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Vote-by-Mail (Thread)
Hello again my dear friends, I hope that these trying times find you well. And #HappyMothersDay
to all the mothers out there.
Today, we need to talk about Vote-by-Mail. I have something of a rare perspective on the matter that I hope to share.
Hello again my dear friends, I hope that these trying times find you well. And #HappyMothersDay
to all the mothers out there.Today, we need to talk about Vote-by-Mail. I have something of a rare perspective on the matter that I hope to share.
Vote-by-Mail was passed in my state years before I could even vote, and I've never voted any other way in my life. We now have decades upon decades of data on the subject, and I am happy to report to you that it is simple, effective, and safe.
If you want hand-marked paper ballots that leave a long paper trail, there you have it. If you want personal signatures to verify the integrity of the ballot, ditto. If you want to serve rural communities, where people can live 40 miles from the nearest poll station, you got it.
Honestly, "going to the polls" and queuing up is hilariously archaic to me. It's like if you still churned your own butter by hand.
We still set up polling stations in libraries and schools, for those that are nostalgic for that old feeling, though, very few people use them.
We still set up polling stations in libraries and schools, for those that are nostalgic for that old feeling, though, very few people use them.
Back in brighter days, I wished to gather some friends and make a "hipster voting day" where we'd gather at the library, dressed in Sun Dresses and Suits and Fedoras, and pretend to jam up the line, while hoping to bribe the no-doubt vexed library staff with cookies and pizza.
But unfortunately, that plan looks like it will have to wait until 2024, perhaps.
As the coronavirus spreads, it is likely that we will have to adopt Vote-by-Mail nationwide, as there is significant risk of another wave in the fall. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/02/health/coronavirus-second-wave-fall-season/index.html
As the coronavirus spreads, it is likely that we will have to adopt Vote-by-Mail nationwide, as there is significant risk of another wave in the fall. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/02/health/coronavirus-second-wave-fall-season/index.html
Now, I have already gone over some of the advantages of Vote-by-Mail, but, it is important to note that it is not a silver-bullet, nor a miracle cure for anything. I've seen so-called progressives claim that it would lead to a blue wave, and similar fears from conservatives.
But, nothing could be further from the truth. We still elect Republicans on a regular basis, simply a better breed of them. And indeed, Vote-by-Mail has not eliminated political corruption. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2015/02/gov_john_kitzhaber_resigns_ami.html
However, despite these things, Vote Fraud actually does exist in very rare cases. Take the case of one Mr. Robbins. At the time of the election, he was suffering from severe kidney infections. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/04/10-oregon-voters-plea-guilty-to-voter-fraud-in-2016-presidential-election.html
Kidney infections frequently can cause cognitive issues that resemble delirium or even dementia. And he filled out two different ballots from two different states, apparently.
The state Department of Justice settled, the Judge waived his fine, and slapped his wrist, so to speak
The state Department of Justice settled, the Judge waived his fine, and slapped his wrist, so to speak
The vast, vast majority of voter fraud cases, as rare as they are, are like this, where the voter makes a mistake, under mitigating circumstances, and then is caught. And that's the real key.
They are always caught, due to the hand-marked paper ballots.
They are always caught, due to the hand-marked paper ballots.
It is kind of like how Nations with better testing for Covid-19 seem to have more cases. Or, how States with better Sexual Assault reporting, recording, and testing, seem to have more cases of Sexual Assault. It's actually a sign that the system works.
In my state, Vote-by-Mail is immensely popular. It even has a very high rate of approval among Republicans. Remember, they benefit as well, as the elderly and infirm, who can't make it to the polls, can still vote. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/493100-former-oregon-official-touts-states-mail-in-two-decade-voting-record
The idea that it is somehow a Democratic plot is utter nonsense. Nonsense that I have heard before.
One of the major opponents of Vote-by-Mail in my state was one Bill Sizemore. A truly pitiful human being. https://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-27473-we-can-now-refer-to-him-as-bill-sizemore-felon.html
One of the major opponents of Vote-by-Mail in my state was one Bill Sizemore. A truly pitiful human being. https://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-27473-we-can-now-refer-to-him-as-bill-sizemore-felon.html
Sizemore's Committees were found guilty of forging signatures in order to place their measures on the ballot. Though Sizemore was unnamed and unidicted in the case, he has a pattern of bad behavior that doesn't speak well to his character. https://www.opb.org/news/article/state-supreme-court-rules-sizemores-group-engaged-racketeering/
So, as we see, Sizemore's organizations were the ones committing fraud, even as they accused Vote-by-Mail of being a breeding ground for potential election interference.
And now we come full-circle back to the modern-day arguments against fraud. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2008/09/oregon_has_voted_against_him_b.html
And now we come full-circle back to the modern-day arguments against fraud. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2008/09/oregon_has_voted_against_him_b.html
No comment is necessary here. https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1247658663617138691?s=20
And now, I am certain I can leave it to you, my dear friends, to understand what I am getting at. It's all smoke and mirrors with these people. To obfuscate real election interference, and to place blame on others for their own sin.
Thanks for reading
-Ryan.
Thanks for reading
-Ryan.
