Politics

I plan to drop my absentee ballot off at the polling place during early voting

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I plan to drop my absentee ballot off at the polling place during early voting 🗳

The governor’s executive order allows for that and its the easiest way for me to do it – I can just fill it out from the privacy of home and be in and out. No wait or delay.

There is no reason for me not to vote by absentee. None of this year’s elections are competitive this year, so ballot challenges are very unlikely. But more than that, the basic law around absentee voting is straight forward and if you follow the rules your ballot will be counted. And even if you don’t follow the rules, chances are still good your ballot still will be counted.

And truth be told, any individual ballot doesn’t matter much. Only collective opinions decides elections not individual voters. It’s good to register your opinions – that’s important in a democracy but your opinions are only one of many so don’t get wrapped up around them. Your own vote isn’t going to change the world. Certainly if voting wasn’t so easy with the early voting site a less than a quarter mile from home, I’d probably think twice – although I’d probably still vote because it’s important.

California Republicans set up ballot drop boxes and falsely claimed they are official.

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California Republicans set up ballot drop boxes and falsely claimed they are official.

California law strictly regulates the creation and use of ballot boxes and bars private citizens from establishing them. Moreover, the statute that allows third parties to collect ballots requires voters to formally “designate” the “person” who will return their ballot to election officials. This person must sign the ballot envelope and provide both their name and relationship to the voter. Republicans do not seem to have followed these rules when collecting ballots.

 

Trump gives Bill Barr ultimatum as he demands roundup of political enemies | The Independent

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Trump gives Bill Barr ultimatum as he demands roundup of political enemies | The Independent

During a live phone-in on Fox Business, Donald Trump complained again that not enough of his political enemies have been arrested – and said attorney general Bill Barr could find himself in “a sad situation” if he doesn’t start rounding them up.

The blunt warning comes after Mr Trump left Walter Reed Medical Centre and returned to Twitter with a blizzard of angry tweets and retweets, many of them calling for the indictment of Obama administration figures.

NPR

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Stocks Tumble After Trump Calls Off Stimulus Until After The Election : NPR

Stock prices dropped sharply Tuesday, erasing earlier gains, after President Trump called on his representatives to stop negotiating with Democrats on another coronavirus stimulus package until after the November election.

Trump's message, contained in a tweet, came hours after Federal Reserve Jerome Powell had urged Congress in a speech to provide another round of pandemic relief, saying it's better to do too much than too little.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been up more than 200 points earlier in the day, suddenly reversed course and retreated as much as 413.5 points at one point.

How Hatred Came To Dominate American Politics | FiveThirtyEight

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How Hatred Came To Dominate American Politics | FiveThirtyEight

This is hardly a new trend; in fact, it’s increasingly common among American voters. However, this level of hatred — which political scientists call “negative partisanship” — has reached levels that are not just bad for democracy, but are potentially destructive. And extreme partisan animosity is a prelude to democratic collapse.

It wasn’t always this bad, though. Forty years ago, when asked to rate how “favorable and warm” their opinion of each party was, the average Democrat and Republican said they felt OK-ish about the opposite party. But for four decades now, partisans have increasingly turned against each other in an escalating cycle of dislike and distrust — views of the other party are currently at an all-time low.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like ticket splitting. 60-40 is my preference. I think it keeps politicians accountable and when you have divided government it help ensures minority rights are protected.

NPR

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Trump’s COVID-19 Diagnosis And History Of Presidents’ Health : NPR

None of opaqueness should come as surprise, though. Few occasions of historical importance have been so shrouded in secrecy — and even outright deception — as the health emergencies of world leaders. The U.S. may have been more transparent about these events than most countries, but, even here, the truth has only come to light over time.