2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumAnd Democratic Party officials oppose voter suppression .... except when they engage in it.
If this isn't massive voter suppression I'd like to know what is. It's so blatant! Eliminating more than two thirds of polling places and than requiring voters to visit two separate polling locations to cast ballots!This sound like something the Republicans would pull. But no, it's Democratic Party officials who support Hillary Clinton!
imagine2015
Politics
Puerto Rico Slashes Polling Places For The Democratic Primary, Laying The Groundwork For Chaos
by Alice Ollstein
June 3, 2016
In early May, Puerto Ricos Democratic Party announced that more than 1,500 polling places would be available for the islands June 5 Democratic primary. A few weeks later, they slashed that number to just over 430 a reduction of more than two thirds.
In 2008, the islands last competitive Democratic primary, there were more than 2,300 polling places.
Some are warning of long lines and voters left unable to access the ballot box, as an estimated 700,000 Puerto Ricans will vote this Sunday, and polling places will only be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m..
Worse, many voters will have to visit two separate locations to cast ballots in the presidential primary and the local primaries held the same day. Voter turnout and engagement has for years been much higher on the island than in the 50 U.S. states, but these changes may present too heavy a burden for low-income residents who lack transportation options or who need to work.
msongs
(67,441 posts)imagine2015
(2,054 posts)Are you just pretending to be new and naïve about how the Democratic Party operates in some areas?
In many cases they seem to be following the example set by Republicans in voter repression.
Do you know how the Cook County and Chicago Democratic Party machines got out the vote in the "good ole days" under their great "liberal" mayor Richard Daley back in the 60's?
The Cook County and Chicago Democratic machines allowed absentee voters to vote.
So what's wrong with that?
Well, those absentee voters were absent because they were dead and buried! But that didn't stop Daley machine operatives from casting votes on their behalf!
And those Democratic Party precinct organizers could learn lessons from contemporary politicians on how to carry out and get away with election fraud and manipulation.
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)You remember that PR's government is literally bankrupt, right?
And please, enough with the Republican memes about dead people voting in Chicago.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)imagine2015
(2,054 posts)Melissa G
(10,170 posts)yes... I am talking to those that deny she does it.
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)Melissa G
(10,170 posts)but if you can't see it, no amount of my explaining is gonna get you there.
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)I do respect your feelings. Have a great night.
Melissa G
(10,170 posts)Enjoy it and the lovely night!
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)highprincipleswork
(3,111 posts)superiority of your Establishment power, without a care or feeling for the subversion of democratic principles, no matter who is doing it, what is the cause or whatever. Just smashing the results in the face of whoever brings up the unfairness of it? Very unappealing, especially in a country founded on revolution and on a site called "Democratic Underground". Oh, but then I forgot the PTB have over-run everything already, and we're living in an oligarchy. Oh, well then, it's par for the course I suppose. Outright Fascism must be next.
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)I wish both you and Melissa G well.
99Forever
(14,524 posts)Is this a court of law?
Are people here not allowed to state what is plainly obvious to them? That which we have seen repeated ad nausium throughout this entire UNDemocratic primary process?
Then at the end of it all, you seriously think that the people who KNOW they have been cheated, are so brain damaged that they will be brought to heel in the name of "party unity?"
Good luck with that.
imagine2015
(2,054 posts)Well?
When and where?
Melissa G
(10,170 posts)you have a lot more patience than I do
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)They were needlessly antagonistic as well, I am truly very sorry.
I am afraid I was irritated about something else and took it out on you. That is not right.
I do hope you understand that my wishes about having a good night are sincere.
emulatorloo
(44,183 posts)LonePirate
(13,431 posts)I'm not saying it's right but that could be the cause. Also, of the two major political parties in Puerto Rico, neither are what know as the Democratic and Republican parties.
imagine2015
(2,054 posts)So it seems they must have some connection to the Democratic and Republican parties.
A very tight one as a matter of fact.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)PR is broke...
Ed Suspicious
(8,879 posts)imagine2015
(2,054 posts)Or did you just make that up?
So if any states have a budget deficit this fall would it be OK with you if Republican politicians close polling stations and require voters to cast their votes at two different locations? Or would you accuse Republicans of voter repression?
Well?
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)Quit trolling.
imagine2015
(2,054 posts)And also .....
White is Black and Day is Night.
My dear Lord!
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)Melissa G
(10,170 posts)Sanders supporters up in arms over Puerto Rico polling locations
By Rebecca Savransky
Getty Images
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders are up in arms about the number of polling locations in place for the Puerto Rico primary.
A Sanders supporter, for example, pointed out in a tweet on Sunday that Puerto Rico had 1,510 polling locations in place for the Democratic primary three weeks ago. Now it has just 455.
msongs
(67,441 posts)TeacherB87
(249 posts)Puerto Rico's economy is collapsing, and you've presented no direct evidence that Hillary Clinton or her surrogates are involved. If you're so in favor of democracy and the franchise, does that mean you acknowledge that Clinton has received far more votes than Sanders? Does that mean you acknowledge that he has won a higher percentage of delegates than popular votes? Does that mean you acknowledge that he has largely gained a relative advantage compared to the popular vote because of caucuses, which are also extremely inconvenient undemocratic processes that shut out many people on the margins because of the commitment required? I'm sorry, but neither side has a moral advantage to lecture about democracy.
imagine2015
(2,054 posts)It's all about class and who rules.
And the moral advantage is clearly on the side of Bernie who is fighting against the undemocratic minority rule of the billionaire class and their favored spokesperson, Hillary Clinton.
Do you really believe this minority class of incredibly rich people should maintain their control over this nation, our politics, our lives, our economy and our future? I hope not. Not if you're truly for democracy and against oligarchy.
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TeacherB87
(249 posts)About Bernie having the moral high ground on challenging the oligarchy. I'm saying he's a hypocrite for pretending his fight for superdelegates is anything other than a hypocritical I democratic power grab.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Voting location though not qualified to vote and slowing down qualified voters ability to vote in a faster time. It sure does equalte to caucus states which excludes seniors and disabled.
I also went to two different places before arriving at the proper place.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)It couldn't possibly be that some places simply don't have enough people or funds to have open as many polling places as they'd like.
And it couldn't possibly be Clinton who is hurt more by long lines in high population urban areas just because she typically does much better than Sanders in urban areas.
Let's not forget caucuses...they don't suppress the vote at all, not one bit. Working people, parents, persons with disabilities, people who wish to keep their vote private and others have no trouble taking part in a caucus format. The fact that a meaningless WA primary had greater turnout (and a much different result) than the WA caucus is just a fluke, I'm sure.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Party makes no difference. The right is always for voter suppression because the more people that vote, the more the left wins.
The right wing of the Dem Party has resorted to many right wing tactics these days, and right wing policy as well. *sigh*
.
Garrett78
(10,721 posts)One way to increase turnout is to replace caucuses with primaries. Also, have polls open for 3 days and have a mail-in option.
Obviously long lines and not having a sufficient number of polling places open in urban areas hurts the candidate who does best in urban areas. But you need personnel and funds available to have more polling places open.
Of course, replacing caucuses with primaries and having more opportunities to vote in urban areas wouldn't have helped the candidate you support. It would have helped Clinton, and significantly so.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)So electronic voting. Don't trust it at all.
I want the most democratic and "transparent" (not regarding disclosing who individuals vote for but regarding accurate results) system. I know that Bernie won most caucus states but I do not believe that Hillary actually won the primaries. Electronic voting is too easily tampered with and this cycle the results were very different than the exit polls. We use exit polls to determine tampering in other countries yet we didn't hear anything about it on the MSM here. And several of those primary states that Hillary won have results under investigation.
When you have TPTB with such a vested interest in one candidate succeeding and another failing, when TPTB control the MSM and the voting technology, it's hard to have any faith that the results are accurate and honest. So yes, they would have helped Hillary in this current climate, but if we had verifiable elections based on paper counting I do not think that would have been the case.
Totally agree that polling should be over more days, and include weekend days so people don't have to worry about missing work.
.
Alex4Martinez
(2,198 posts)We have become the party of "oh stop whining, what's a little voter suppression, our candidate is winning" comments.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)Besides, PR is the size of Connecticut, 2,300 polling places sounds like a bit of overkill.
imagine2015
(2,054 posts)What a wonderful way to balance the budget. Sounds like something that Republicans would propose.
Once again balancing the budget on the backs of working class people even if it restricts their right to vote.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)My state is twice the size and has around half that.
Seriously, stop embarrassing yourself with silly conspiracy theories in every single primary Sanders loses.