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The current Republican party 'platform', inasmuch as it exists, is likely to attract fewer and fewer votes over time due to cultural and demographic change.
Or at least that's what the party believes.
Which leaves them three options:
1. Shift positions and... 1/
Or at least that's what the party believes.
Which leaves them three options:
1. Shift positions and... 1/
...gradually bring other groups into the coalition to maintain competitiveness
2. Persuade people of your views
3. Make it ever harder to vote, and the government less representative of most people's views, to extend your control, as a shrinking minority, as long as possible 2/
2. Persuade people of your views
3. Make it ever harder to vote, and the government less representative of most people's views, to extend your control, as a shrinking minority, as long as possible 2/
Option 3 seems to be the approach taken by many state parties.
In my view Dems should have no problem playing hardball to cut off any attempt at entrenching minority rule, thereby forcing Reps to switch to 1 and 2.
It's desirable both on policy grounds & principled grounds. 3/
In my view Dems should have no problem playing hardball to cut off any attempt at entrenching minority rule, thereby forcing Reps to switch to 1 and 2.
It's desirable both on policy grounds & principled grounds. 3/
That means statehood for Puerto Rico, DC and maybe Guam.
It means the DMV putting you on the electoral roll whenever you finish high school, or get a driver's license / state ID, unless you deliberately opt out. 4/
It means the DMV putting you on the electoral roll whenever you finish high school, or get a driver's license / state ID, unless you deliberately opt out. 4/
It also means passing laws or constitutional amendments to make gerrymandering illegal or impractical.
It means immediately passing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in every state house you get control of. 5/
It means immediately passing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in every state house you get control of. 5/
It means making it equally easy to vote across the whole of a state, rather than easy in some places and hard in others.
It means insisting elections be funded well enough that people don't have to queue to vote.
It means allowing felons or at least ex-felons to vote. 6/
It means insisting elections be funded well enough that people don't have to queue to vote.
It means allowing felons or at least ex-felons to vote. 6/
It means ensuring people can easily vote by mail if they prefer.
It means ensuring people are only cleaned off voter rolls by a neutral non-political agency using transparent criteria. 7/
It means ensuring people are only cleaned off voter rolls by a neutral non-political agency using transparent criteria. 7/
It means either scrapping voter ID or making it trivial to get something that qualifies as an ID. (Australia requires no ID and like the US has had no material problem with voter fraud.) 8/
While we're at it we can make elections more credible and harder to hack by insisting on machine-read paper ballots.
And though it's not as urgent, switch from idiotic FPTP voting to 'single transferable vote' or 'approval voting'. 9/
And though it's not as urgent, switch from idiotic FPTP voting to 'single transferable vote' or 'approval voting'. 9/
If Congress / state houses have to withhold funding to states and counties, or worse, in order to twist their arms and make the above happen, so be it.
There's zero shame in insisting on fairness and decency even if it happens to benefit you. 10/
There's zero shame in insisting on fairness and decency even if it happens to benefit you. 10/
