how things are when even Homer Simpson want to vote Obama ;D
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Post by Difficult Diva on Nov 4, 2008 9:02:49 GMT -5
I voted early this morning, yet I had a 45 minute wait, because the people/volunteers handling the polling site (in a elementary school cafeteria) didn't have things set up correctly at all. Lines were going every which way, some of the volunteers didn't have the books that listed the names of the people who are registered voters for the polling site. People were visibly upset with some of the volunteers. The volunteers started fighting with each other. I hope that things at my polling site DO get better throughout the day, because people are coming out to vote this time around.
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momnoc
Full Member
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss
Posts: 1,613
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Post by momnoc on Nov 4, 2008 9:04:35 GMT -5
Now I am really nervous! I just woke up and it's POURING RAIN!!!
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Post by sheepiefarm on Nov 4, 2008 9:20:03 GMT -5
It showed us on UK news last night that some people have had to queue for more than 4 hours to vote - I can't see people in this country doing that. Is there anyone else like me who thinks this is gonna be one of those momentous days that history will talk about for ever?
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Post by Difficult Diva on Nov 4, 2008 9:25:59 GMT -5
It showed us on UK news last night that some people have had to queue for more than 4 hours to vote - I can't see people in this country doing that. Is there anyone else like me who thinks this is gonna be one of those momentous days that history will talk about for ever? Yes. This 2008 election will be talked about AND studied in political science and history courses for years and decades to come. Especially the direction of the Obama and McCain campaigns.
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Post by Bonobochick on Nov 4, 2008 11:18:24 GMT -5
I got to the polling place at 7:07am (I walked the 5 blocks) and I was done voting at 8:02am. It took me 45 minutes to get in there. Now I need to get ready for work! And Gaytime, I got your back on Prop 8.
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restenergy
Full Member
Olli forever (and Christian, too)
Posts: 1,667
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Post by restenergy on Nov 4, 2008 12:01:13 GMT -5
Yeah, I voted. It went something like this: OK, President now. There, that's Barack Obama's name. That's the novel. Fill it in. Yes, I marked Obama. OK, everything else seems right. Yes, I marked Obama. Now to the optical scan machine. Yes, the oval in front of Obama's name is the one that's marked. Good. Didn't want to vote for the wrong person. It was going smoothly at my polling place. No line (although I did have to wait a minute or so for a booth), but a steady stream of voters. It was hardly deserted, so that's also good. I recall getting reminder cards in Minneapolis about the day, hours, and place to vote. But I think it's up to a particular city or county clerk to do that, at least in Minnesota. I've not gotten any kind of reminder here, other than the card verifying my registration when I had done that. I would imagine that many places would be more inclined to send those cards if the polling place is going to change. Some places might be required to do that, depending on state law. But people can easily get those cards and pay no attention to them, just thinking that the polls will be in the same place they've been for the last two decades (they don't move them around all that often, if they can help it). Registration should be a tool to make administering the election easier, and a check to be sure that it's only eligible voters that vote, and that people vote in the right place and only once. What I don't get about the registration system is why so many states close registrations early. It really helps the various voter suppression tactics that a certain party seems to have become fond of using. I'm a big advocate for same-day registration. If you can show proof of identity and residency, you can vote even if you are not pre-registered. Unfortunately, only a handful of states do this. I would hope that it becomes a national policy soon. Some have proposed weekend voting (usually both Saturday and Sunday), but I don't support that. We already have a fairly low portion of our population who doesn't participate in elections. I can't see weekends as a way to improve that. I'm much more interested in making election day a holiday (with some restrictions on work and business activity), but keep it on a Tuesday. It'll be in the middle of the week, so less likely to be come an excuse to go away.
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Post by amber80 on Nov 4, 2008 14:17:35 GMT -5
. I'm confused, do you not get official notification? For us everybody who is eligible to vote gets an official government letter, telling them their place to vote and some details on what to do. I don't know I have ever understood this registering to vote thing either. I didn't get that either until I read about it on this forum. In our country we get a voting card send to us by mail. On the day of the election you take the card and your ID with you to the place you need to vote and hand them in. They cross your name off the list and you can make your vote on one of the voting machines. I think the registering to vote thing is really complicated and keeps a lot of people off voting. Isn't there a system in the US that keeps record of the people eligible to vote?
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Post by GayTime on Nov 4, 2008 14:24:43 GMT -5
Because there is no registration requirement when you move in the US like in most European countries, it would be hard to keep these kind of records. If you never move, you don't need to re-register every time. You only need to register again if you change address. You actually get several notifications beforehand, including one really hefty booklet that explains all the propositions and tries - as objective as humanly possible - to list the pro and cons and impact of each and every one of them. At least that's how it works here in CA.
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Post by tyranamiros on Nov 4, 2008 14:30:08 GMT -5
I got my "yo vote" sticker! To respond as a political science grad student , the US doesn't have a national voting registry because each state is allowed to create its own laws regarding everything but the timing of national elections. Who can register, when primary elections are held, format of ballot, type of voting machine--these are all decided by state law, not federal. We also generally have more state and local contests on the ballot than national ones (12 state propositions and 5 local ones on my ballot!). California sends a statewide pamphlet with the federal and state propositions/races. This does not have your polling place information. Each county is supposed to send a voting pamphlet with your local races which has your polling place listed on the back, generally near your postal address. Every county and the Secretary of State's office has a website where you can type in an address and get the polling location. However, this just how California runs elections. Arizona, for example, only has a county mailer that includes all contests and lists your polling place.
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Post by sheepiefarm on Nov 4, 2008 14:39:57 GMT -5
. I'm confused, do you not get official notification? For us everybody who is eligible to vote gets an official government letter, telling them their place to vote and some details on what to do. I don't know I have ever understood this registering to vote thing either. I didn't get that either until I read about it on this forum. In our country we get a voting card send to us by mail. On the day of the election you take the card and your ID with you to the place you need to vote and hand them in. They cross your name off the list and you can make your vote on one of the voting machines. I think the registering to vote thing is really complicated and keeps a lot of people off voting. Isn't there a system in the US that keeps record of the people eligible to vote? This is the same as the UK - however, we do have to register ourselves to be on the electoral role - this is usually in the form of a notice sent out, often a few months before an election is due or when you change address.
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Post by aussie54 on Nov 4, 2008 14:40:32 GMT -5
I'm fascinated by the US voting process. It's much simpler here in Australia. It's often said that it's compulsory for us Aussies to vote, but that's not strictly true. It's compulsory for us to go to the polling booth on Election Day, if our name's on the Electoral Roll. You just have to have your name crossed off to show that you've turned up. You have to take the voting slip, but as far as I know you don't have to actually put it in the ballot box. If the rule is that the slip must go into the box, there's no law that says you have to fill it out correctly, and we get many "donkey" votes, i.e. scribbled out forms, incorrectly filled out forms, etc. Anyway, "How to Vote" ads are in all our papers on the day of the election, always a Saturday. The polling booths are very smoothly run, with paid officials. It takes only a few minutes to go through the process. I don't think I've ever waited in a queue for more than five minutes. So even though sometimes we Aussies have a slight inferiority complex about our place in the world, I think we have a superior voting system. *fingers crossed* that Obama wins. The alternative is too scary for words.
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restenergy
Full Member
Olli forever (and Christian, too)
Posts: 1,667
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Post by restenergy on Nov 4, 2008 14:45:53 GMT -5
I think the registering to vote thing is really complicated and keeps a lot of people off voting. Isn't there a system in the US that keeps record of the people eligible to vote? Yep, there is such a system. It's the registered voter list. Gaytime points out that there is no national registry of people. There are various other lists that might, at first glance, be useful. People should have a drivers license or state issued ID. But there are people who don't. There was the story of several older nuns in Ohio or Indiana who didn't have an ID. They didn't drive and had no real need for one. Additionally, drivers do not need to prove citizenship or be of voting age, or meet any other requirements to vote. So it's not a good list to use, in reality. Additionally, students who are away from home could request absentee ballots at their permanent residence or they could register to vote at their school address (not both, of course). So other lists and sources will be incomplete. Part of the confusion that reigns in national media here in the United States, and I would imagine for anyone elsewhere watching our process, is that the registration requirements vary from state to state. Deadlines for registration and other details differ. Some states, like Minnesota and Wisconsin, allow election day registration. I had a great deal of fun as an election judge four years ago at the University of Minnesota registering students to vote for the first time. They were all so enthusiastic. Every election one sees statements from media or national campaign officials or just people trying to be helpful on the internet to the effect of "be sure you're registered as a democrat, or you wont' be able to vote in the primary" or "tomorrow is the registration deadline" when that might apply to their state but not to many, many others. (I've never registered as a democrat, for instance, because I've never been registered in a state that includes an option for party affiliation to be recorded.) Overall, it might be helpful to remember that the United States today isn't really having one national election. In reality, we are having 50 state elections (and one in the District of Columbia). ETA: At the last election in Australia, I had looked at the Australian voting procedures. I did so partly because there are some election reformers here who hold Australia as a model to consider. But my impression was that the balloting system is actually more complex than here in the United States. I wasn't impressed that it would be a helpful model. I'm afraid that we'd end up with a huge increase in the number of ballots marked incorrectly. We currently have problems with people wanting to put an X in the little ovals instead of filling them in or not connecting lines on the various types of optical scan ballots, for example. That said, I do understand it works well in Australia. So maybe it could here too. But It would take a few elections for people to really get used to it, and I don't know that I really want to play around with those transition elections.
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Post by amber80 on Nov 4, 2008 14:54:03 GMT -5
Because there is no registration requirement when you move in the US like in most European countries, it would be hard to keep these kind of records. If you never move, you don't need to re-register every time. You only need to register again if you change address. You actually get several notifications beforehand, including one really hefty booklet that explains all the propositions and tries - as objective as humanly possible - to list the pro and cons and impact of each and every one of them. At least that's how it works here in CA. Ah, that explains it a bit more... Thanks! To respond as a political science grad student , the US doesn't have a national voting registry because each state is allowed to create its own laws regarding everything but the timing of national elections. Who can register, when primary elections are held, format of ballot, type of voting machine--these are all decided by state law, not federal. We also generally have more state and local contests on the ballot than national ones (12 state propositions and 5 local ones on my ballot!). California sends a statewide pamphlet with the federal and state propositions/races. This does not have your polling place information. Each county is supposed to send a voting pamphlet with your local races which has your polling place listed on the back, generally near your postal address. Every county and the Secretary of State's office has a website where you can type in an address and get the polling location. However, this just how California runs elections. Arizona, for example, only has a county mailer that includes all contests and lists your polling place. State and federal: of course! Why make it easy when you can do it the hard way... ;D But I understand now... By the way: when we have election sometimes we get to vote for local things at the same time as well: makes it easier to get more votes in that way. (And it's more cost efficient of course ) Aussie, we can vote 'blanco' as well. All those 'blanco' votes do count in a way though: has to do something with the seats in the parlement are divided. Really complicated to explain, but it means your vote matters: even if you don't vote.
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restenergy
Full Member
Olli forever (and Christian, too)
Posts: 1,667
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Post by restenergy on Nov 4, 2008 14:58:37 GMT -5
Maybe its because I have now lived and voted in states who run elections pretty well on their own, and do things that I regard as perfectly sensible and a model for the rest of the nation, like same-day registration. But the last thing I want is for the federal government to be running our presidential election instead of the states.
I have to ask. Wolfi mentioned a registration requirement when you move in many European countries. I assume he's not meaning simply a voters registration, given what others have said. Why would you have such a thing?
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Post by amber80 on Nov 4, 2008 15:03:53 GMT -5
I think the registering to vote thing is really complicated and keeps a lot of people off voting. Isn't there a system in the US that keeps record of the people eligible to vote? Yep, there is such a system. It's the registered voter list. Gaytime points out that there is no national registry of people. I just read it... You know, it just never occured to me take you didn't have a national registry system. It's so common over; I never gave it a second thought... Every election one sees statements from media or national campaign officials or just people trying to be helpful on the internet to the effect of "be sure you're registered as a democrat, or you wont' be able to vote in the primary" or "tomorrow is the registration deadline" when that might apply to their state but not to many, many others. (I've never registered as a democrat, for instance, because I've never been registered in a state that includes an option for party affiliation to be recorded.) So that's also a possibility in some states? Wow, it's getting more and more confusing... ;D No wonder we don't understand it at first. *Is having a learning moment here* Overall, it might be helpful to remember that the United States today isn't really having one national election. In reality, we are having 50 state elections (and one in the District of Columbia). I'll remember.
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Post by tyranamiros on Nov 4, 2008 15:07:57 GMT -5
restenergy, the core of the difference is that the US doesn't have National ID (okay, the feds are trying to impose this with the Real ID Act, but states are dragging their feet in the implementation). That is, we have nearly-universal forms of identification like driver's licenses and social security numbers, but both of these are for/were designed around a very specific purpose. However, in most other countries, your National ID number is used for most of your interactions with government. Not surprisingly then, many countries require that you carry ID with you at all times, but this is not mandatory in the US.
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Post by GayTime on Nov 4, 2008 15:10:58 GMT -5
Maybe its because I have now lived and voted in states who run elections pretty well on their own, and do things that I regard as perfectly sensible and a model for the rest of the nation, like same-day registration. But the last thing I want is for the federal government to be running our presidential election instead of the states. I have to ask. Wolfi mentioned a registration requirement when you move in many European countries. I assume he's not meaning simply a voters registration, given what others have said. Why would you have such a thing? In Europe (minus the UK as far as I know), there is a 'requirement to register' with the municipality you live in. For example, when you move within Germany - even if its in the same city- you have a week to notify your city hall. This is how they keep track of you.
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