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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#328476: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:17:18 AM

Yes, literally Bloomberg can be said to have done one good thing in his life.

If only he'd done this instead of his stupid campaign.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#328477: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:19:50 AM

If only he'd saved his half billion for this instead of his stupid campaign, you mean. 16 million sounds mighty paltry next to 500 down the drain.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#328478: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:20:07 AM

But Charles! If he'd done that, he would risk *gasp* Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders as President! Truly the worst thing imaginable.

Edited by AzurePaladin on Sep 22nd 2020 at 2:20:14 PM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328479: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:21:28 AM

Incidentally, the Starbucks guy everyone was afraid would run third party had endorsed Biden.

Guess he couldn't compete with Kanye West.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328480: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:22:24 AM

1.4 million Florida citizens were estimated to be enfranchised under Amendment 4. DeSantis's law re-disenfranchised about 700,000 of them. So Mike Bloomberg and the people who donated to him have given the vote to about 5% of those people.

If he'd funneled all the money from his presidential campaign into this instead, he could have given all of them the right to vote.*

  • Again, assuming Florida can even figure out what these people owe.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:24:11 AM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#328481: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:24:02 AM

Going by the post last page, is it 5% or 0.5%?

Either way it's a step in the right direction but how big a step is it, actually?

Edited by sgamer82 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:25:16 AM

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328482: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:24:14 AM

If I can be crass for a second, is that 5% likely Democratic voters?

Reflextion from a post-sanity world (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
#328483: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:26:17 AM

I would like to think that they'd know which party is responsible for their previous disenfranchised situation and which party wants them to get their rights back, but, diseases of dogs and all that.

Someone did tell me life was going to be this way.
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328484: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:27:58 AM

[up][up][up] 5% of voters disenfranchised by the Florida law, .2% of the voting age population in Florida.


[up][up]
The Bloomberg effort, which his aides said will be pooled with about $5 million already raised by the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, is narrowly focused only on Black and Hispanic voters who are already registered to vote and whose debts are less than $1,500.

Bloomberg's advisers identified that group as both likely to vote for Biden and more likely to vote than other groups of former felons.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:28:21 AM

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#328485: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:33:30 AM

It is a bit of a fallacy to assume that all those felons will be Democratic voters, yes. And honestly, they have every right to vote Republican if they want to. Acting like they would have to vote Democratic just because the Dems helped them wouldn't be very, well, democratic.

There's no quid pro quo in voting.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328486: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:36:23 AM

That's good. To be sure, I'm all for restoring everyone's voting rights, but if we're going to have to jump through hoops to get those rights restored, it's better to target those who will actually vote to further that goal.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#328487: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:37:31 AM

Sure but part of why they lost the right to vote is because many of them are black, which is also a heavy indicator of voting for Dems.

It’s not certain that they’ll vote Democrat, but that’s the natural disposition of many of them even before they consider who helped them get their right to vote back.

There’s a reason Republicans have been fighting to deny them the vote.

[up]X6, as [up]X3 said, I was taking the percentage enfranchised (5 of those who lost their right to vote) and applying it to the total disenfranchised (10% of Florida voting age population) and the result is around 0.5% of the total voting age population.

[down] Okay so 0.25% of the voting age population.

Edited by Silasw on Sep 22nd 2020 at 6:43:12 PM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328488: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:40:34 AM

[up] DeSantis's poll tax didn't disenfranchise all the voters who got their right to vote back by Amendment 4; "just" half of them.


Saying they should or must vote for Democrats is wrong. Targeting those likely to vote for Democrats I'm okay with.

Edited by nova92 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:42:01 AM

Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#328489: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:52:27 AM

This is a slippery slope, next the Trump campaign is buying out the fines of white voters that are more likely to vote for him... with a more forceful push to vote for him.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328490: Sep 22nd 2020 at 11:59:07 AM

Absent the last part, it isn't wrong. Worst case scenario, a bunch more people get the right to vote back and we're back to the status quo (meaning polls are close). Besides, the Trump campaign likely doesn't have that spare money lying around.

Edited slightly for clarification

Edited by nova92 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:50:49 PM

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#328491: Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:11:03 PM

Honestly, felons who are out of prison should have voting rights, especially when the state can't remember what fines they need to pay.

And as Nova said, the Trump campaign is strapped for cash due to huge amounts of inefficient spending and graft or outright fraud on the inside.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#328492: Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:12:03 PM

Yeah Trump spending money enfranchising voters would be a huge victory, it’s not going to happen though. Republicans didn’t take these people’s votes away by accident, the entire thing has been targeted from the start.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#328493: Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:31:11 PM

While we're on the subject of voting rights for people convicted of felonies, California has a ballot measure to extend the vote to those who have finished their prison sentence but are on parole, which would enfranchise some 50,000 people.

For other election stuff on the ballot in November, Alaska and Massachusetts are looking at ranked-choice voting, Colorado is going to vote on the NPVIC. Virginia has an amendment creating a redistricting commission while Missouri has one removing theirs. Missouri is also considering term-limits for statewide officials. Details under the folder.

     Ballot Measures concerning Suffrage and Election Reform 

Alaska:

  • Ballot Measure 2: Changes to Alaska's election policies, including top-four primaries, ranked-choice voting, and campaign finance laws
A "yes" vote supports making changes to Alaska's election policies, including:
  • requiring persons and entities that contribute more than $2,000 that were themselves derived from donations, contributions, dues, or gifts to disclose the true sources (as defined in law) of the political contributions;
  • replacing partisan primaries with open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices; and
  • establishing ranked-choice voting for general elections, including the presidential election, in which voters would rank the candidates.

California:

  • Proposition 17: Restores the right to vote to people convicted of felonies who are on parole
    • Currently, people convicted of felonies in California can vote after completing their prison sentence and parole. The Proposition, which has already passed both state leg. chambers, would allow them to vote after finishing their time in prison.

Colorado:

  • Proposition 113: Joins Colorado into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, awarding Colorado's electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote

Florida

  • Amendment 3: Establishes a top-two open primary system for state office primary elections
    • Only applies to primary elections, and current primaries are closed (only registered voters of each party can participate)

Massachusetts

A "yes" vote supports enacting ranked-choice voting (RCV) for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional and senate seats, and certain county offices beginning in 2022.

Mississippi

Removes the requirement that a candidate for governor or state office receive the highest number of votes in a majority of the state's 122 House districts (the electoral vote requirement) and provides that if a candidate does not receive a majority vote of the people, they will proceed to a runoff election (instead of being chosen by a vote of the Mississippi House of Representatives)

Missouri

  • Amendment 1: Sets a two-term limit for state executive officials
  • Amendment 3: Addresses redistricting process and criteria, lobbying, and campaign finance
A "yes" vote supports amending the Missouri Constitution to enact the following changes:
  • eliminate the nonpartisan state demographer and use a bipartisan commission appointed by the governor again for legislative redistricting,
  • alter the criteria used to draw district maps,
  • change the threshold of lobbyists' gifts from $5 to $0, and
  • lower the campaign contribution limit for state senate campaigns from $2,500 to $2,400.

Virginia

  • Question 1: Creates a redistricting commission to draw congressional and state legislative districts
A "yes" vote supports transferring the power to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a redistricting commission composed of state legislators and citizens.

RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#328494: Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:40:37 PM

I hate when people think term limits are useful for anything.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#328495: Sep 22nd 2020 at 12:59:37 PM

We're a week away from the first debate. Trump has suddenly shifted to taking about what good a debater Biden is.

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#328496: Sep 22nd 2020 at 1:12:38 PM

To use a German term, his ass is probably hitting ground ice now that it's around the corner

"You can reply to this Message!"
Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#328497: Sep 22nd 2020 at 1:14:15 PM

> I hate when people think term limits are useful for anything.

So,why aren't they very useful? You'll have to elaborate because I've assumed limited terms were a good thing in terms of change

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
ShinyCottonCandy Everyone's friend Malamar from Lumiose City (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Everyone's friend Malamar
#328498: Sep 22nd 2020 at 1:16:19 PM

[up]Basically, it doesn't let experience get accumulated and newly elected officials have to turn to other sources for advice, those other sources typically being lobbyists.

My musician page
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#328499: Sep 22nd 2020 at 1:18:52 PM

[up][up][up]

I think a big part of the appeal is that it prevents "the powers that be" from becoming completely entrenched, as we've seen with the likes of Mitch McConnell - the unfortunate part that people don't think about is that it would just create a new system in which power could become entrenched, or where "flash-in-the-pan" ideas would be far more prevalent.

[down]

Personally, I like the idea of them, but it'd have to be done in a reasonable manner. Two terms for a Senator is 12 years - a reasonable amount of time, but it can take a good while to really hit their groove in the position. If we kept the current setup, I'd argue 18 years per House of Congress - that way if a Representative is popular enough in their State, they could parlay that into a run in the Senate for a total of 36 years... but only if they're popular enough to make that switch.

Edited by ironballs16 on Sep 22nd 2020 at 4:28:10 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#328500: Sep 22nd 2020 at 1:18:56 PM

Term limits for congresspeople and Senators certainly make no sense, I can see the argument for positions of much higher power and authority like President, but I can also see the argument for abolishing them.

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."

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