#voter suppression is violence

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE PRESIDENT & U.S. CONGRESS; STATE GOVERNORS & LEGISLATURES

Implement Ranked-Choice Voting & Election Reforms For Vote Integrity

22 so far! Help us get to 25 signers!

I am writing to urge your immediate action on introducing and passing ranked-choice voting (RCV) and other vital election reforms at both the federal and state levels. As a concerned constituent and advocate for democratic principles, I believe that these reforms are essential to improving our electoral processes and ensuring fair and representative governance.

Ranked-choice voting has proven effective in promoting democratic outcomes by enabling voters to express their preferences more fully and ensuring that elected candidates enjoy broad support from the electorate. RCV mitigates wasted votes, reduces the spoiler effect, and fosters more inclusive and issue-focused campaigns.

In addition to advocating for ranked-choice voting, I strongly support comprehensive election reforms, including campaign finance reform, gerrymandering reform, and initiatives to enhance voter access and participation. These reforms are critical to strengthening our democracy and restoring trust in our electoral system.

The implementation of Ranked-Choice Voting is a crucial step towards enhancing our democratic process. RCV, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, ensures that elected officials have majority support, eliminates the spoiler effect, and encourages positive campaigning. This system is already in use in several U.S. cities and countries like Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Alaska recently became the second state to adopt RCV for statewide offices, following Maine's lead. It is time to consider this reform at both federal and state levels to ensure our electoral systems reflect the diversity of our nation and empower all voices. Therefore, I urge you to introduce and support legislation that promotes RCV and other election reforms.

We must recognize that Americans are more than a two-party system. Let's take meaningful steps to ensure our electoral systems reflect the diversity of our nation and empower all voices.

Thank you for considering my perspective and taking decisive action to improve our electoral processes. I stand ready to support your efforts in advancing these important reforms.

▶ Created on April 9 by Ret. SGT Guild, Independent/Non-partisan

📱 Text SIGN PMZPRT to 50409

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[ivygorgon]

"This is why they don't want you to vote!"

"Gen Z & millennials were probably the only thing that saved us from said red wave."

"THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO VOTE EVERY TIME."

"Thank you for the kids that did vote, but we can still do more. This is too important to leave it to chance."

ALSO, RUN FOR OFFICE!

(Or support someone who is.)

Fight for ranked voting standard across the country to dismantle the 2 party system

If you can't do that;

Just FUCKING VOTE!

Vote the whole ballot,

In every election,

Everytime.

We don't win just by getting POTUS, that just buys us time.

Vote so when civil war is declared you can say they dragged you kicking and screaming the whole way.

💘 Q'u lach' shughu deshni da. 🏹 "What I say is true" in Dena'ina Qenaga

The kids are alright.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * *

President Biden and VP Harris meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met separately with President Biden and Vice President Harris on Thursday. The meetings were remarkable on many levels.

First, the Biden-Harris administration continues to present a unified front in supporting Ukraine while placing limitations on the offensive use of American weapons. The Biden-Harris administration’s steadfast support for Ukraine stands in stark contrast to the nearly universal GOP embrace of Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine. See US Department of Defense, Biden Administration Announces New Security Assistance Package for Ukraine.

Second, Vice President Harris’s meeting and joint press conference with President Zelensky gave VP Harris a more prominent public-facing role in discussing US foreign policy toward Ukraine and Russia. Joe Biden deserves great credit and admiration for his generosity of spirit in allowing VP Harris to take a leading role on an important foreign policy matter. Biden’s action allowed VP Harris to showcase experience on the international stage. Joe Biden’s lack of ego is remarkable for a man who has risen to the nation’s highest office.

In her remarks in a joint press conference with President Zelensky, VP Harris said,

My support for the people of Ukraine is unwavering. [T]there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations. These proposals are the same as those of Putin, and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.

See The Guardian, Harris decries Trump’s ‘proposals of surrender’ as Zelenskyy visits White House | Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Finally, as Biden and Harris were strongly supporting Ukraine, Trump was strongly suggesting that he would sell out Ukraine by demanding surrender. At a press conference on Thursday, the following exchange occurred:

Trump: I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelensky quite quickly. Reporter: What does that look like? Trump: I don’t want to tell you what that looks like.

Trump's evasion is outrageous on many levels. The press would never accept such evasion from Kamala Harris. Remember when the White House pool reporters literally screamed at Karine Jean-Pierre when she told the press that an army specialist in Parkinson’s Disease did visit President Biden during several dozen visits to the White House. (The next day it was reported that the physician was visiting with veterans of the Iran and Iraq war working in the White House.)

Moreover, it is clear that Trump's secret plan involves telling Zelensky that the US will cut off aid to Ukraine unless it surrenders immediately to Putin. There is no other reasonable inference to be drawn from Trump's refusal to specify his “peace plan.”

Kamala Harris is right. Trump's “proposals for peace” are really “proposals for surrender.” Yet another reason the choice is clear and important in November.

The NYTimes is finally writing about Trump's unhinged press conferences

The press conference at which Trump evaded the reporter’s question about Ukraine was billed as a press conference about immigration. But Trump grew bored of his prepared remarks on immigration and began a free-style jazz improvisation without the jazz. As described by the NYTimes (Gold and Haberman),

Mr. Trump quickly appeared to grow bored with the remarks he read from, and drifted repeatedly toward other topics. He talked about inflation, accused Ms. Harris of lying about working at McDonald’s years ago and nursed his fury over how the ABC News debate moderators handled his face-off with Ms. Harris nearly three weeks ago. At the beginning of the news conference, Mr. Trump struggled at times to articulate his thoughts or make a point clearly. He stumbled over some words as he read from remarks he had plainly not written. He bootstrapped one thought onto another based on whether the words associated with something else, as opposed to having a clear through line. [¶¶] The group of Trump employees and supporters gathered in the lobby along one of the barricades that penned in where Mr. Trump spoke appeared to grow restless, with some looking around, as Mr. Trump talked and talked.

See NYTimes, McDonald’s, Pelosi, Debate Moderators: Trump Speech on Border Veers Off Course.

In the past, the NYTimes reported such remarks as “meandering.” Now, the Times is accurately reporting that Trump is “struggl[ing] to articulate his thoughts.” When Joe Biden spoke with a lifelong stutter, the Times demanded that he withdraw from the presidential race. Now that the Times is acknowledging that Trump cannot think or speak in a logical or linear fashion, the Times is content to describe the sorry spectacle and shrug its shoulders.

President Biden signs executive order on gun violence

On Thursday, the President signed an executive order designed to reduce the proliferation of machine guns and “ghost guns,” and improving active-shooter drills in schools. See WhiteHouse.gov, Executive Order on Combating Emerging Firearms Threats and Improving School-Based Active-Shooter Drills | The White House

VP Harris leads the newly established White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. After President Biden signed the executive order, he handed the pen to VP Harris and urged her to “keep it going.” Kamala Harris then said,

It is a false choice to suggest you are either in favor of the Second Amendment, or you want to take everyone’s guns away. I am in favor of the Second Amendment and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban. [The American people have a right to] live, work, worship and learn without fear of violence -- including gun violence.

Trump stands by Mark Robinson, pretends he doesn’t know what controversy is about

During Trump's presidency, a standard tactic by Republicans trying to avoid commenting on Trump's latest outrageous statement was to say, “I haven’t seen the tweet.” On Thursday, Trump resorted to that tactic with Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina. When a reporter asked Trump if he will drop his endorsement of Mark Robinson, Trump said,

I don’t know the situation.

Of course, Trump knew enough about Mark Robinson to describe him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” But now that Robinson has been caught making comments on a porn forum praising Nazis and slavery, Trump “never heard of the guy.” (My words, not his.)

Critically, Trump will not withdraw his endorsement of Mark Robinson no matter what—which should give Democratic candidate for governor, Josh Stein, a reason to keep hammering Robinson and Trump throughout the remainder of the campaign. If Trump can’t un-endorse a guy who says that Mein Kamp is a good read, his antisemitic credentials are incontestable.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[tomorrowusa]

« So Jan. 6 was that move of normalizing the possibility of violence, trying it out. Think of Jan. 6 more as a trial balloon for the exercise of state power. »

— Dahlia Lithwick at Slate.

We saw which parts of government worked and which did not.

January 6th is a good argument for DC statehood. If the District had control over its own National Guard like the 50 states then a rogue president could not withhold help if a treasonous mob tried to destroy American institutions.

DC has been part of the US longer than any part of the US west of the Mississippi River – or Florida. Yet DC still has Taxation Without Representation.

Republicans oppose DC statehood because it would mean two more African American senators who would probably be Democrats.

It's yet another way Republicans practice voter suppression which enables them to hold on to power and elect wannabe dictators like Donald Trump.

The only way to bring about fairness and ensure democracy is to make a long term commitment to voting Democratic and never missing an election; there is no such thing as an unimportant election.

Rightwingers put 49 years of effort into getting Roe v. Wade overturned. We need to learn from that and be smart about voting and more active in persuasion over the long haul. Short attention spans are for losers.

Keeping Trump out of power is easy if we are smart and determined. It doesn't matter if pro-democracy Americans are in the majority if we don't vote like a majority.

[ivygorgon]

Protect your franchise! VOTE! Text CHECK to 50409

Quick Reminder if you need to update anything.

It's National Voter Registration Day 

[intelligentchristianlady]

Some Hopeful News

"MAGA Republicans know their agenda is unpopular, and they are working to seize power through voter suppression, violence, gerrymandering, and packing the legal system. But there are signs a bipartisan defense of democracy may be gathering strength. "

– HCR, May 23, 2024 

From her lips to God's ear!

[trendynewsnow]

Rise of Extremist Groups Preparing for Election Day Chaos

Organizing for Election Day: The Rise of Extremist Groups In recent weeks, various groups supporting former President Donald J. Trump have mobilized efforts to prepare poll watchers, particularly focusing on areas with significant Democratic voter presence. These organizations have disseminated messages that include imagery of armed individuals rallying for their cause, further amplifying their…

[mindfulwrath]

If you can't in good conscience vote for your own sake, go cast a ballot for one of the millions of people who want desperately to vote and have been prevented from doing so.

sorry but i want to hit every american talking about not wanting to vote democrat anymore with hammers. lol

[mannyblacque]

[originalleftist]

Final Pre-Election Day Reminders:

(Please Share)

If you encounter voter suppression, intimidation, or other issues, you can contact these numbers:

You can also contact the Department of Justice and FBI, and of course report threats, violence, or intimidation to 911:

If you need a ride to the polls, this may help:

If you are not registered to vote, many states allow same-day registration:

If you are turned away at the polls, say:

I REQUEST A PROVISIONAL BALLOT AS REQUIRED BY LAW.

Be sure to insist on a receipt.

Vote as early as possible if you have't yet. Bring a friend with you- or more than one!

Check to confirm if possible that your ballot was counted- this goes for early/mail voters too. If there was a problem for example with your signature, it may be possible to "cure" your ballot and have it counted if you act quickly. Check your state election sites.

IF YOU ARE IN LINE, DO NOT LEAVE, even if the polls have closed.

IF YOU ARE IN LINE WHEN POLLS CLOSE, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO VOTE.

Stay safe.

Stay focussed.

We've got this.

[gaydiation-poisoning]

It really is desperately funny to me (and by that I mean it inspires violence in my soul) to watch liberals run around like headless chickens using marginalized groups as meat shields for the Democratic party, but the second anyone from those marginalized groups speak up to say "Hey the Democrats don't care about us either, they kill us regardless" liberals suddenly shit their pants and start screaming about voter suppression and propaganda.

They loooove to preach about their allyship until that allyship doesn't make them feel good anymore, until it means deconstructing their white supremacy, until it means not centering themselves in everything. Until it means listening to marginalized people say things they don't want to hear.

But don't forget, they're in the allyship sphere to feel GOOD about themselves first and foremost, so they can't admit to themselves when they're suppressing the voices of the marginalized, because they're Allies™. So they cling to any story they can that will protect their fragile sense of self.

So who CARES if there's voices screaming to be heard, telling them the status quo is killing them? Who needs to do introspection on their own white supremacy when you can assure yourself that anyone who disagrees with you is just a Bot from one of those Evil Foreign Countries™ meant to spread propaganda against your party, right?

[frogeyedape]

Notable fact: you can trust election results in the USA

[hidinginawell]

Something I want my non-US followers to understand is that our election was subject to a lot of malfeasance. I feel like a lot of people buy into the idea (that our government pushes) that "WE don't have a corruption problem, that's all those other countries!" But like:

Georgia was a deciding state. There were MULTIPLE bomb threats made to the polling places in majority Black and majority Democratic communities. Specifically to intimidate them out of voting

Several major, national newspapers were gagged from publishing their opinions on the candidates. Most notably the Washington Post - why? Because it's owned by Jeff Bezos.

There's a reason Elon Musk threw millions and millions of dollars into electing Trump aside from the fact that he's a racist manbaby. It's because his companies get government contracts. And if that wasn't blatant enough to anyone already, Trump has additionally promised to give him a role in the government. That gives his companies contracts.

After the 2020 elections, Republicans, with the help of all the judges trump appointed in his first term, removed tens of thousands of people's voter registrations.

RFK Jr. removed himself from the ballot in states where his being there would take votes away from trump. He stayed on the ballot in other states, despite having given up his campaign, to take votes from Harris. He did this in exchange for a place in Trump's government, specifically in the health department. He believes vaccines cause autism.

There was falsified information spread, designed to look like it was from the FBI, telling people not to vote because it was dangerous.

Should I keep adding to this? I want people to know that in addition to all the other complications, we're dealing with corporation interference, deliberate suppression of voters especially in minority areas, and threats of violence. We are trying to operate a democracy inside an oligarchy. And this is not special or different from any other country in the world. But I feel like people buy into the smug veneer of the US "not having widespread corruption" that our government pushes. You are not immune to propaganda etc etc.

[forsetti]

On Calls For Pres. Biden To Step Aside: Know The Players And Motives Tossing aside one of the most progressive presidents in fifty years because you are afraid they might not win an election is just plain stupid without a really, really, really solid backup plan. It is even stupider if you look at who is pushing for him to step aside and their motives. Here are the main groups calling for Pres. Biden to step away from running against Trump in November and why:

1-Republicans. Republicans know Biden is the biggest threat to them getting back the White House and enacting their batshit crazy policy agenda. They want nothing more than to not run against Pres. Biden because not only does he have the track record of beating Trump before but has an amazing economic record to run on. If you ever want to understand who Republicans view as their political threat, all you have to do is look at who they are attacking. They were going after Hillary for three years prior to 2016. The entire Benghazi witch hunt had no other purpose than to damage her electorally. Every single hearing about Hunter Biden, the border, the Biden Crime Family,… is nothing more than dog and pony hearings to dampen Democratic and Independent voter enthusiasm.

2-The Media. Trump’s non-stop crazy train administration was a goldmine for media outlets. Every day there was a new outrage, wild-ass rant, something that brought eyes to screens which translates to selling ad time/space. The Biden administration is efficient and boring. No scandals, except the ones Republicans gin up that turn up nothing. No rants. No chaos. No real controversy. Just plain old boring governance which is great for the country but bad for a business model that relies on shock, drama, and negativity. “Dems in disarray,” has been a media cottage industry since Bill Clinton was in office. If you don’t understand the financial motivation for why the media constantly derides Democrats for the slightest misstep while ignoring Republican malfeasance, you are probably likely to fall for their own brand of political propaganda.

It should tell you something that major news outlets have come out demanding Pres. Biden step aside for not looking good on camera during one ninety-minute debate but not a single one has asked the same of the candidate who was found guilty of sexual assault, found guilty of thirty-four felony charges, misspeaks dozens of times at every rally, and goes off on wild, illogical, batshit crazy tangents, and is tied to child sexual abuse via Jeffery Epstein. That they are not treating Trump with the same non-stop demands to step aside as they are Pres. Biden should tell you something about their motives.

3-Bad Foreign Actors. Russia wants nothing more than for Biden to lose the election. He is their biggest threat to taking over Ukraine and pushing their influence farther into Western Europe. NATO is stronger now and has more members than at any time in its history. This is the last thing Putin wants. Russia has been actively pushing propaganda online to influence U.S. elections for some time but really have ramped it up the past few election cycles.

Russia targets Republicans by fueling rage over culture war topics like abortion, immigration, racial violence, and the decline of Western, Christian norms. They also target liberals by trying to divide them over issues they care about Israel/Palestine, LGBTQI rights, Bernie vs Clinton, Bernie v Biden, DNC v “real progressives,”… They want liberals at each other’s throats because, if unified, the left is the largest voting bloc in America. Conservatives are electoral dinosaurs but they maintain power through gerrymandering, voter suppression, and liberals being more invested in their petty arguments than voting Republicans out of office.

4-Sandernistas. There is still a good-sized faction of people on the left who are still upset about Bernie Sanders not being the nominee in 2016 or in 2020. They are especially mad at what they deem as “establishment Dems,” screwing over Sanders in 2020 starting with the South Carolina primary. What they really are upset about is black voters, predominately female black voters, denying their White Progressive Savior his rightful spot at the head of the ticket. Because Pres. Biden was the one who benefited from this minority voting bloc in 2020, tearing him down and taking him out is a passion project for a lot of so-called “progressives.”

These “progressives,” are under the disillusion that if the Democratic Party fails far enough, hard enough, they will be able rebuild it in their own, perfectly progressive image. They never explain how this magical transformation will happen, they just take it as a matter of faith. Of course, anyone who understands American history and basic civics knows if/when conservatives have ultimate power, they will make sure they never lose another election.

These “progressives,” are the worst kind of progressive. They are often white, middle to upper-class liberals who view politics as a game because they are usually shielded from the consequences of the electoral decisions. If you are a middle/upper-class white, male progressive, very few, if any of Trump’s actions when he was in office affected you directly. The same cannot be said about the progressive voters who overwhelmingly supported Hillary in 2016 and Joe in 2020. They have the most skin in the game, have the most to lose and they vote accordingly. For white dudebros to step in and demand Pres. Biden step aside is a direct “fuck you” to the most loyal part of the base which has the most to lose if Trump is reelected.

Never mind this group has NEVER accomplished a damn thing politically other than cost many good Democrats to lose and decades and decades of progressive policy and law wiped out. They are as adamant about their political skills as they are it is always someone else’s fault when the find-out portion of their fuck around actions comes to fruition.

5-Progressives suffering from 2016 PTSD. This is the one group I can actually relate to and sympathize with. Hillary's loss in 2016 was a major shock to a lot of people. This shock was compounded because not only were we denied the first female president, but we got a lying, narcissistic, misogynist man-child in her place who went about rolling back decades of hard-earned progressive policies and turning the Supreme Court into a right-wing arm of the Federalist Society.

For those of us who lived through 2016, there is no election data that will make us feel good or at ease. It also makes us hyper-vigilant about anything and everything that can be seen as a negative towards the nominee. The second anything bad happens, whether factual or not, a lot of people in this group take the flight instead of the fight option which is associated with PTSD.

Being overly anxious and hyper-vigilant are not necessarily bad unless they lead to bad decisions.

There is only one sure way to make sure Trump is not reelected. Vote for the candidate running against him. Period. Full fucking stop.

If you aren’t willing to do this, for whatever reason you tell yourself, then you will be directly responsible for the very thing you claim is a politically existential moment. Stop listening and parroting Republican talking points. Stop allowing the media to determine who you should vote for. Stop listening to butt-hurt progressives who have no record of political success about what those who do should/shouldn’t do. Stop acting like frightened little bunnies whenever someone says something negative about successful Democratic leaders. Stop automatically going into flight mode when something goes wrong or something negative is said. Fight.

If you aren’t willing to fight, and I’m not talking about inter-party fighting (that time came and went,) for women’s rights, minority rights, safe air/water/food, climate policies, democracy… then you really aren’t as progressive as you tell yourself and others. You are a big reason why we are even in this situation. Whether you like Pres. Biden or think he is too old really isn’t the pertinent issue if you really care about the things you say you do. As long as Pres. Biden is willing to fight like hell for progressive policies and prevent Republicans from turning the country into a white supremacist, misogynist, oligarchy, you should be doing the same.

I don’t know what is going to happen between now and election day. Neither does anyone else. The one thing I am 100% positive about is if Trump does win, the people on the left who have spent the majority of their time and energy railing against the Democratic Party and Pres. Biden will blame anyone and everyone other than themselves. If Pres. Biden wins reelection, these same people will claim their childish hissy fits are what led him to “change course,” enabling him to win. Their view of personal responsibility for election outcomes is some fucked up “No True Scotsman,” bullshit. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING ever counts against their political beliefs and views.

I know some people reading this will wonder why I spend so much time and energy railing against the left. The answer is really simple-I fully expect the people on the right to be bad-faith actors who are hell-bent on destroying any and all progressive policies and candidates. I don’t, and shouldn’t expect the same from people who claim to be political allies. You can't claim to be a member of Team Good™ if your behaviors and actions help Team Bad™.