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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Gah. I need to stop overanalyzing jokes.
it's impossible to discern a legitimate vote from fraud.
That's true of the Diebold machines as well.
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's PlayI also can't imagine how it's any more secure a typical eCommerce site, but I wonder about how much of an impact it would make, given the per capita penetration of computers and cellphones.
If you were going to do a postal ballot, just send a letter to each household (addressed to individual residents, of course) and if they can, they'll vote in the letter. If they wanna go to the polls, then they'll go to the polls and disregard the letter.
It's like one of the password reset emails you get. If you don't want to - ignore it. If you wanted to, you click on the link.
That's how we do voting here in the 2010 General Election and Council Elections, the 2011 Council Elections and AV Referendum. And we'll do the same for 2012.
That's how it's always worked here, too. After you check that box in the form, they send every registered absentee voter in your household a ballot and stuff (including a return envelope) for every election from president to sheriff, without any need for you to ask, and you can still vote at any local polling station if you wish (though I never do.)
edited 15th Jul '11 10:56:49 AM by EricDVH
It's either going to be Romney or Bachmann for Pres and Rick Perry, Bachmann (heaven forbid) or Mitch Daniels for Veep.
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/ http://sagan4.com/forum/index.phpAbsentee voting actually tends to drop voter turnout for various social reasons. Mostly because people don't get a social reward (getting seen voting).
Anyways, I haven't been following closely lately because the outcome seems fairly obvious and unimportant. As an outsider, I think the Republicans will probably take it unless they nominate a super ideological candidate, although that is quite possible. Doesn't really matter in the end, doesn't make a huge difference whether America starts mending its problems in a year or five.
edited 26th Jul '11 4:38:24 AM by Tsukubus
"I didn't steal it; I'm borrowing it until I die."
You think a Republican victory is 'fairly obvious'? Given their fragmented base, their swing towards extremist policies, the lack of quality in their front-runners, and the fact that they're up against a charismatic incumbent president, that seems somewhat overly-optimistic.
American Republicans complain about their candidates a lot (and so do Democrats), but when push comes to shove, they always vote for their candidate. America is partisan (but kind of stable and predictable) like that. Unless they nominate someone who will make non-ideological people run for the hills, they'll be fine. Nor does charisma nor good intentions make up for general incompetence and economic mismanagement. Most of the people who can remember a time with more economic misery are old enough to reflexively vote Republican anyways.
"I didn't steal it; I'm borrowing it until I die."Unless something really surprising happens, the Republicans have a 50% shot at best of taking the presidency. And if they nominate Bachmann, Obama's got it in the bag.
edited 26th Jul '11 7:00:41 AM by storyyeller
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's PlayOf course, a lot of this seems to be hinged on where the economy is. If the economy does much better than expected, that 50% drops a lot, and if it does a lot worse than expected, even an ideologically-charged candidate like Bachmann could win. I'm generally bearish on the short-term US economy, which probably is why I think the Republicans will probably an edge in 2012, but it's an assessment very dependent based on where you think economic indicators will be in a year and a half.
"I didn't steal it; I'm borrowing it until I die."It's not just the economy though. It's also all about how it gets spun.
For example, Truman managed to win reelection in a weak economy because the public blamed congress.
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's PlayI'm thinking Rick Perry's going to get the nomination. He's more recent a governor of a state than Romney, and has bona fides with the Tea Party like Bachmann. Unlike Romney, he can appeal to both factions of the base, and it's more likely than it was some months ago that he'll run.
I'm hoping Jon Huntsman gets the nomination, because I'd vote for him over Obama in a heartbeat.* Romney, I'm not comfortable with but it'd be a toss-up. Most anyone else, no chance in hell.
* One word: Libya.
edited 26th Jul '11 11:05:38 AM by Zephid
I wrote about a fish turning into the moon.

Of course, was just saying. Still, voting should be easier, or mandetory, or give you some sort of benefit, like maybe cookie dough.
People would vote like crazy if you got cookie dough.
edited 14th Jul '11 8:21:39 PM by Thorn14