tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post7248795871979257720..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: A Disappointing Voting InitiativeJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-68201971849000105202013-02-13T15:23:16.571-06:002013-02-13T15:23:16.571-06:00I agree with your point that present or former leg...I agree with your point that present or former legislators should head the commission. If the people who are responsible for fixing a problem like this are more interested with giving their party a win rather than finding a solution we have an entirely different problem that needs to be dealt with. <br />Steven Cappshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08959642689137869918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-513434906896009482013-02-13T13:17:07.030-06:002013-02-13T13:17:07.030-06:00Ben Ginsberg to reform voting? In my opinion, he ...Ben Ginsberg to reform voting? In my opinion, he should probably be in jail for the voting suppresion he has done over the decades.SquareStatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12298956502982190910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-70530107542680699762013-02-13T13:16:52.420-06:002013-02-13T13:16:52.420-06:00What David T said, above. And I would argue that t...What David T said, above. And I would argue that this whole exercise is just an opening move.<br /><br />Republicans have no interest in making it easier to vote - they clearly see their own interest as making it harder. So a commission is no more useless in immediate practical terms than anything else Obama could do or suggest.<br /><br />But come the summer of 2014, Obama will be positioned to go on the road saying, in effect, "The Republicans are trying to take away your right to vote!"<br /><br />Changing the turnout dynamics in 2014 is surely a longshot - it is just plain harder to turn out 'marginal voters' for some obscure congressional candidate in the off-year. But telling his supporters that they're being disenfranchised is probably his best shot at getting them to turn out.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-21686047396096495362013-02-13T12:34:20.272-06:002013-02-13T12:34:20.272-06:00Does Congress even have much authority here (absen...Does Congress even have much authority here (absent a constitutional amendment)? I'm thinking of the following argument: <br />http://www.thenation.com/blog/172695/constitutional-roadblock-efforts-fix-federal-electionsJosh R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13735810624620151231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-76547892604002027212013-02-13T11:54:06.289-06:002013-02-13T11:54:06.289-06:00I wouldn't say HAVA had no effect. Punchcards ...I wouldn't say HAVA had no effect. Punchcards are simply gone in the US. That is almost entirely good, as punchcards simply disenfranchised large numbers of people. HAVA funds have also been used by registrars/clerks to modernize and upgrade a lot of important parts of the whole system. <br /><br />As for Obama defining the problem narrowly, I'm less bothered than you by it. The commission isn't bound by the SOTU mention, but by their marching orders. (Which don't really "bind" them, but you get the point) Now, maybe he'll charge them with looking at the other parts, too, and maybe they'll drop that when they're unable to come to agreement, and it will end up looking like we just get a report on lines. Dealing with lines is a good thing, in and of itself. I'm at the point where I'll take baby steps in the right direction over leaps in the wrong direction.Matt Jarvisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-42245672373564993282013-02-13T11:02:52.594-06:002013-02-13T11:02:52.594-06:00He went after long lines, because long lines are u...He went after long lines, because long lines are unpopular, whereas for example photo-ID requirements are popular (the great majority of voters who can meet the requirement have little sympathy for the minority who cannot; moreoever, the majority tends to accept the "anti-fraud" rationale offered in support of such laws, however dubious it may be empirically).<br /><br />You have to choose your battles, and Obama chose to attack the least popular form of disfranchisement.<br /><br />David Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09260587086663631888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-66286656744150402932013-02-13T11:02:46.389-06:002013-02-13T11:02:46.389-06:00We need a Constitutional Amendment to deal with va...We need a Constitutional Amendment to deal with various aspects of our current voting mess (for instance repealing the electoral college and moving election day to the weekend). Yeah fat chance of happening this session, I know. But you could build support for it election after screwed up election until eventually the public backs it and you have the votes to pass it.Ron E.noreply@blogger.com