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Right.
So if it’s the “powers that be” who want it this way, then there’s clearly an argument to be made that voting is being suppressed.
Exactly. It's clear to me that the intention of both sides is to suppress the vote. Whether one identifies as a D or R, they are both corrupt and both are willing to do what they have to do in order to win - and by that - I don't mean "legally."
So lines are a white cultural thing, like hard work? Is CNN suggesting blacks are too lazy or impatient to wait in line? Also, since time is also a white cultural construct it should be irrelevant how long they have to wait. If anything it should only matter to whites, since they are the only ones who are culturally expected to be on time for anything.
The more I think about it, the more astoundingly racist the left seems to be.
You could also argue that minorities disproportionately work lower-wage hourly jobs, thus are more impacted by long waits (every hour in line is an hour you don't get paid) and so are less likely to vote - that's an issue for everyone that works an hourly job and lives hand-to-mouth, obviously, but if it impacts a greater percentage of minorities vs. whites, it's worth pointing out.
Yep and only a few states give paid time to vote. Election Day needs to be a Christmas day level national holiday. Then and only then may I actually vote on Election Day again. Instead I am more than happy to continue to vote by mail like I have for 6 years now... FYI, I already did for this election. I can now zone out the election ads that dominate commercial breaks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skandalon
If the wait causes them not to vote, that's on them. I've seen people wait hours for "Black Friday" shopping, sports events, concerts, etc. That entire reasoning is crud and not legitimate. People will wait for what is a "priority" for them. Just more propaganda.
Eh apples to oranges comparison there. For Black Friday, most who stand in line are get this, off Thanksgiving day and perhaps Black Friday as well. For Thanksgiving, mostly restaurant workers, police, fire fighters, hospital workers, gas station employees, snow removal, janitors, stockers at retailers and even movie theater workers will work that day. Some other jobs will be back on Black Friday. Most people do however work jobs that both days they are off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmccormick71
Some schedules are easier to work around than others.
Having a car vs taking public transportation
Having a salaried job vs hourly
Having PTO vs Not
Having childcare vs not
Having a polling place nearby vs one far away
Are all variables.
If you think all working people have the same ability to take time off you are either incredibly naive or deliberately obtuse.
There is no reason to put up obstacles to voting - obstacles that are more likely to affect low-income voters - unless the people putting up those obstacles do not want people to vote. And they don't want people to voe because if everyone who is eligible to vote did so, there would be very few Republicans in office.
Great post here. Very true. Though whichever party controls a state would have that problem and I don't think it just a Republican one (they just have a nack for getting the benefit of what I am talking about below.)
This is partial why voting is higher among demographics as you get up in age. Not that individuals don't vote, my parents took me in the voting booths and I have vivid memory of the old 1960's like machines that would punch cards for the poll workers to gather. However, that was with my parents being given time off and working local and federal government jobs and not working say fast food, retail or at some conglomerate that may ask you to stay past the voting line cut-off.
Another thing that often is overlooked with voter suppression is the late voters as you go more west and election results come in. For once, due to all the early voting I dont see it as much of a problem but in past years voter turnout especially as people get off work may not want to vote if they see their presidential candidate lose, especially if the state is relatively safe. Or if the line is huge and the news about the state doesn't look good, you jump off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redwood66
Inconvenience is not suppression or an obstacle.
You're wrong on all fronts. These aren't inconveniences. Inconveniences are like a nuisance. Finding out your polling place is having bug and the line is slowed until it is fixed or is closed and you have to goto the next town over are not an inconvenience.
I think a better question is why is voting so damn difficult for everyone.
Why should anyone, anywhere have to wait hours to cast a vote?
What I'm hearing is, lazy people don't have any time to be good citizens and select good government.
There are few options to make voting "easier."
The 3,007 counties, boroughs and parishes in the US cannot afford to have full-time poll-workers on the payroll for an event that occurs once every 4 years, or even every 2 years.
For that reason, unpaid volunteers are used to staff polling precincts.
Polling precincts mirror US Census Bureau census tracts.
It's not my fault that more people live in one census tract than another census tract.
Perhaps we could do the Liberal thing and force equality of census tracts by forcing people to move to places they don't want to live so that all census tracts have the same number of people so that people like you can feel good about themselves.
Also, it's not my fault that even though some census tracts that have large Black populations don't have enough poll workers because Black people don't want to volunteer.
Perhaps if more Black people volunteered, there would be more poll workers and the lines would be shorter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmccormick71
Some schedules are easier to work around than others.
Having a car vs taking public transportation
Not relevant. Most polling precincts are within walking distance, since polling precincts are based on census tracts.
But, none of that matters since absentee ballots are available.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmccormick71
Having a salaried job vs hourly
What, retired people on Social Security are on "salary"?
Not relevant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmccormick71
Having PTO vs Not
Having childcare vs not
Having a polling place nearby vs one far away
None of those are relevant. It is true that because rural areas are sparsely populated, the census tracts are larger geographically, and the polling place may be some distance away, but that is still not relevant.
People like you do nothing but make 1,000s of excuses.
Some schedules are easier to work around than others.
Having a car vs taking public transportation
Having a salaried job vs hourly
Having PTO vs Not
Having childcare vs not
Having a polling place nearby vs one far away
Are all variables.
If you think all working people have the same ability to take time off you are either incredibly naive or deliberately obtuse.
There is no reason to put up obstacles to voting - obstacles that are more likely to affect low-income voters - unless the people putting up those obstacles do not want people to vote. And they don't want people to voe because if everyone who is eligible to vote did so, there would be very few Republicans in office.
The long lines to vote tend to be in densely populated Democrat-governed cities. So why aren't those Democrat city leaders doing something about it?
Did you actually read the article? Long lines don't suppress minority votes, closing polling places in communities with high percentages of minorities is suppressing the minority vote (and happens to cause long lines at the polls).
And for Republicans, that's intended. We know they do this on purpose. Their faithful will of course rather die than admit it.
The length of the lines vary, though, and if you're a minority, you will wait longer, on average. That's a fact. It won't go away no matter how much you hate CNN.
If the wait causes them not to vote, that's on them. I've seen people wait hours for "Black Friday" shopping, sports events, concerts, etc. That entire reasoning is crud and not legitimate. People will wait for what is a "priority" for them. Just more propaganda.
Yep.
They have been telling everyone and their mother to go out and vote for months. What do people expect?
Suck it up.
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