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

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#333426: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:41:32 PM

Sounds like they're putting out unofficial decoy boxes so people's ballots get lost - or, more likely, sorted, and the Republican ones are brought to official boxes.

It's been fun.
Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#333427: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:43:37 PM

Michelle Steel is apparently involved with the ballot box fuckery. Why am I not surprised.

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#333428: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:44:02 PM

It seems like colossal incompetence more than anything else. The Republicans are calling this "ballot harvesting", claiming Democratic ballot harvesting lost them the 2018 election in Orange County, but what they're doing is possibly illegal and inept, because these aren't official dropboxes so you don't know if your ballot will actually be delivered. And most of the dropboxes seem to be in locations favorable to Republicans, so they're just shooting themselves in the foot.

Edit: For example the Fresno GOP has a list of ballot collection box locations on their website, none of which are official. Half the places on the list are gun shops, one is the Fresno GOP HQ. Democrats aren't gonna be dropping off their ballots here in any significant numbers.

Edited by nova92 on Oct 11th 2020 at 10:50:00 AM

RedHunter543 Crimson Paladin Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Crimson Paladin
#333429: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:46:24 PM

Better double check if my vote got in.

Also wow, this is some major scandal on top of other scandals.

"The Black Rage makes us strong, because we must resist its temptations every day of our lives or be forever damned!"
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#333430: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:47:55 PM

This is really just business as usual for the GOP. If they don't up the voter suppression to an obscene level this election is looking extremely poor for them.

Xopher001 Since: Jul, 2012
#333431: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:48:53 PM

Why in LA tho? Seems kind of a waste to try and pull this kind of shit in a blue state

TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#333433: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:51:44 PM

[up][up]Probably some of those redder spots in a largely blue state, as Orange County is. They're trying it because they think it could actually swing them the local election.

Edited by TheRoguePenguin on Oct 11th 2020 at 10:52:54 AM

nova92 Since: Apr, 2020
#333434: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:53:41 PM

Orange County does have a handful of competitive races. But calling this voter suppression based on what we know so far seems a bit over the top, IMO. More like the OC and Fresno GOP being dumb.


[down] Basically this.

Edited by nova92 on Oct 11th 2020 at 10:57:33 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#333435: Oct 11th 2020 at 10:55:20 PM

They basically think this will help them get more GOP votes since they think the only reason they lost was because "ballot harvesting" made it easier for Democratic voters to get their ballots submitted.

The thing you gotta remember about these people is that many of them aren't just malicious, they're also idiots.

Edited by M84 on Oct 12th 2020 at 1:56:05 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#333436: Oct 11th 2020 at 11:33:25 PM

CA is voting on stuff other than the presidency plus LA and Orange County are among the most populous in the state. This could have some unintended consequences... just not the ones the GOP wants if they accidentally suppress their own base.

Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#333437: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:37:06 AM

"Possibly illegal"? You bet that is illegal. It is effectively the same as breaking open an official mailbox and stealing the ballots. And that is a federal offence:

If you steal mail, you could be facing serious punishment under US Code Section 1708. Because the USPS is a federal agency, mail theft is charged as a federal offense. Conviction of any federal crime, even mail theft, can result in significant federal prison time and fines. In addition to federal charges, you may also face charges under California’s mail theft laws.

Under United States Code 18 Section 1708, federal mail theft is a felony. If you are charged with mail theft, you could face up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000.

Edited by Redmess on Oct 12th 2020 at 2:37:24 PM

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#333438: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:38:54 AM

Projection is the Republican motto!

It's even in their name GOP

Gaslight

Obstruct

Project

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#333439: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:41:47 AM

So is there any indication of who has been putting out fake ballot boxes?

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#333440: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:49:32 AM

Apparently at least one of them was directly funded by the local Republican party office.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Redmess Redmess from Netherlands Since: Feb, 2014
Redmess
#333441: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:55:30 AM

So the GOP is funding federal crimes now. More brazen every year.

Hope shines brightest in the darkest times
Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#333442: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:56:36 AM

And actually arresting them over it would be a political circus no one wants to be ringleader to, so they'll easily get away with it.

Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#333443: Oct 12th 2020 at 5:57:00 AM

Reports came out Saturday night about a metal box in front of Freedom’s Way Baptist Church in Castaic that had a sign matching the one on the Orange County box. The church posted on social media that the box was “approved and brought by the GOP.” The post said church officials don’t have a key to the box and that GOP officials picks up the ballots. A pastor for the church didn’t respond to a request for comment.

On its website, the Fresno County Republican Party also shared a list of “secure” ballot collection locations. None are official county drop box sites, with the local GOP instead listing its own headquarters, multiple gun shops and other local businesses.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Memers Since: Aug, 2013
#333444: Oct 12th 2020 at 6:50:17 AM

With Trump in charge, no one is going to even be stopped let alone arrested.

MrHellboy The Shadow from A world of my own Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
The Shadow
#333445: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:00:52 AM

So the hearing for Amy Coney Barrett is going on right as we speak, but is there any chance the actual nomination doesn't go through before the election? Or are we just screwed?

We're most likely going to win the Presidency and there's a better-than-good chance we take the Senate. Will that help us at all, even with a new conservative majority on the Supreme Court?

The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#333446: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:02:29 AM

Probably yes, seeing as you can use Congressional legislation to cut back on some of the self-appointed junta behaviour of the Supreme Court.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#333447: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:04:06 AM

Also, while debates remain ongoing as to whether or not it's a good idea, court packing becomes an option to at least temporarily curb partisan shenanigans from the Supreme Court if we control the Presidency and the Senate.

Failure to take the Senate, however, will likely result in a policy deadlock for at least the next two years. Republicans won't be able to pass any new horribleness without the White House or House of Representatives, but Mitch will spend the next years putting his feet up and refusing to do his job. No confirmations. No bills passed. I wouldn't be surprised if he even messes with cabinet nominations at this point.

It cannot be understated how critical the Senate is to our government. Everything goes through the Senate. It's the single most power piece of the entire puzzle. The White House gets all the press and all the hype and all the attention, but the Senate Majority Leader is actually the most powerful throne in the kingdom. Whosoever controls the Senate, controls Washington.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 12th 2020 at 7:08:27 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
ScubaWolf from South Carolina Since: Feb, 2020
#333448: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:09:29 AM

[up] All I'm hearing is that the Senate needs more of its powers shared with the House.

"In a move surprising absolutely no one"
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#333449: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:10:21 AM

Since the Judiciary can only interpret law, and Congress passes law, you can use legislation to turn back previous SC decisions. It's a long process, though, and you can count on Senate Republicans to filibuster.

Strapped for cash, Trump yanks TV ads in key states as Biden spending surges: The Republican funders have abandoned him—it's all but over now, as the house of cards collapses.

Someday, people will have a saying about how "Trump twittered whilst the nation burned."

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#333450: Oct 12th 2020 at 7:16:43 AM

Since the Judiciary can only interpret law, and Congress passes law, you can use legislation to turn back previous SC decisions. It's a long process, though, and you can count on Senate Republicans to filibuster.

Not if we yank the filibuster. That's another one of those weird "There aren't actually rules" things. The filibuster only exists because the Senate just decides to allow it to exist. And any Senate session can choose not to stop allowing filibusters. If we control the Senate, then we can, at any time, declare that Republicans just can't obstruct anymore. We permitted them to obstruct in 2009-2010.

Republicans don't want us to do that because once it's gone, it's not coming back. Both parties, when they control the Legislative, will be free to pass whatever legislation they want whenever they want. The Legislative would be able to create dramatic sweeping changes. The notion of minority obstruction would be dead.

That's a pendulum that swings both ways, but it benefits Democrats (who desire radical change) much moreso than Republicans (who desire to preserve the status quo). So Republicans have worked very hard to convince moderates that it would be a bad thing to do, either because it's meddling with "The Mechanism" and Democrats don't do that, or by making the valid threat that Republicans too would get a turn at that wheel.

It's a gamble. But it's a gamble Mitch desperately doesn't want us to make because it's harder for a regressive to reverse course on a popular change than it is to simply stop changes from being made in the first place.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 12th 2020 at 7:17:46 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

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