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

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#35451: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:20:18 PM

@35449: A Cracked article once said that bad weather is often blamed on incumbent politicians and that poor people often can't go voting in bad weather.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#35452: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:22:59 PM

In Finland, about a third (IIRC) of all votes in most elections are cast in advance instead of the final voting day. How many cast early ballots in US elections? And do you think it's likely that people who will be affected by Sandy will have the foresight to vote in advance?

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
Ekuran Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#35454: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:38:45 PM

Somehow I doubt Sandy will effect voting all that much to begin with, due to the fact that America is freaking huge and isn't going to reach large swathes of it. Also, it appears that a higher percentage than usual is already voting early! So uh... I think the effects will be negligible. That and I think that if Hurricane Sandy fucks up things shortly before or on the actual voting day then morally they'd be required to wait until they could get the votes in anyway. *shrug* Don't know how that would be handled, actually, but somehow I doubt the hurricane is going to stick around for two weeks.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#35455: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:39:20 PM

Pennsylvania apparently does not offer early voting. It, along with New York, is likely to see significant power outages from Sandy, which may persist to Election Day. A lot of voting in Pennsylvania is done electronically.

You know, if this causes a lot of poorer people to miss their opportunity to vote... PA could swing red.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#35456: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:43:41 PM

[up]Would there not be a case to be made for delayed voting and/ or total revoting (and, voiding votes already made), due to infrastructure issues, should widespread blackouts occur?

edited 26th Oct '12 2:43:58 PM by Euodiachloris

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#35457: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:46:08 PM

It could also reveal attempted vote manipulation if electronic machines that were out all day have results that couldn't possibly have been entered into them.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#35458: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:46:29 PM

[up][up]Without someone calling "fraud! FRAUD!"? Nope.

edited 26th Oct '12 2:46:47 PM by SeptimusHeap

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
ch00beh ??? from Who Knows Where Since: Jul, 2010
???
#35459: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:48:04 PM

I really don't like this whole electronic voting thing.

"Never let the truth get in the way of a good story." Twitter
Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#35460: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:48:40 PM

[up][up]

to eb fair. they could have a true the vote representative watch every single voter enter the po;lls and make sure nobody tampered the the voter boxes and if Obama won theyd still insist fraud.

edited 26th Oct '12 2:48:48 PM by Midgetsnowman

Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#35461: Oct 26th 2012 at 2:56:18 PM

I don't really get why allowing people to vote outside usual procedure, given extreme circumstances, is... fraud. Heck: in Britain, if a poll station gets an influx of people too late in the day to process by official closing time, but there's a queue of people waiting... any who got into the queue before deadline are allowed to vote, no matter how long it takes to process it.

This is in the same region: if a poll station suddenly found itself under water on voting day (say, due to a burst water-main), provision would be made to set up again near enough the point as feasible... ASAP... and to allow those waiting in the mean time to vote, if they had not been able to do, upon restart.

It's not rocket science.

edited 26th Oct '12 2:57:52 PM by Euodiachloris

deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
pvtnum11 OMG NO NOSECONES from Kerbin low orbit Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
OMG NO NOSECONES
#35463: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:03:31 PM

I'm a bit late for the abortion politics thing, but here's my two cents:

I'm pretty much pro-life. I earnestly believe that all life is sacred, no matter the means that went about creating it. The product of an ill-educated teenage tryst could end up doing great things with their life later on down the road, if given the chance. Same for the product of a rape.

That said, a social safety net for the poor, education about pregnancy early on, adoption options and access to contraceptives are a must-have. I believe that abortion should only be used as a last-resort. Since miscarriages happen (usually) when the body figures out that the pregancy isn't going to work properly (although birth defects still happen), there's only a small percentage of pregnancies that will result in posing actual risks to the mother in which case an abortion should be considered in order to save the life of the mother.

The product of a rape is a significanlty messier situation, though. A robust adoption system might alleviate this, along with ample counseling for the now-mother, and plenty of justice for the rapist. But I earnestly believe that the child should be afforded the chance to live life as a productive member of our society, without some sort of stigma attached to them.

...but that's just my take, my stance and my views, and I'm sure they differ from many posters here.

Anyway. I'm hoping that the outcome of Sandy doesn't impact poor voters along the Atlantic coast.

^ ...hold on, I need to bash my head against something.

edited 26th Oct '12 3:05:17 PM by pvtnum11

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.
Euodiachloris Since: Oct, 2010
#35464: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:09:35 PM

[up]Here: take some Syndol... for some reason, I've been needing to use mine, and I just happen to have them handy... tongue

edited 26th Oct '12 3:11:37 PM by Euodiachloris

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35465: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:14:02 PM

You know, looking at the Oregon ballot, it's pretty biased in layout. Where it lists the candidate's party, most of the Democrats are listed as "Democrat, Working Families". And then for president, Obama's listed at the very top, and Romney is right near the bottom of seven dudes wedged between Gary Johnson and Will Christensen for no discernible alphabetical reason.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#35466: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:15:19 PM

[up]

Common thing to do, actually.

I find more than once the abbrevuiated summary of bills listed for missouri adoption are worded in such a way as to make the conservative option sound appealing.

pvtnum11 OMG NO NOSECONES from Kerbin low orbit Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
OMG NO NOSECONES
#35467: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:15:29 PM

Weird. How'd you come across looking at that?

edited 26th Oct '12 3:15:49 PM by pvtnum11

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#35468: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:16:43 PM

"Scientific studies of children raised by same-sex couples are almost nonexistent"-

Well gee, why do you think that is? Maybe because it's so hard to find samples when you have all this stigmatization against them?

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35469: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:18:44 PM

Weird. How'd you come across looking at that?

I'm filling it out. tongue

pvtnum11 OMG NO NOSECONES from Kerbin low orbit Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: We finish each other's sandwiches
OMG NO NOSECONES
#35470: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:20:14 PM

Wait, another Oregonian?

I miss the trees and ten-minute summers.

Happiness is zero-gee with a sinus cold.
Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#35471: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:22:53 PM

We're having a ten-minute summer right now. Or were, anyway, the clouds are almost all back in by now.

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#35472: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:54:58 PM

Yeah, the working families thing is a bit much. Who hires your election officials?

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#35473: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:55:08 PM

I think we should lose electronic voting and switch to plastic-punch cards with the candidates on them.

not sure what we'd do for mail-in though...

I'm baaaaaaack
TrashJack Confirmed Doomer from beyond the Despair Event Horizon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Confirmed Doomer
#35474: Oct 26th 2012 at 3:58:05 PM

[up] Make cards that are compatible with consumer model hole punchers?

"Cynic, n. — A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be." - The Devil's Dictionary
Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#35475: Oct 26th 2012 at 4:01:55 PM

Hell no, voter fraud could actually be a problem then. Make something that you need a voting machine to use.

You know what, early voting could be done with a machine in a post office. That'd make it convenient, and there'd be a federal employee on hand to make sure nothing illegal happens.

edited 26th Oct '12 4:02:39 PM by Joesolo

I'm baaaaaaack

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