I want to start off with saying that I am not opening this because of politics, but rather because election day is 3 November 2020 (tomorrow).
Of course, we will try not to be political, but it will end up being a political discussion anyway.
The only rules for this thread:
- It is okay to agree/disagree on certain policies/political views, but it is unacceptable to attack someone for being Democrat/Republican or because one’s view is more liberal/conservative.
- Try to keep this thread relevant to the 2020 election.
Also, if this discussion gets derailed or creates divides in our wonderful community any admin is free to delete and/or close this thread.
Oh, and keep your vote confidential. We do not need to know whether you voted Trump or Biden or someone else. Although we encourage all of you to vote.
If your post is likely to offend someone unintentionally, and you see it, then blur it out
or
hide it
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I’m going to start by talking about electronic voting and voting machines:
Our voting machines are decades old, and they suffer from the same problems that Tom Scott (above video) mentions. And about the claims casting doubt on paper voting; it has been attacked, but these attacks do not scale well.
Where I live, the voting machines that they use are like scan-trons. You fill out your ballot on paper, and then you insert it into the machine, and it scans the ballot in and records the vote electronically. The paper ballots are saved in case they need them for a recount, or in case something else occurs.
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Paper backups increase election security, according to top security officials at the US government. Good to see that. But fully computerized voting has problems.
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Please don’t cast doubt on certain types of voting. We’ve had enough issues with various people claiming various forms of voting are fraudulent.
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Gentle reminder to keep in mind what Aasim says above:
Let’s try to keep this about the election and not the candidates. We all have our own opinions, thoughts, and feelings. Let’s keep it civil. No attacking anyone.
And a second reminder to get out and vote if you can. Stay safe and take my wikilove. <3
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Yes we do have issues with people casting doubt on all kinds of voting. The California chapter of the GOP was caught setting up unauthorized ballot drop-off locations. The only locations that you can drop off your ballot are in mailboxes or at drop-off boxes listed on the state’s/province’s secretary of state’s website.
Electronic voting has its problems. So does paper voting. But what matters is that it works
. US voting machines are not subject to the same kind of fraud as those in other countries like Estonia because they are disconnected from the Internet. But they are subject to reliability issues, such as machine breakdown, unintentional vote switching, system errors, and weak admin passwords.
Are mail-in ballots subject to the same kind of fraud? Yes and no. But mail-in voting goes back to the American Civil War, and defenses for mail-in attacks have been found. So even if fraud were to occur, it would be easy to correct it and find out who caused it. Therefore, mail-in voting is as secure as they can be, and are far more secure than electronic voting.
Saw this comment on a celebrity’s Instagram. Is this true? Asking as a Canadian, lol.
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According to Vox
, it depends on the state, so unless you know it’s legal in your state, it’s safer to not post it. You are
allowed to post a photo of the “I Voted” sticker, though.
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If youre unsure, don’t post any photos.
That is because of anonymity and trust. You should neverbe able to prove who you voted for after the counting is done. You may want to watch the Tom Scott video I posted in #1
of the thread.
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Probably not, that would be illegal. Some states might try, but I doubt that such actions would hold up in court.
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Bright side: NO SCHOOL TODAY! Dark side: I can’t stop thinking about the election. This election could make or break the country, and I am terrified.
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Today, Puerto Rico is also voting on whether or not it should become a state. The result of that vote is non-binding, so even if the majority vote for yes, then nothing will happen. But if the Democrats win both Congress and the Presidency, then their party platform seems to indicate that they might allow Puerto Rico to become a state if the majority vote is yes.
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Oh, well, that’s cool! But let’s not say political party names… you’re talking Democrat and I am a fiery Republican. We do not need to start a humongous argument.
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There’s a difference between “this party has stated they plan to do X/have this view of policy/would likely do Y because of these statements and actions previously” and “party Z is going to ruin our country/is evil and morally bankrupt”. R2’s statement on whether Puerto Rico could become a state under a Democratic majority is fine, because that’s a neutral statement based on policy. Something like “the Republicans plan to cut taxes” would be fine, too, because it’s more factual. We just want to avoid fights over non-neutral personal viewpoints
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It appears that the National Guard is getting ready for any post election violence. There are reports of troops moving into position to be ready for any potential violence.
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The count is on. Note all the results are unofficial until the tally is made official. On another note, why not get rid of the electoral votes and instead have a popular vote to decide the presidency? Or have electoral votes represent the actual percentage of votes in the states? Instead of winner takes all?
voted for the first time yesterday, early voting is actually the best
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The first exit polls are going to start coming in today at 5pm EST, which is only an hour away!
