What is the red meat on your ballot?

[jmowreader]

Unlike many of you, I am not worried about electronic ballot tampering. Everyone knows about it. People are on the watch for it, and getting caught means prison. Republicans love prisons but they don't want to get sent to them.

It is easier, and legal, to use a Red Meat issue to drive Republicans to the polls. Think of all the gay marriage bans in 2010. They worked to fill our congress with rabid ideologues because most Republican voters aren't that far to the right. By using red meat they got people in the building....and once there, people vote the whole ballot not just the red meat issues.

Idaho's red meat is HJR2AA, the right to hunt law that was passed onto the ballot under emergency rules eliminating debate. What's yours?

[Brickbat]

1. Here in MN, we've got a gay marriage constitutional amendment and a voter ID amendment.

They were going to put a right-to-scab amendment on the ballot too, and then realized that all three would bring out too many of the wrong kind of voter.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Those are the big ones here.

And there's a local scandal regarding a GOP staffer who was having an affair with the (now former) GOP state senate majority leader - when this was found out he lost his job. So now he's suing the senate for wrongful discharge and in the process he's spilling the beans about a lot of the state party's internal machinations, including the fact that the amendment barring same-sex marriage was intended to increase GOPer turnout:

Brodkorb said Republicans were concerned about firing up voters for the 2012 elections, and discussed a variety of possible amendments before settling on a measure that would ban same-sex marriage.

"In the context of all of these constitutional amendments, turnout and rallying the conservative base, rallying like-minded Democrats and others to the polls for Republicans and for this issue, was a constant theme of discussion," Brodkorb said.

Brodkorb said he will vote no on the marriage amendment. He thinks the amendment may backfire, hurting Republican candidates in suburbs where marriage amendment opponents will be out in force.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/10/16/politics/brodkorb-voter-id-marriage-amendments/

[hifiguy]

12. I drove through St. Louis Park a couple of weeks ago

and it was a wall-to-wall sea of "Vote No" signs.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Same with my south Minneapolis neighborhood.

Almost every yard, including mine, has a VOTE NO sign.

[liberal_at_heart]

2. definitely gay marriage

On one road I've seen 7 or 8 anti-gay marriage signs in a row. On another road there were anti-gay marriage sings going all the way around a round a bout, and I saw some nut holding an anti-gay marriage sign on a highway pass in the rain. We also have charter schools and legalizing marijuana on the ballot. So, lots of red meat this time.

[virgogal]

3. The "Death with Dignity" act in MA. A real hot button issue.

[beaglelover]

5. Should porn stars be required to wear condoms during filming. I shit you not. (nt)

[jenw2]

6. That sounds reasonable

It helps to protect the women that get caught in that business.

[beaglelover]

8. I agree. Should be an obvious thing to do in that profession.

Just seems odd to have the public vote on it.

[loli phabay]

15. why required, should be their call.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

7. Kentucky has the same thing. Constitutional amendment declaring hunting a right...

I'm voting no.

[PD Turk]

9. "Oklahoma"

[politicat]

10. I think it's marijuana legalization

For statewide, we really didn't have much in Colorado:
- a procedural that changes how we hire certain state employees,
- pot legalization
- a gestural to support nationwide campaign finance reform.

The ballot felt short to me - no personhood (probably because in three chances, it never got more than 30%), no voting on the human rights of other citizens, no destruction of our statewide tax base. Thank FSM for small favors.

[customerserviceguy]

11. They don't let us vote on issues here

Just as well, I have no doubt that there'd be some homophobia on the ballot after the legislature and the governor made marriage equality legal.

[NYC Liberal]

13. Nothin this year.