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tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
Professional Forum Ninja
#134726: Aug 8th 2016 at 9:09:45 PM

Here's The Other Wikis article on Nebraska's Districts. They are the states Congressional Districts since the state sends three people to the House of Representatives.

District 2 is Omaha, which is the most dense part of the state. Distinct 1 surrounds District 2, and District 3 takes up the other 60-70% of the state.

edited 8th Aug '16 9:10:44 PM by tclittle

"We're all paper, we're all scissors, we're all fightin' with our mirrors, scared we'll never find somebody to love."
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#134727: Aug 8th 2016 at 9:17:26 PM

The Mormons might not vote Democrat, but they are looking increasingly likely to sit out the vote entirely, possibly since the perception is that Trump embodies the opposite of Mormonism. They do a ton of charity, Salt Lake City's program for homeless people is the best one in the entire US, and many of them are the nicest people you could ever meet.

If the Mormons do sit out of the Presidential election, that might cause Utah to flip once, but it probably wouldn't have an impact on the down-ticket race. And the Tea Party didn't get much of a lasting hold on Utah anyway, so that's not really a problem, honestly.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#134728: Aug 8th 2016 at 10:46:59 PM

[up]My family on my dad's side has a lot of mormons, and I've actually been to Utah myself, so I can say with some first-hand experience that this is accurate.

Whatever regressive social beliefs they might hold, they would find Trump's blatant disregard for any sort of respect or decorum towards pretty much anyone to be intolerable and unacceptable for a presidential candidate. Him being a gigantic buffoon also doesn't do him any favors with them.

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#134729: Aug 8th 2016 at 11:44:59 PM

@Cap: No, I don't think that plan would actually work. For that matter, I suspect that Even Evil Has Standards in regards with that plan.

Leviticus 19:34
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#134730: Aug 9th 2016 at 4:15:15 AM

@fred, 2 pages ago:

Holy mother of-...God damn it. You know, I'm not the most devout or religiously knowledge of Muslims but there is one thing I remember: children below the age of 13 get automatic admission into Al-Jenah or heaven. I know it's just consolation and it's a Islamic belief but I hope it helps.
Correcton: Children who have yet to "come of age", which in Islam is marked off at onset of puberty rather than a specific age.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#134731: Aug 9th 2016 at 5:33:04 AM

Nebraska and Maine are the only ones who split like that. How electors are apportioned is often determined by state law, just that the 48-state-plus-DC consensus is "winner take all statewide popular vote."

Other options being considered include the "Interstate Popular Vote Compact" which says that a state will give their electoral votes to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote (but since this would have screwed Republicans in every election since 1992 except 2004, it's not popular on that side), and the Pennsylvania GOP floated the idea of congressional-district apportionment, where the 2 E Vs that come from the Senators go to whoever is the state popular vote winner, but the X E Vs that come from the representatives is based on whoever won each district, based on the fact that Obama smoked Romney in PA but we still sent 11 of 17 Congressman as Republicans, so Romney could have won PA and won nationwide under that scheme, but it's based on heavy gerrymandering practices anyway.

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#134732: Aug 9th 2016 at 5:47:08 AM

a state will give their electoral votes to whoever wins the nationwide popular vote
How is that any different from using only the popular vote to elect the President, i.e. not using indirect voting at all?

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#134733: Aug 9th 2016 at 5:50:36 AM

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/8/hillary-clinton-sued-parents-benghazi-victims/

Couldn't scandalize Clinton enough with Benghazi or the email server? How about trying again with Benghazi and the email server.

First two paragraphs:

The parents of two of the Americans killed in the Benghazi terrorist attacks sued Hillary Clinton in federal court Monday, saying the former secretary of state is liable for their deaths.

The lawsuit, filed by Patricia Smith and Charles Woods, blames the attacks in part on the current Democratic presidential nominee’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#134734: Aug 9th 2016 at 5:56:11 AM

Going by this logic shouldn't every 9/11 family be able to sue Bush?

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#134735: Aug 9th 2016 at 6:01:04 AM

Are private citizens allowed to sue specific government officials?

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#134736: Aug 9th 2016 at 6:08:22 AM

The answer is probably yes but I feel like it would be a pretty tough case to win. Jobs like this carry a certain risk that the people involved know about going into them. It would be like a soldier's family suing the military over their death.

ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#134737: Aug 9th 2016 at 6:10:37 AM

From my neck of the woods, our Republican senator up here in Maine has officially broken her support from Donald Trump, [1] citing three incidents in particular: Trump mocking the disabled reporter, the Mexican-American judge, and the Khans. Not particularly surprising, since our republicans apart from our current governor tend to be old school conservatives-like, Nixon era thought processes, though more socially liberal.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#134738: Aug 9th 2016 at 6:15:06 AM

@Rational: Would it though? Terrorizing voters worked out quite well for the OG fascists, at least in the short term.

@Protag: Which is why you don't have what it takes to become a totalitarian dictator. Or more cynically, a politician in general.

megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#134739: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:01:38 AM

Medinoc: changing to a straight-up popular vote would definitely require a constitutional amendment which is really ****ing hard to do - the Electoral College is hard-wired into Article II. Using this method is (it is argued) legally easier since states already have the explicit power to decide how to allocate their electors - an amendment would be unnecessary.

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#134740: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:24:19 AM

Individual states could change it but I don't trust that people won't try to rig the election. I still think an across the board amendment would be better.

Antiteilchen In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good. Since: Sep, 2013
In the pursuit of great, we failed to do good.
#134741: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:28:42 AM

changing to a straight-up popular vote would definitely require a constitutional amendment which is really ****ing hard to do - the Electoral College is hard-wired into Article II. Using this method is (it is argued) legally easier since states already have the explicit power to decide how to allocate their electors - an amendment would be unnecessary.
But if all states did it individually, wouldn't it already be possible to make an amendment? That doesn't even require all states to agree.

Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#134742: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:34:26 AM

Individual states tend not to change it over a prisoner's dilemma sort of thing. If Texas changes but Oklahoma doesn't, Oklahoma now gets an even more disproportionate voice in the EC: small non-swing states who did not make the change would become even more comparatively powerful in the EC than they already are. Not to mention the obvious bias towards Democrats in the popular vote anyway.

It won't happen, not until there's a political realignment.

Proportional EV apportionment would be the most likely (state with 10 E Vs that went 60/40 would have 6 for the one and 4 for the other), since it would "unlock" Texas liberals and New York conservatives alike and do a better job of making sure most everyone's vote counted without anyone being silenced, but due to the popular vote bias towards the Dems again, still unlikely.

ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#134743: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:40:25 AM

[up]

Not to mention the Prisoner's Dilemma emerging again in that regard - if NY did it that way while Texas didn't, it'd shoot Democrats in the foot in the Presidential race, and vice-versa if Texas did it and NY didn't.

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#134744: Aug 9th 2016 at 7:58:14 AM

Yes, a state unlocking proportional EC voting would swing the vote towards the party that it is in opposition to overall, which no state is willing to do.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
thatguythere47 Since: Jul, 2010
#134745: Aug 9th 2016 at 8:03:09 AM

ya'll could have a referendum. Even if it's not technically legally binding good luck fighting against the will of the people, as Britain found out.

Is using "Julian Assange is a Hillary butt plug" an acceptable signature quote?
Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#134746: Aug 9th 2016 at 8:06:48 AM

[up][up] I'd figure the proportional one would be more likely to get bipartisan support. California Democrats would support it because they know it would help Texas Democrats, Texas Republicans would support it because they know it would help California Republicans.

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
#134747: Aug 9th 2016 at 8:10:27 AM

[up] You'd need some super complicated legislation for that, or a cosntiutional amendment.

I guess Calafornia counsel technically vote to change this EC system to a proportional one with a condition attached that said law will only come into effect if Texas also passes the same law.

edited 9th Aug '16 8:10:43 AM by Silasw

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#134748: Aug 9th 2016 at 8:45:11 AM

Antiteilchen: The point of NPVIC is to gather enough states (those whose EC votes would sum to at least 270) to agree to vote for the popular vote winner - having 270 all agree means it literally wouldn't matter how every other state votes in the EC because the compact would have a majority (at least until Congress votes to expand its membership). In the extreme case, only the top 11 states ATM would be enough to make it binding and effective (it's just that the sky would fall before Texas, Florida, Ohio, or North Carolina would even consider it with any seriousness) - at the moment, 11 states (well, OK, 10 states plus DC) totaling 165 EC votes have signed on.

An actual constitutional amendment requires 3/4 of all states (at present, 38) to ratify, plus approval from both the House and Senate, to take effect.

edited 9th Aug '16 8:48:45 AM by megarockman

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#134749: Aug 9th 2016 at 8:49:10 AM

A Constitutional amendment to force all states to use proportional EC allocation would be interesting. It wouldn't solve the inherent problems with FPTP, but it might give people more of a sense that their vote matters.

I'm not sure that making all states give their EC votes to the national popular vote winner would be taken well, though, especially by those states that tend to go against the NPV. In other words, I don't see how you could ever get the necessary states behind it to ratify such an amendment.

edited 9th Aug '16 8:50:35 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#134750: Aug 9th 2016 at 9:03:22 AM

The electoral college is stupid but it pretty much never goes against the popular vote from what I can tell. I think one of the Bush elections was the only time it happened.


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