Forum Post: Election Day Must Be a HOLIDAY
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 18, 2011, 6:49 p.m. EST by Justice4All
(285)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Voter suppression is underestimated in the United States. We can change this - together.
1) Help people register to vote;
2) Become a voting judge, or transport people to and fro voting locations
WE, the 99%, can be a Democracy.
I have voted Republican all my life without casting a single Democratic vote. That's 3 decades of voting. As always I will be voting on Election Day. I plan to take my 1 small vote and vote against every incumbent regardless of party affiliation. If it's a Democrat or third party candidate and they're running against an incumbent they have my vote.
I, too, was a Republican; even involved with the college Republicans and participated in voter drives.
The Republican party is captured by the 1% (and HUGE (not big) government interests).
We need to support the ordinary citizen this time. We must.
1 day out of 365 days in a year the power must be given up to the people. After that, 364 days belong to the corporate elite. They have a lot of money invested in incumbents.
What if your congress critter voted against the bailouts and you're voting in someone who supports them?
Informed voting requires some time, such as examining voting records.
If politicians voted independently based on their own self conscience their vote would reflex more than just a voting record based on towing the party line. Voting out every incumbent would give future political leaders the freedom to vote along a people's line without worrying about the consequences of falling out of party lines.
Actually its a democratic republic.
Sometimes being too exact is a waste of time.
So we use "democracy" to describe a democratic republic. That isn't as important as getting the corporate control of government moderated.
Only way to do that is to go through the legislative process, or via refferendum, not sure all the details but there are methods to approach this, consensus is a start but the system needs to be played. Otherwise the group is pretty much just depending on a random senator or representative introducing a bill to address this issue.
Referenda and initiative, in my opinion, are unConstitutional (see, e.g., California going after minority (gay) rights).
Or a Constitutional Democracy with very strong democratic traditions, institutions, and rituals.
The jury system, e.g., is a democratic institution.
I wish there was some way to get a count of how many who are protesting actually voted and how many of them write to their elected officials? Just curious could be real interesting numbers.
RIGHT! That is the fucking question. Yes. It is! How many of the demonstrators vote, write their members of Congress, and are politically involved other than protesting?
We need the 99% to VOTE!
That is an excellent message, and should be part of the OWS organizational mo To get out the vote, that would be a first step toward change, and not a minute too soon as next year is an election year, time to rev up the interviews and lobbying efforts, to lobby, does not require huge amounts of cash, but does require a clear agenda.
Absolutely. We should help all of us to register to vote; and we should help each other get to and fro the voting locations.
Let's turn out. Even if we submit a BLANK ballot - vote! Tell them that we are watching and participate!
I agree just make sure the buses are working :)
This a wonderful way to make voting more regular with a highe percentage voting.
EXCELLENT IDEA.
Really thie needs to happen, it would be a huge improvement!
Come Together NOW
DITTO. I've been saying this for years -- make Election Day a mandatory day off to increase voter participation. Plus, this will allow people to vote before the pundits start swaying opinions with early exit polls…
Go at lunch, on your way home from work. Really, you need the whole day off to vote?
Some people cannot vote during "lunch." Even worse/more, many people do not have "lunch breaks" - at all.
No more voter suppression!
Seriously? I work 10-12 hour days. I vote, on my way home from work. Are the poles not open after hours where you live?
Right. I nearly missed it last year. I was LITERALLY the last person allowed to vote. I swear to God.
I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately it benefits the 1% to have so many of us slaving away on election day.
Exactly right. It is part of the scheme to make sure that elections do not truly represent the electorate.
People, good men and women, have died for us to vote.
It is outrageous!
Honestly i think it would be kewl if we could like vote onlines, have picture of candidate and click to vote
Any sort of election voting WORRIES ME! Diebold - look them up - big banking contracts. Please look them up. Please! I am serious. I mean "please" - really do.
These people controlling elections? I do not trust them - at all.
Republicans are big on voter suppression. Its one of their main platforms this year. Ugly stuff.
Yes. They are. It is used by them to alter the outcome of elections.
Sons and Daughters of Liberty Must Stand Up and Fight!
Say it!
I agree!
Irrelevant argument! Look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ&ob=av2e
Stand Up, Sons of Liberty! Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovpxo0Q3CLQ
don't agree with the holiday part unless maybe we drop christmas, but you're on point
People would meet the KING in the field to make demands. Today, people will not march upon Wall Street. Now we need to drop Christmas to vote? You know what, it might be ME - but that is the worst idea I heard yet on this forum.
We have a right to vote, and we must demand an end to ALL forms of voter suppression.
Liberty shall prevail.
lighten up man. the chances of election day and eliminating christmas are about equal (although it would comply with our Constitution even though XMAS is now a Holiday by law). sorry about this heavy distraction.
I could not care less if people have the day off or not. Make it on a Saturday; I do not care. We need to remove voter suppression.
amen the day off stuff is silly. write up your initiative and plan to eliminate suppression how to proceed with it, present to whomever helps you push it and go guy. present the draft here for comments beats just talking and walking.
It would be best if it lasted more than one day. Friday through Monday would be great. Then (almost) everybody would be able to get to the poles. We could get the results on tuesday, as per usual.
why do you want to drop xmas? what sense does that make?
well the point is it's as silly as a discussion about another holiday.
The reason people like the idea of a day off for voting is simple turnout. A lot of people never make it to the polls, not because they don't want to vote per se, but that its inconvenient.
If you leave for work before the polls open, or there's too long of a wait + its gonna make you late to work... you'll probably skip it, maybe thinking you'll come back on your way home.
Then, you stay late, forget, run errands... before you know it, the polls are closed, right? Shit happens.
Particularly if you live in an area where they deliberately give too few polling station so it takes hours to vote. It's a ploy I despise.
Right. They redistrict to create exactly that situation.
I wish it stopped there. When secretaries of state play games, they short staff and polling stations in selected districts - the opposition districts they disapprove of.
Oh, Florida. Its the poster child for fraudulent elections. I still feel nauseous when I think about it. Have you read the Jane Mayer article about that guy Pope?
Sickening.
No, but I will.
They pulled the same games in Ohio, BTW.
I remember. There was a Rolling Stone article about it by RFK Jr at the time. And we have Amy Goodman who is always on her game too.
You'll love the article. It starts here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_mayer Enjoy.
BTW, there's a great new New Yorker Cover. Everyone should see it. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/17/the-new-yorker-cover_n_1015280.html?ir=New%20York
And free drugs!