If all these leftists that don't vote in protest actually voted, it'd be over. Not just this election, for decades. It would have been a wildly different history.
That too. My buddy is still angry not voting even after 2016. Because he’s still pissed about the two party system. Fair, but you’re not fixing anything.
Which is why it is very important to understand that tankies are not leftists.
They are agents (willing or stupid) of foreign powers who advocate for fascism. And it is in the interests of their masters (mostly Xinnie the pooh and putin) to encourage leftists to disenfranchise themselves.
No, it wouldn't. It's very difficult to quantify how many people don't vote as a protest vs. don't vote out of apathy, but the Green Party, Libertarian Party, and all other third parties combined took home less than 2% of the total vote in the last Presidential election. Even if we assumed that just as many people were staying home in protest, and that they were entirely made up of disgruntled leftists, that would only maybe affect the outcome of some swing states if the numbers are unevenly distributed. It certainly wouldn't remake history.
The internet (and Lemmy especially) might be full of high-minded leftists claiming they stay home on moral principle, but the majority of people who don't vote are just tired, working class people who have to squeeze voting in around work and family on a random Tuesday. If you want them to turn out, you have to give them a candidate that speaks to them enough that they'll take time out of their day vote. (Well, that or a make mail-in voting universal in all 50 states, or make voting day a federal holiday, or a bunch of other things that will never get through Congress.)
Gee, if only there were some way to get them excited to vote. Moving to the right hasn't worked and neither has shouting abuse at them, so I guess nothing will make them happy.
I've just said this recently (like earlier today), but its not necessarily apathy.
Many people had to work multiple jobs, couldn't get a vote by mail option, their local polling place had too few voting booths relative to the number of voters, etc, etc.
As soon as mail in voting became accessible, the number of voters actually voting jumped massively.
Preventing access to voting is an international act, and dismissing people as just being apathetic for not having the time to wait a few hours to vote (because kids, work, etc) is part of that intention.
Don't just be dismissive. Support a national holiday for election day. Support politicians who want to keep mail in voting for all. And don't look down on people who are put into situations where voting instead of showing up to work could make them lose their jobs.
Exactly. People share articles every week about Republican voter suppression tactics like limiting polling locations and creating voter ID laws, then turn around and whine when voters don't show up for their candidates. Even if you aren't a victim of these laws, if you have to vote in person, you usually have 12 hours on a weekday to vote. If you work 8 hours a day, and you commute an hour each way, that's 2 hours to vote. For a working-class person with a family, that's a big ask. That's time they normally spend making dinner for their kids and getting ready for the next day. Voting is a right, but having the time to do it a luxury.
We have a holiday to go vote - well, 3 hours off - and our setup is so simple that we have polling stations everywhere. When we get there it's usually a 5-minute process. The whole thing is over by that night.
This whole "standing in line for hours" thing is just weird, y'all.
TX has 2 weeks to vote. There's never a line longer than 10 minutes if there's a line at all, except for the final day. It's definitely apathy, waiting until the last day.
This year, polls will be open from Oct 21- Nov 1, with a final day to cast a vote on Nov 5. Polls will be open at least 9 hours the first week and at least 12 hours (typically 7AM-7PM) during the second week and final day of voting. Polling hours and locations can be checked at www.votetexas.gov once they are released in October. Some polls may be open on the weekend as well!
Even Hillary almost flipped the state. If only 5% more of the registered voters had cast a vote for her, she would have won! The problem is that people just won't go to the polls. We were the first state to have an early voting period (since 1980) but people just won't take 15 minutes to stop by a polling station on their way somewhere. There's never a line during the 2 weeks weeks of early voting.
Check voter registration and polling location/hours (won't be posted until October) at www.votetexas.gov
Polls open Oct 21-Nov 1, with one final day to vote on Nov 5. Don't procrastinate and you won't have to wait in line!
More than people realize. Between the Civil War and this century, the Texas delegation to the US House of Representatives was Majority-Democrat. We had a Democratic governor just 3 Governors ago.
But in 2003 the Texas legislature went majority-Republican for the first time in over a century, and the first thing they did was massively gerrymander the state just a year after it had been redistricted for the 2000 census.
In the 2002 election, 17 Democrats and 15 Republicans were elected to the US House. Following the redistricting, the 2004 election had 21 Republicans and 11 Republicans elected to the House.
With a single map change they went from a minority to a 2:1 majority.
Texas is also a voter apathy state. A lot of the apathy comes from gerrymandering, which I’d call a form of voter suppression, so your point still stands.
Also reminder for every state except Maine and Nebraska: your voting district has NO effect on who gets the electoral college vote for your state. Even if your state is gerrymandered to all hell and there’s no chance your district will go blue, that has literally zero affect on whether your vote is counted for president.
So go vote, even if it’s hopeless for the local races. Your vote can help flip a state!
Yeah, I had a 5 minute wait to vote in my (majority red) area. 30 minutes away in (majority blue) Dallas, wait times were in the hours, because they keep closing polling locations in blue areas.
I've moved from Denton County to Dallas since the last election. I'm curious to see the difference in voting. Lewisville was staunch Republican area. Voting took about thirty minutes surrounded by red hats with scowling faces in line.
That's very hopeful. A five-point spread can be overcome. And I'm still wondering what the polling error will be this year. For the last few years, Democrats have handily out-performed the polls, and it's not like people under 50 are getting easier to poll.
But don't get complacent. It's possible the polls this year are over-correcting for that. We won't know for sure until the election is over.
But don't get complacent. It's possible the polls this year are over-correcting for that. We won't know for sure until the election is over.
Not only that. You may need a quite healthy margin to overcome the various voter suppression and other plans the Rs have in place to steal the election. A Texas sized margin might do.
I'm hoping that Harris/Walz spends a few resources here, to make Republicans nervous. Not a LOT of resources, but enough to make the Republicans nervous. We need Dems to turn out in all 50 states, Safe Red, Safe Blue, or whatever, to ensure that we have a resounding victory. Fellow voters, you shouldn't need to be told this, but if a few million here or there in Texas and Florida gets Dems out to vote while putting the fear of Dog into Republicans and force THEM to spend resources there, it's a good strategy in my book.
Unironically Dems winning Texas may be one of their best shots at keeping the Senate. They face a VERY uphill battle. If they keep Ohio (huge if) they will still need to keep Montana, or win another red state like Texas.
I have some fingers crossed Missouri will flip scumbag coward traitor Josh Hawley. I'm worried folks might be too apathetic but Lord knows we've got a better candidate for the Dems this time than a billionaire Bud Light heiress
That’s how I feel. I don’t think Texas will actually flip (not impossible though!), it is the message these types of polls are sending that’s important.
Don't forget that had just 5% more of the registered voters in 2016 voted for Hillary, TX would have been blue.
Biden was even closer to winning TX in 2020.
Your vote matters! Do not wait until the last minute to vote! We can not only turn TX blue for Harris, but we have another opportunity to rid ourselves of Cruz this year. There are also 3 seats on the TX Supreme Court, all US and TX reps, 15 state senators, railroad commissioners, 3 members of the criminal court of appeals, 7 members of the state board of education, and many more judges, sherrifs, and local officials among other positions at stake this election. Check all the offices here:
Polls will open Oct 21-Nov 1, with one final day to vote on Nov 5. Polls will be open at least 9 hours the first week and at least 12 hours a day (typically 7 AM-7PM with no wait) during the second week, and at least 12 hours with a wait on the final day of voting.
Check your voter registration, important election dates, polling locations and hours (won't be posted until sometime in October), and more at votetexas.gov
At the time of their invention, railroads were huge for industry. We could now transport a lot of heavy goods quickly across the state and country. We needed someone to be in charge of the railroads, trains, and their regulations.
Nowadays, the railroad commission doesn't have jurosdiction over rails in TX, instead they have primary regulatory jurisdiction over the oil and natural gas industry, pipeline transporters, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline industry, natural gas utilities, the LP-gas industry, critical natural gas infrastructure, and coal and uranium surface mining operations.
I think the idead behind it being an elected position, rather than an appointed position, is to mitigate corruption. If the citizens see corruption taking place in the department, they can elect a new railroad commissioner in a few years that will set it all straight.
Unfortunately, not just voter apathy but voter suppression. Texas is a lot closer to blue than they want to admit, but have done an excellent job with disenfranchisement.
The RNC wont, and honestly Kamala should not waste time in Texas. Abbott, Paxton and Patrick will 100% make sure Kamala doesnt get the delegates from Texas come hell or high water. Kamala can do much better in closer states where she wont get fucked over like Arizona, Nevada, and the blue wall states.
If Trump manages to lose Texas, will the Republicans expel him from their party? If so, will he run as an independent in 2028? (Will he still be alive?)
Yeah, I think he’s going to age like milk if he loses and has to spend 4 more years of his private life dealing with his felonies.
That lazy bum was the only President that didn’t age a day during his 4 years in office. But after 4 years fighting to stay out of prison, and he’s melting and rambling way more.
Idk, drumming up excitement can help people get to the polls to vote Cruz out. The Presidential race can help shore up the down ballot races. I'm hoping at least Walz shows up in MT. I would love to see them both but in particular he would appeal to people here and could boost Tester's numbers.
Trump won Texas by 5 1/2 points in 2020 - 52% to 46.5%. So this poll is consistent with the direction of Texas partisanship. Time and money spent to campaign Texas can be better used elsewhere.
While Texas has a lot of Democrats, for systemic reasons it's not in play as a state. Let's focus on states that have a reasonable chance of swinging the election.
Texas might not be in play for Harris, but if she creates enough enthusiasm to narrow the gap then it will also trickle down to that Senate race. Winning Cruz's seat will give Democrats some cushion when it comes to retaining control of the Senate.
NC is going to do for Harris what they did for Obama in 2008. Maybe even better. But I do hope Texas goes purple and the results take all night to figure out. That would be huge, even if it's not enough.