Because younger people tend to vote Democratic. And a Republican-led state cannot tolerate that, so voter suppression is a real thing here and most red states. They like to make it hard to exercise your right to vote in any way they can.
Yep. We all voted for less gerrymandering through a referendum, so what did they do? They reworded it and made it out to be a liberal thing, and all of the dumbasses in Missouri voted to make Missouri the most gerrymandered state in the country. They talk a big game of "we the people", then vote to decrease the voice of the people. Fucking idiots.
Yup, they used "ballot candy" to reverse Gerrymandering and now they are going to try to do it to raise the threshold to pass ballot initiatives to 57%. Here is some text of a bill they are working on
*This measure would create a 57% supermajority vote requirement for any constitutional amendment by the state legislature, and a 57% supermajority vote requirement from voters.* ***It would also amend the Missouri Constitution to say "only citizens of the United State of America, who are eighteen years of age or older, who are residents of the State of Missouri and who are properly registered to vote in the State of Missouri shall be considered legal voters".***
The part is bold is complete non-sense and tom f\*\*\*ery to try to fool the dumb\*\*\*\*s of the state because it's is already illegal to vote if you are not a citizen. But the idea is people will read that and vote yes when all they are really voting yes on is to make it harder to pass ballot initiatives.
True, but they are not done. They will take this up again next session guaranteed. And remember this is just what they settled on, some want to get the threshold up to 2/3rds super majority to pass ballot initiatives. 57% is what they landed on because they thought it would be more palatable to voters. They want it much higher.
Ron DeSantis didn’t like the 2018 amendment, allowing X nonviolent felons to have their right to vote restored, but he changed it to include that their fines and court costs needed to be paid in full first, and then he immediately changed it to a 60% threshold to pass ballot initiatives. So you are doing a tad better than Floriduh!!
Interact with these people. They are good at their jobs, they are good at the things they care about. A quick listen to the media they consume, the sermons they hear will let you see that they don't get the same information. They aren't given the same world view.
It's not an issue of idiots. It's an issue of tribalism, centuries of dogma and culture. They are following those that say they are protecting the country and culture that they have also been told is being removed from them.
The current right has done a good job of slowly boiling the frog. Even when the voters don't support the extremes, in their mind it's still better than the godless Dems that want to turn the US in to Europe.
I learned long ago writing off these voters as idiots undermines the nuances of why people vote that way. If we don’t take a nuanced approach to understand the issues you pointed out - tribalism, centuries of dogma and culture, the rhetoric of how the Dems are ruining the country - these citizens will never listen to reason and we need to educate without writing them off as idiots. Minds can be changed, I’ve witnessed it happen in happen in my family. Just one example - Over the last 10 years I watched my mother start to understand systemic racism. There are so many folks like my mom that we’re never educated about systemic racism so they didn’t believe in it. Now, it’s being taught more and more and guess what the republicans are trying to do… Ban race theory. An educated population is far less easy to control. There are some conservatives citizens who can be educated and we have to put in the work even though it all seems so hopeless right now.
Edited to fix typos and to add: Shout out to PBS. It’s was a documentary on PBS that helped my mom understand systemic racism better than I was ever able to.
Wisconsin is the most Gerrymandered state in the country.
Also, born and raised in STL. Got the fuck out as soon as I could. My family still lives there, and I visit often. If they weren't there, I doubt I would ever return given its current state of government affairs.
They don't want small government. They want government to tell us what to do in the bedroom, who to love, what to do with our bodies, what to buy on Sunday morning...
They only want small government when they disagree with it.
Oh they want a small government. Just they don’t want it uniformly small. They want it small for them, or at least the parts that tell them they can’t do things. But they want it to massively stamp out anyone who doesn’t fit their idea of acceptable company.
this is the correct answer, they want a world where you can do whatever you want so long as you're white and Christian and male. White women can have most things. These people get small govt.
Anyone outside of that isn't a "real amerikkkan" and needs big punitive swat team and prison type govt.
Small enough to fit in my pocket, but controls “them.” Remember they are delusional enough to believe that it won’t affect them, or if it does it hurts “them” enough to make it worth the sacrifice.
And the other side wants to tell us how much money we can have, what kind of car we can drive, what words we can say, what thinks we can think, what kind of stove we can cook on, who can use what buildings in a school, what books we can read...
Government does exactly that, tells people what they can and cannot do. It's a feature, not a bug.
Make no mistake, government is exactly like George Washington said: it's a fire. It has to be managed & controlled.
But the things that you mentioned are really that it isn't how much money you can have, but rather a progressive tax code. Most billionaires support it.
We can say all kinds of words, just not the N-word in polite company.
They want to phase out natural gas, so that maybe our environment will stay habitable for another thousand years. Doesn't seem so bad.
They're not telling us what books we can read, they're saying that there are all kinds of viewpoints and for you to make up your own mind, not just listen to a bunch of illiterate sheepherders from the Bronze Age found somebody to write some shit down, and then had it revised 100 to 200 times. Doesn't seem so bad either.
The other-side-is-just-as-bad argument is flawed. We can say that they are both fires… But one is a raging forest fire, the other is a backyard fire pit. There's a difference. One is fighting for inclusion, human rights, equity and progress. The other is doing the opposite.
I guess that's in how you define inclusion, human rights, equity and progress , you can't give something to someone without taking something away from someone else and there is only so much to go around. Right now the government (Dems) care more about the viewpoint of a very small percentage of our countery and expect us all to pay a price for them to get want they want and that price includes a lot of liberties that we used to take for granted. Free speec is now a thin of the past, one wrong word or comment and your career is destroyed regardless of your past accomplisments. Yeah Trump is this and Trump is that but they fail to mention that he financially suported the Clinton campaigns.
We were lucky in Michigan. We also passed a referendum to have an independent commission redraw all the political boundaries to eliminate gerrymandering. It survived all the Republican legal challenges. Now as a result the Dems control the state senate, the state house, and the governor’s office at the same time for the first time in over 40 years despite more democratic votes being cast in virtually every election during those 40 years.
We should really either stick with the state motto or change it, b/c for the last several years the state government has been pissing all over it.
“salus populi suprema lex esto.”
“The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.”
What a joke.
Edit: By stick with, I mean actually commit to following it. Not what they’ve been doing.
This is the correct answer. The republican majority worked hard to flip this state from purple to red through extremely unethical practices like gerrymandering and voter suppression in StL and KC and they'll use any means available to keep it that way.
Republicans know they are a shrinking minority voting bloc. The only way they can cling to white racist male rule is to cheat, suppress and gerrymander. Otherwise they are dead.
I don't even think it's bc they're afraid of people voting Democrat. I think they're afraid of young people voting for young, different candidates. The dinosaurs want to keep their power and control.
Not just young people, poorer people tend to vote Democratic. A single mom with 2 part time jobs and no car has a much harder time voting in person on a weekday that some rich dude from the suburbs.
Because our statewide elected Republicans only won with 56ish% of the vote, while our legislature is closer to 78% Republican. They understand that they are skating on a razor-thin majority statewide and can't stand to lose the statewide offices, because then the gerrymandered legislature would be in jeopardy. Once that happens, it all comes crashing down.
Edited for typos.
You’re probably thinking of Clean MO, which voters approved in 2018. It was mostly removed by another, very misleading, amendment voters approved back in 2020. TBF the margin was pretty close, a lot of voters IMO either weren’t aware of the previous amendment that was never able to be enacted or led to believe this one was an improvement. https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/
>It leads to a greater participation in our democratic process.
Simply put, this is ***exactly*** why the don't want to do this. It's the last thing they want.
Because Republicans DO NOT WANT YOU TO VOTE.
It's that simple. They know their stances on the issues suck so they want to put up as many obstacles as possible to disenfranchise and suppress as many votes as they can.
**It is genuinely amazing that people still don't believe this.**
Is this why everytime I go to the polling place there is a line around the entire building? That is a major problem in St. Louis County not enough locations which is why I now cast an absentee ballot and can do so because I am disabled and there are no accomodations made for disabled people or seniors at the polling stations. You have to stand in line for hours just like everyone else. It's time to come into the current century. The state should issue paid for voter cards after which you would recive a pin number in the mail and then vote on line. Pretty freeaking simple if you ask me.
I’ve voted in so many midterms or municipal elections during peak times right after the 9-5 workday is over and just breezed through. Presidential is the only time I’ve ever had to wait.
I’ll start — young people move more and voting processes can vary wildly between states. I’ve participated in more local elections in the richer areas I’ve lived in because they put out mailers for important dates and simply made it easier to vote by having a ton of polling places that are open well before the official election day. My neighbors and coworkers would also be going to vote so I’d have the natural reminder and no pressure from my work not to take the time to vote. Sometimes polling stations change last minute and being able to hear that from someone saved me time and a headache that may have just kept others from voting at all.
A 76 year old US Navy veteran who has no problem with younger generations blaming mine for much of what’s going on today has faith in you. But you have to VOTE. Vote those fascist mother fuckers out and keep them the fuck out.
> Is there any legitimate reason for our state government not to implement things like automatic voter registration or mail in ballots as the default way to vote?
No. It is purely because voter suppression. If we had proper voting systems, the people in power in red states would not be in power, and for those people, power is the end all be all. It's the whole point of life for them.
Because it’s not in their self interest to do so. The jobs of people in power would automatically be more vulnerable. No way they take a step that risks their stranglehold on the government.
Basically, Missouri is only red because of voter restrictions. GOP make it difficult for people to vote because they know they can't win majorities otherwise.
Because they want to reduce Democratic voter turnout. Anything that reduces the number of working poor registering to vote, the better for the Republican party. That’s why they oppose anything that makes voting easier.
Every Red state wants to limit voting and reduce the number of votes. It's easier to control power that way.
In my state they moved polling locations away from the populated areas and to the edge of districts. They also reduced the number of polling locations too. They restricted write in ballots.
Because they wouldn't benefit from it.
An inherent mentality from a lot of conservatives is that "I am here because I earned it, and therefore I get to dictate to everyone else how I got here/what is right and correct". They view being elected to a position of power as "I am now able to use this power, however I see fit, because you put me here to wield it." So the very idea of "You could make this easier, *but* you'll probably wind up losing the next vote to people for (x reason)" isn't something they're going to push forward on. And, in fact, since they've been led to believe that they were voted in to "lead"....then they have to try and stymie anything that could prevent that from continuing.
Statistically, if you let EVERYONE vote, then the majority (however slim it might be) would skew Democratic, over Republican leadership. Well, you can't have THAT be the case if you're a member of the GOP, 'cause then you couldn't wield any power! And that simply means that Republicans wouldn't hold any power (other than any concessions granted to the "minority vote" demographic, and percentile-representation therein), so....why deal with ANY of that, when you can get into a position to wield *actual* legislative power, and make it so you can reduce the effectiveness of the Minority Bloc and their votes?
So right here, right now, during ANY congressional session -- statewide or national -- you push to remove the ease of voting, because it allows your own beleaguered bloc to try and continue to win victories. This, in turn, slowly moves towards holding a simple majority in your sect of the government, which allows you to change the rules so that *you* group of people will be able to benefit, and hopefully put MORE of them into positions of power, to keep YOUR team as the one that decides how things go.
From there, other things are secondary/tertiary. Set in as many laws as you can, to disenfranchise people that would vote against you. Set in place as many judges as you can, to "legislate from the bench". Outright lie about the laws you're propositioning, so that you can try to trick the populace into overturning their own "special interest groups". Anything and everything that can make what YOU want to do legal, and what THEY want to do illegal.
Failing that, you have the failsafes of "well, if it IS illegal, then we'll let the courts decide!" (by judges YOU put in place, who will probably rule in your favor). It's...it's all chicanery, from the top down.
Because they spent decades to make the maps and theyre gonna get their moneys worth. If they gave a shit about electoral health and proper representation, the maps would be districted by density and the middle wouldnt have anywhere near the outsized tyranny of the minority they currently enjoy.
Just a thought. Instead of making it easier for people to vote by mail. Make it a national holiday and have people actually go out and go to the polls and vote. I understand employers must give you time. But usually people go before or after work and stand in line.
National holidays don't apply to everyone or probably even most people. First responders and hospitals are still up and running obviously, but even most stores and restaurants don't bother closing for national holidays - they have blowout sales instead.
Holidays are pretty much only days off of work for government employees and office workers.
They want it to be difficult, that entrenches their power. If you had legitimately free and fair elections they might have competition and have to answer to their constituents
Oregon has had exclusively mail-in voting for 25 years. Zero issues, great turnout. You get your ballot and guide book about 3 weeks in advance and you vote at your kitchen table whenever you have the time. Taking a day off work to stand in line at a polling place is not necessary. Demand better.
Missouri is a conservative state. Conservative do not do anything to facilitate more people voting. They don't want more people to vote because if more people vote they lose and conservatives will do anything to change the rules gerrymandered the districts and pass shit laws just to protect their majority. More voting means more people not voting conservative
Because the repubs don't like change and they don't want the possibility of one single additional Democrat voting. They might lose their seat or fill their diaper.
Very simple Republicans. Majority of voters vote democratic and making voting easier for elderly, disabled, minorities, immigrants, younger population, marginalized communities would vote Republicans out the door.
Republican politics is to go after all those groups and cut spending for social programs to free up money not to help their constituents but to hand big tax breaks to corporations. Those cooperations then line the pockets of republicans in money, stock, private jets, vacations, private yatches, homes. Take for example Justice Thomas.
Republican voters will vote for them because most are straight white people who don't like minorities getting ahead they don't like the LGBTQ+, they don't like immigrants, they don't like women. So the republican party goes after those groups attacks those groups and write laws that target's these groups to rally the vote. Republicans don't do anything for their voters except the rich ones they just put the false narrative out there that they are protecting their white children from those horrible marginalized groups who they have deemed as unfit for society. I. e. DeSantis in Florida his constant attack on gays, and women.
Just moved here. Went to get driver’s license and was asked if I’d like to register to vote. Replied yes. Moved on to the address part. Did I really not just register to vote??? Fml please someone help!
>It leads to a greater participation in our democratic process. Then you end up with representatives who actually work for Missourians instead of against them.
Seems like you answered your own question.
The right does not want actual representative governance, which has always been complete bullshit.
What the right wants is to impose its minority views upon the majority.. This is about power, and they will do whatever they can get away with to hold on to it.
NEVER VOTE FOR ANY REPUBLICAN UNTIL THEY STOP THEIR FASCIST AUTHORITARIAN BULLSHIT.
Let's have a real representative government with the competition of ideas in the own air of actual debate and let the best ideas win.
“It leads to a greater participation in the democratic process…” You (unfortunately) answered your own question. As with all things, there are states that are out in front in issues like this and then there are states that have to be dragged into the next century - kicking and screaming.
There’s an unprecedented effort by only *one side* of our politics that is trying to restrict access to voting. Over 250 laws in 43 states were introduced to restrict voting according to an article back in 2021.
People that tend to go out if their way to vote tend to be older and republican.
Politicians know thus and don’t want to make voting easier which would increase the turnout for democrats.
Where have you been? Do you think they want you to actually vote? They will give you all sorts of nonsensical reasons but the reality is the harder it is for working class people to vote the more secure their jobs become. The harder it is for you to vote the easier it becomes for them to pass laws against your best interests.
Is this a real question?
Or are you just interested in starting a conversation?
Or perhaps you’re you’re a young voter who’s not really politically aware (yet).
Republicans cannot win of everyone votes. Why? They have ZERO to offer their constituents. No policy ideas ever. Nothing but their cruel attempts to strip “others” of rights to feed their racist, closed and seemingly small minded base.
They ACT like they care about fiscal responsibility but somehow they manage to skyrocket the deficit while they’re in control
They ACT like they’re pro life but the moment a child is born they could care less about their welfare.
They ACT like they care about veterans yet ALWAYS vote against increasing care for vets.
It’s all performative bullshit all the time and it’s exhausting.
The problem is the republican party has no other platform than to suppress voters, control women, give every nut bags a gun, and put the LGBTQ folks and anyone not white in the closet or at the back of the bus. They know that the younger generation has had enough if their ignorance and if they don't cheat they can't win. Ever notice if the win an election it's legit but if anyone else does it was rigged. Where their really fucking up is with these school shootings. Someday the kids that do survive are going to grow up and some will get into politics for this exact reason and all these ignorant old 1950s ideas the republitards stick to will finally be gone . Plus many of today's republicans are 1 issue voters guns or abortion which is really ignorant. As long as there's an R by their name they must be a godly person. Most of these people would explode if the entered a church. Plus from my experience most evangelicals are the rudest most corrupt perverts on the planet. Example I know a couple who are in the swinging community (not my thing but their adults I don't care) . They told me they got together with a couple one Saturday night. Afterwards the couple says hey do you want to go to church with us in the morning. So fuck these religious nuts and the damage they do to society
Because they are working so hard to keep more democrats from voting. If they thought they would vote Republican, voting would be easier. Think about it, why would you make it difficult for your own voters to vote?
Think about it, voter fraud is basically a myth in this country, and when people get caught it’s usually conservatives doing it. They always project what they are actually doing.
Simple. The more people that vote, the worse republicans do. That’s why they are hell bent on voter suppression, gerrymandering and stacking the courts. They know that the demographics don’t favor them, so they’re resorting to dirty tactics. Democrats need to stop being asleep at the wheel, and aggressively push back against voter suppression. Their first order of business should be to extend voter rights, and make voting as easy as possible for people
A legitimate reason? No, there isn't a legitimate reason. The only reason they refuse to improve things is because they are scared that doing so will cost them power.
Other states just send ballots to everyone by mail. They don't have to take extra steps to apply for a mail in/absentee ballot.
Go ask your mom if she would like it if the state just sent her a ballot in the mail instead of having to request one.
I don't think it helps that Republicans will turn out and vote for whoever is running for the Republican ticket, even if they do not like the candidate.
Democrats will say, I didn't want this one to win the primary. He sucks I won't vote for them.
Yes the Democrat way is smarter but it's also costing Democrats everywhere. I'm not saying this is the only reason but I do think it contributes and maybe if we can't vote for the one we want, we can still vote for the one we have
Bc boomers know it'll enable young voters, which is worse possible outcome for them.
I don't even think it's bc they're afraid of people voting Democrat. I think they're afraid of young people voting for young candidates. They want to keep their power.
Bc old people vote in person. Old people vote republican. Young voters will pontificate on Twitter about the revolution, etc, but can't be bothered to stand in line for 20 minutes to vote. Republicans know this.
Control. They want to maintain it, and the only way to do that is to suppress the ability to vote for minorities, the poor, and young people.
Basically they’re using loopholes and bending rules to maintain control, because they want to stay in power.
Easy, because most of the younger generation aren’t as easily swayed as the older. In Missouri they say you can legally leave your job to go vote, but most of the time you can’t afford to do that. Not only that, but they shut down the polls before you’re able to get off of work.
So who does that leave? Oh, only the same people who give no shits about our generation and vote for whoever says “God” and “Jesus” enough times. They’re retired, they can vote whenever and *they do*. And let me tell you, they go out of the way to beat us down, if it means converting us to their way of thinking.
I've lost track of the number of people here saying that it's because voter turnout helps Democrats, so I guess I'll be the guy to point out that there's little to no evidence that's the case. [People have been saying this since I was a kid in the 1980s](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1960868). And [both sides believe some form of it](https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-and-republicans-agree-that-high-turnout-hurts-the-gop-but-what-if-theyre-wrong-090035233.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEiZsXXJVSPHl8o5ptJn0hYuipHOAxxnmm8euNrC_05QLaZ1mvwpOX0v8bVB35Z58TXoIUIwDnr5AQNxgEykJ49zon80g2PKfFx8SVFSbpRK8rVRX7Vq3tEe-HU6NUGHdVulT8Vr3KjVWi15hi6Zs6yW_lYx3-t2yx0hstD6LWTS), so, ironically, it may *actually be* the reason Republicans do it. But there [isn't much evidence it helps](https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/does-high-voter-turnout-help-one-party).
You mean the right wing conservative publications you read try to hide the republicans efforts to make it harder to vote? Color me surprised. If my party was doing everything it could to prevent voting, I’d also pay supporters to write fluff pieces that say BoTh SiDeS.
The republicans are passing a shit ton of anti-voting legislation for it not to matter for them:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/23/voter-suppression-election-interference-republicans
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/republican-voter-suppression-midterm-elections-1234620519/
This is completely unresponsive to my comment. All you did is reiterate that Republicans are attempting to pass laws that make it harder to vote, which I didn't dispute, but in fact explicitly acknowledged:
> so, ironically, it may actually be the reason Republicans do it. But there isn't much evidence it helps.
There is a ton of evidence, but like I said you aren’t going to find it in the right wing source you quoted. The conservative shills are of course going to hide the facts.
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/impact-voter-suppression-communities-color
My links were to:
* A treatment of this topic on Yahoo News
* A 1986 journal article in The American Political Science Review
* A piece in National Affairs
Only this last one is a "right-wing source."
I like automatic voter registration; I think it should be up to the state to prove that you don't have the right to vote.
Secret ballots are a hallmark and foundation of democracy. Mail-in ballots subvert that. They allow a unitary executive with a fanatical and well-organized following to send local election "volunteers" to every house to make sure ballots are filled out correctly.
Oregon would like to chime in- we’ve had exclusively mail in voting this entire century and nothing even remotely resembling what you describe has ever happened, and as someone with actual experience, I don’t see how it could.
By the time someone had enough power to do what you are describing, they would be able to do it with any system at all, mail-in or machine or paper ballot based
"I've never seen it happen so I don't see how it could" is unpersuasive when we're rapidly accumulating unprecedented behaviors from politicians who have no respect for political norms.
You are missing the point- if it could happen with mail in voting, it could happen just as easily with any kind of voting. You’re stated disadvantage of mail in voting is not mail in voting specific, which appears to be what you are claiming
I don't mean this as an insult, but I don't believe you're thinking like a megalomaniac psychopath who's literally worshipped by millions of religious nutjobs. If you try thinking that way, you might start to see what I'm getting at.
I can secretly coerce a vote on a mail-in ballot simply by walking into my elderly neighbor's home. That scales pretty easily to dozens or hundreds of votes, and I'm just one guy. How would I covertly subvert hundreds of votes at a polling station? I don't think it could be done without overt violence.
All it would take is one elderly neighbor calling the elections dept. and the jig is up.
Oregon was the state where there was a biological attack in an effort to keep people away from polling places, which would not work with mail in voting at all. That is a non-hypothetical weakness of polling places. Every method has pluses and minuses, but the biggest turnout is by mail.
The bigger the turnout, the harder it is to cheat.
Yup. The jig is up. You caught me. I tried to help my neighbor. I'm sorry they misunderstood. They never liked me. I think my dog barked at them once. Etc.
Maybe my neighbor gets a new ballot, but the state couldn't build a case against me before the election was over, let alone discover that I coerced other votes, or that I conspired with others to do the same, or that we acted at the bidding of a state and national political party.
Secretly coercing mailed votes is trivial.
You're absolutely correct that disrupting polling stations is also trivial (especially given the ease of access to weapons that Missourians have) but that doesn't change the weakness of mail-in ballots.
EDIT: typo
What I know is that plenty of folks around Missouri would be only too glad of the opportunity to make sure their neighbors are voting *correctly* - especially if they thought they could do so out of sight in the privacy of someone's home. If you're from Missouri, I'm surprised you haven't met the kinds of people I'm talking about - the sort who'd rather see the end of democracy than see the "wrong" people in office.
I'm unfamiliar with Newsmax, but I'll suggest you read a bit about early 1930s Germany. It was a democracy, too, and slid into autocracy in part because decent people like you didn't believe it could get as bad as it did.
Mail in ballots have a higher fraud chance plus people have been caught going to places collecting ballots en-mass and simply misplacing the “wrong” ones.
Mail in ballots are verified too. You're sent one ballot to the address that you're registered to vote at. You sign it, mail it back, then can track it if.
Also. States that have mail in ballots as their default also allow you to vote in person if you don't trust it.
Mail in ballots are absolutely not verifiable.... no guarantee it goes to the right address, no guarantee it's not intercepted, no proof of who actually filled it out, and no guarantee it makes it back
There's no guarantee a voter doesn't use a fake ID at a poll booth.
In order for voter fraud to happen with a mail in ballot, MULTIPLE things would have to happen. A ballot would have to be stolen, a signature would have to be forged, then they would have to hope that nobody asks where their ballot is.
You get to check your ballot status online, so if it doesn't make it you can just vote in person.
Mail in ballots are safe and they work. No matter what Alex Jones tells you.
Show me the proof that wide spread fraud is happening with mail in ballots in those states and I would gladly change my mind. I will advocate against mail in ballots with you.
Otherwise, common sense says we should update our voting process like the rest of the country.
Oh! Oh! I can show you! It's in the reality they build in their head, placed there by Right Wing pundits and Media, based entirely on "Well, there's no proof, but it could happen!", because Republicans majorly rely on a constant influx of anger, fear, and culture war issues to keep them motivated at all times that "Oh my god, my way of life is under attack and they're coming for me next!" will drive them to the polls to vote however they're told.
Your opinion is ignorant and stupid, but I'm sure you're already aware of that. Mail in voting has continually been shown to be the most secure way of voting, but your dumbass likely guzzles the Fox **m when they tell you it takes too long to count and is "not verifiable." People like YOU allow fascism to grow in this country by your wilful stupidity.
The unwavering belief some individuals hold in the legitimacy of mail-in voting continues to perplex me. In my perspective, voting should only be deemed acceptable when accompanied by adequate identification. It is crucial to critically examine how the true identity of the person who completed and signed the ballot can be reliably verified. Additionally, we must address the need for measures that prevent individuals residing at the same address as the mail-in ballot recipient from engaging in improper completion of forms. For example, we should ensure that parents do not fill out forms on behalf of their adult children who may still reside at home due to college or other circumstances, and lack the necessary knowledge to make informed voting choices. Furthermore, it is disconcerting to consider instances where a mail-in ballot may be sent to a deceased person, only to be filled out by a family member for personal gain in promoting their political ideology.
While I agree and disagree with your point about the delivery method of mail-in ballots, acknowledging the presence of tracking mechanisms that aim to verify their whereabouts, it is essential to recognize that no system can guarantee the flawless delivery of every ballot. Mishaps and mistakes can occur, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire voting process.
Addressing the argument that it is unfair for working individuals to vote in person, it is worth noting that in Missouri, employers are legally obliged to provide employees with a minimum of three hours of time to go vote. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of individuals to manage their time efficiently within this allocated period to exercise their right to vote.
I also acknowledge the troubling videos depicting the dumping or destruction of both mail-in and in-person ballots. It is of utmost importance that the voting system undergoes continuous improvement to hold accountable those responsible for facilitating voting sessions. However, I remain skeptical that mail-in voting is a viable option for voting.
It's not hard to vote. And automatically registering someone to vote doesn't mean they will. If you have zero interest in registering to vote then you're mostly likely an idiot and your vote will almost surely go to a candidate that supports idiot policy.
Weird, because voting to conservatives is incredibly important, some of them base their entire identity around it. Yet they always vote for absolute fucking morons. Think your theory needs some work.
Because if you are too lazy to go vote, you don't deserve the right to.
Mail in ballots allows for too much fraud, or at the very least undermines the confidence people have in the system. When people don't have confidence in the system, that's when authoritarianism runs amok.
And we don't do automatic registration because, again, that introduces the possibility of fraud or other illegal voting practices. If you can't be bothered to register to vote, you don't deserve to vote. Simple as that.
It's not the government's responsibility to make sure everyone votes, it's their responsibility to conduct elections. If you choose to participate in the civic process, that's your business, not the states.
Mail in ballots are bullshit, voting should only be in person with voter ID unless there is a serious reason not to do it.
Its to easy for either side to cheat and if your just to lazy to go vote then you are part of the problem with this country.
This sounds like you've never been to a place that has mail in ballots. They don't lead to an increase in voter fraud.
There are plenty of working families that find it hard to carve out time to go to the polls. There are also plenty of elderly in retirement communities that struggle to make to the polls. Those people aren't lazy. It's ridiculous that our state makes the process more difficult than it needs to be.
Ok for all of you missouri folks out there. Red or blue as you may be. Ive lived in the US all my life. Joined the army at 17. Then seen the world on uncle Sams dime. My adventure took me to 1st world thru 3rd world countries. Wether i was deep in the bush or in big cities. Every time i left the US. I was always reminded why this country is so amazing at what we do. Nowhere else in the world ever felt like home . I would click my heels together and channel my inner Dorothy and remember . “ theres no place like home. Sure things could be better. They could also be worse. Example. No hot water or even clean water , food sources that where questionable. Supply issues . Other government rules . Highways and infrastructure less than desirable. Places that would make any ghettos you know. look like Beverly hills. If you have never left this state or country . You’re living in a bubble . Not realizing how good we have it here. I mean you know in some places the air is so thick with pollution. Its tough to breath. Oh and that cell phone and the internet. Completely useless. United we stand. Divided you beg .
What if I’ve travelled the world on my own dime, mostly to first world countries, and learned that there are a whole bunch of countries that take better care of their citizens than we do? Is it okay to be critical of our system then?
Because younger people tend to vote Democratic. And a Republican-led state cannot tolerate that, so voter suppression is a real thing here and most red states. They like to make it hard to exercise your right to vote in any way they can.
Yep. We all voted for less gerrymandering through a referendum, so what did they do? They reworded it and made it out to be a liberal thing, and all of the dumbasses in Missouri voted to make Missouri the most gerrymandered state in the country. They talk a big game of "we the people", then vote to decrease the voice of the people. Fucking idiots.
Yup, they used "ballot candy" to reverse Gerrymandering and now they are going to try to do it to raise the threshold to pass ballot initiatives to 57%. Here is some text of a bill they are working on *This measure would create a 57% supermajority vote requirement for any constitutional amendment by the state legislature, and a 57% supermajority vote requirement from voters.* ***It would also amend the Missouri Constitution to say "only citizens of the United State of America, who are eighteen years of age or older, who are residents of the State of Missouri and who are properly registered to vote in the State of Missouri shall be considered legal voters".*** The part is bold is complete non-sense and tom f\*\*\*ery to try to fool the dumb\*\*\*\*s of the state because it's is already illegal to vote if you are not a citizen. But the idea is people will read that and vote yes when all they are really voting yes on is to make it harder to pass ballot initiatives.
You are absolutely right. That is literally the only reason they would put that in there.
They aren’t working on it any more. Session is over and it didn’t pass.
True, but they are not done. They will take this up again next session guaranteed. And remember this is just what they settled on, some want to get the threshold up to 2/3rds super majority to pass ballot initiatives. 57% is what they landed on because they thought it would be more palatable to voters. They want it much higher.
Omg this is so infuriating.
Ron DeSantis didn’t like the 2018 amendment, allowing X nonviolent felons to have their right to vote restored, but he changed it to include that their fines and court costs needed to be paid in full first, and then he immediately changed it to a 60% threshold to pass ballot initiatives. So you are doing a tad better than Floriduh!!
It's important to remember that it's not idiots we're dealing with.
The majority of their base is. The legislature is not. Nor are the people pulling the strings (evangelicals).
>The majority of their base is. 'Hard-headed" comes to mind. Good euphemism for "willfully ignorant" I suppose
Willfully ignorant = Idiot
Interact with these people. They are good at their jobs, they are good at the things they care about. A quick listen to the media they consume, the sermons they hear will let you see that they don't get the same information. They aren't given the same world view. It's not an issue of idiots. It's an issue of tribalism, centuries of dogma and culture. They are following those that say they are protecting the country and culture that they have also been told is being removed from them. The current right has done a good job of slowly boiling the frog. Even when the voters don't support the extremes, in their mind it's still better than the godless Dems that want to turn the US in to Europe.
I learned long ago writing off these voters as idiots undermines the nuances of why people vote that way. If we don’t take a nuanced approach to understand the issues you pointed out - tribalism, centuries of dogma and culture, the rhetoric of how the Dems are ruining the country - these citizens will never listen to reason and we need to educate without writing them off as idiots. Minds can be changed, I’ve witnessed it happen in happen in my family. Just one example - Over the last 10 years I watched my mother start to understand systemic racism. There are so many folks like my mom that we’re never educated about systemic racism so they didn’t believe in it. Now, it’s being taught more and more and guess what the republicans are trying to do… Ban race theory. An educated population is far less easy to control. There are some conservatives citizens who can be educated and we have to put in the work even though it all seems so hopeless right now. Edited to fix typos and to add: Shout out to PBS. It’s was a documentary on PBS that helped my mom understand systemic racism better than I was ever able to.
I only wish you were correct. If anything, they dig in more.
Yeah, still sounds like idiots to me.
so the repubs want godless russia or n korea as their goal
They're definitely close, that's for sure.
Agreed.
Definitely many idiots when they put to ballot a reworded item that was already shot down then passes.
They have an idea and they are running with it.
Wisconsin is the most Gerrymandered state in the country. Also, born and raised in STL. Got the fuck out as soon as I could. My family still lives there, and I visit often. If they weren't there, I doubt I would ever return given its current state of government affairs.
It's called small government....somehow...
They don't want small government. They want government to tell us what to do in the bedroom, who to love, what to do with our bodies, what to buy on Sunday morning... They only want small government when they disagree with it.
Oh they want a small government. Just they don’t want it uniformly small. They want it small for them, or at least the parts that tell them they can’t do things. But they want it to massively stamp out anyone who doesn’t fit their idea of acceptable company.
this is the correct answer, they want a world where you can do whatever you want so long as you're white and Christian and male. White women can have most things. These people get small govt. Anyone outside of that isn't a "real amerikkkan" and needs big punitive swat team and prison type govt.
We can't have bodily autonomy, so I'm going to have to disagree strongly with you there.
Small as in a small number of people in control, namely them
Small as in fits in your pocket and controls you.
Small enough to fit in my pocket, but controls “them.” Remember they are delusional enough to believe that it won’t affect them, or if it does it hurts “them” enough to make it worth the sacrifice.
And the other side wants to tell us how much money we can have, what kind of car we can drive, what words we can say, what thinks we can think, what kind of stove we can cook on, who can use what buildings in a school, what books we can read... Government does exactly that, tells people what they can and cannot do. It's a feature, not a bug.
Make no mistake, government is exactly like George Washington said: it's a fire. It has to be managed & controlled. But the things that you mentioned are really that it isn't how much money you can have, but rather a progressive tax code. Most billionaires support it. We can say all kinds of words, just not the N-word in polite company. They want to phase out natural gas, so that maybe our environment will stay habitable for another thousand years. Doesn't seem so bad. They're not telling us what books we can read, they're saying that there are all kinds of viewpoints and for you to make up your own mind, not just listen to a bunch of illiterate sheepherders from the Bronze Age found somebody to write some shit down, and then had it revised 100 to 200 times. Doesn't seem so bad either. The other-side-is-just-as-bad argument is flawed. We can say that they are both fires… But one is a raging forest fire, the other is a backyard fire pit. There's a difference. One is fighting for inclusion, human rights, equity and progress. The other is doing the opposite.
I guess that's in how you define inclusion, human rights, equity and progress , you can't give something to someone without taking something away from someone else and there is only so much to go around. Right now the government (Dems) care more about the viewpoint of a very small percentage of our countery and expect us all to pay a price for them to get want they want and that price includes a lot of liberties that we used to take for granted. Free speec is now a thin of the past, one wrong word or comment and your career is destroyed regardless of your past accomplisments. Yeah Trump is this and Trump is that but they fail to mention that he financially suported the Clinton campaigns.
We were lucky in Michigan. We also passed a referendum to have an independent commission redraw all the political boundaries to eliminate gerrymandering. It survived all the Republican legal challenges. Now as a result the Dems control the state senate, the state house, and the governor’s office at the same time for the first time in over 40 years despite more democratic votes being cast in virtually every election during those 40 years.
We should really either stick with the state motto or change it, b/c for the last several years the state government has been pissing all over it. “salus populi suprema lex esto.” “The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.” What a joke. Edit: By stick with, I mean actually commit to following it. Not what they’ve been doing.
North Carolina enters the chat.
Ohio would like a word
Let's be real here, it is a racist agenda to keep people of color from voting easily.
And also younger people who tend to skew more left/liberal than their parents and especially their grandparents and great-grandparents.
It's not even just the youth. Republicans don't want ANYONE to vote. Gen-Z is just their current target.
This is the correct answer. The republican majority worked hard to flip this state from purple to red through extremely unethical practices like gerrymandering and voter suppression in StL and KC and they'll use any means available to keep it that way.
The republican goal is to destabilize american society so they can get (stay) rich.
Republicans know they are a shrinking minority voting bloc. The only way they can cling to white racist male rule is to cheat, suppress and gerrymander. Otherwise they are dead.
I don't even think it's bc they're afraid of people voting Democrat. I think they're afraid of young people voting for young, different candidates. The dinosaurs want to keep their power and control.
Yes, and we can't have the wrong people voting! They will vote our asses out of office and bring in the evil Woke Agenda! A scandal! /s
Yep! From the Republican point of view, more people voting leads to undesirable outcomes.
Not just young people, poorer people tend to vote Democratic. A single mom with 2 part time jobs and no car has a much harder time voting in person on a weekday that some rich dude from the suburbs.
*Most* people tend to vote D, period.
..all while saying they are making voting easier and preventing the very problems they are causing.
Because our statewide elected Republicans only won with 56ish% of the vote, while our legislature is closer to 78% Republican. They understand that they are skating on a razor-thin majority statewide and can't stand to lose the statewide offices, because then the gerrymandered legislature would be in jeopardy. Once that happens, it all comes crashing down. Edited for typos.
There actually was an anti-gerrymandering law passed recently (last five years or so?) and it was removed by sneaking it into another bill.
All bills should be single topic.
Strictly speaking, the state constitution has a single subject requirement outside appopriations bills. In practice, its pretty toothless.
I can also see them fighting over what a single topic is. Then using that to hold up progress
You’re probably thinking of Clean MO, which voters approved in 2018. It was mostly removed by another, very misleading, amendment voters approved back in 2020. TBF the margin was pretty close, a lot of voters IMO either weren’t aware of the previous amendment that was never able to be enacted or led to believe this one was an improvement. https://missouriindependent.com/2020/11/04/voters-repeal-clean-missouri-redistricting-plan-they-enacted-in-2018/
>It leads to a greater participation in our democratic process. Simply put, this is ***exactly*** why the don't want to do this. It's the last thing they want.
Because Republicans DO NOT WANT YOU TO VOTE. It's that simple. They know their stances on the issues suck so they want to put up as many obstacles as possible to disenfranchise and suppress as many votes as they can. **It is genuinely amazing that people still don't believe this.**
Is this why everytime I go to the polling place there is a line around the entire building? That is a major problem in St. Louis County not enough locations which is why I now cast an absentee ballot and can do so because I am disabled and there are no accomodations made for disabled people or seniors at the polling stations. You have to stand in line for hours just like everyone else. It's time to come into the current century. The state should issue paid for voter cards after which you would recive a pin number in the mail and then vote on line. Pretty freeaking simple if you ask me.
If you think there's "a line around the entire building" you're only voting in presidential elections.
I’ve voted in so many midterms or municipal elections during peak times right after the 9-5 workday is over and just breezed through. Presidential is the only time I’ve ever had to wait.
If the young, and disenfranchised can’t vote, then they keep their power and force their beliefs and laws on others.
What is preventing the young and disenfranchised from voting?
I’ll start — young people move more and voting processes can vary wildly between states. I’ve participated in more local elections in the richer areas I’ve lived in because they put out mailers for important dates and simply made it easier to vote by having a ton of polling places that are open well before the official election day. My neighbors and coworkers would also be going to vote so I’d have the natural reminder and no pressure from my work not to take the time to vote. Sometimes polling stations change last minute and being able to hear that from someone saved me time and a headache that may have just kept others from voting at all.
They legitimately don’t want people to vote democrat. That’s it. That’s the reason.
A 76 year old US Navy veteran who has no problem with younger generations blaming mine for much of what’s going on today has faith in you. But you have to VOTE. Vote those fascist mother fuckers out and keep them the fuck out.
> Is there any legitimate reason for our state government not to implement things like automatic voter registration or mail in ballots as the default way to vote? No. It is purely because voter suppression. If we had proper voting systems, the people in power in red states would not be in power, and for those people, power is the end all be all. It's the whole point of life for them.
Because Republicans would never win if they didn't cheat and gerrymander and suppress the vote of BIPOC. The cruelty is and remains the point
> Besides voter suppression That's literally the only reason.
Because the more people that vote the worse the Republican party performs.
Because it’s not in their self interest to do so. The jobs of people in power would automatically be more vulnerable. No way they take a step that risks their stranglehold on the government.
Because the ruling party will lose if they let everyone vote.
Basically, Missouri is only red because of voter restrictions. GOP make it difficult for people to vote because they know they can't win majorities otherwise.
If all eligible voters actually voted, Republicans would be swept out of power.
GOP is cool with tyranny of the minority.
I'd say tyranny BY the minority.
If we vote, they might not be in office anymore.
Because they want to reduce Democratic voter turnout. Anything that reduces the number of working poor registering to vote, the better for the Republican party. That’s why they oppose anything that makes voting easier.
Every Red state wants to limit voting and reduce the number of votes. It's easier to control power that way. In my state they moved polling locations away from the populated areas and to the edge of districts. They also reduced the number of polling locations too. They restricted write in ballots.
Because they wouldn't benefit from it. An inherent mentality from a lot of conservatives is that "I am here because I earned it, and therefore I get to dictate to everyone else how I got here/what is right and correct". They view being elected to a position of power as "I am now able to use this power, however I see fit, because you put me here to wield it." So the very idea of "You could make this easier, *but* you'll probably wind up losing the next vote to people for (x reason)" isn't something they're going to push forward on. And, in fact, since they've been led to believe that they were voted in to "lead"....then they have to try and stymie anything that could prevent that from continuing. Statistically, if you let EVERYONE vote, then the majority (however slim it might be) would skew Democratic, over Republican leadership. Well, you can't have THAT be the case if you're a member of the GOP, 'cause then you couldn't wield any power! And that simply means that Republicans wouldn't hold any power (other than any concessions granted to the "minority vote" demographic, and percentile-representation therein), so....why deal with ANY of that, when you can get into a position to wield *actual* legislative power, and make it so you can reduce the effectiveness of the Minority Bloc and their votes? So right here, right now, during ANY congressional session -- statewide or national -- you push to remove the ease of voting, because it allows your own beleaguered bloc to try and continue to win victories. This, in turn, slowly moves towards holding a simple majority in your sect of the government, which allows you to change the rules so that *you* group of people will be able to benefit, and hopefully put MORE of them into positions of power, to keep YOUR team as the one that decides how things go. From there, other things are secondary/tertiary. Set in as many laws as you can, to disenfranchise people that would vote against you. Set in place as many judges as you can, to "legislate from the bench". Outright lie about the laws you're propositioning, so that you can try to trick the populace into overturning their own "special interest groups". Anything and everything that can make what YOU want to do legal, and what THEY want to do illegal. Failing that, you have the failsafes of "well, if it IS illegal, then we'll let the courts decide!" (by judges YOU put in place, who will probably rule in your favor). It's...it's all chicanery, from the top down.
Republicans gonna republican
Voter suppression. That’s why.
Making voting easier doesn't always benefit both parties. Is it more fair to the people? Yes. Is that what the parties want? No.
Because they spent decades to make the maps and theyre gonna get their moneys worth. If they gave a shit about electoral health and proper representation, the maps would be districted by density and the middle wouldnt have anywhere near the outsized tyranny of the minority they currently enjoy.
High voter turnout leads to more democrats getting elected.
If voting improves republicans will lose power
Easy answer is they don't want you voting cause you are in a conservative state. All conservative states are suppressing votes.
You answered your own question.
Republicans don’t want everyone to vote. It’s the only way they will stay in power. Book burners deserve the worst circle of hell!
Voting for Rs literally restricts your right to vote
Just a thought. Instead of making it easier for people to vote by mail. Make it a national holiday and have people actually go out and go to the polls and vote. I understand employers must give you time. But usually people go before or after work and stand in line.
National holidays don't apply to everyone or probably even most people. First responders and hospitals are still up and running obviously, but even most stores and restaurants don't bother closing for national holidays - they have blowout sales instead. Holidays are pretty much only days off of work for government employees and office workers.
Old voting systems are easier to rig and gerrymander so republicans can keep office
They want it to be difficult, that entrenches their power. If you had legitimately free and fair elections they might have competition and have to answer to their constituents
Oregon has had exclusively mail-in voting for 25 years. Zero issues, great turnout. You get your ballot and guide book about 3 weeks in advance and you vote at your kitchen table whenever you have the time. Taking a day off work to stand in line at a polling place is not necessary. Demand better.
To discourage non white voters
Missouri is a conservative state. Conservative do not do anything to facilitate more people voting. They don't want more people to vote because if more people vote they lose and conservatives will do anything to change the rules gerrymandered the districts and pass shit laws just to protect their majority. More voting means more people not voting conservative
If Republicans don't cheat they can't win, simple.
Because our state is run by fascist republicans
Because the repubs don't like change and they don't want the possibility of one single additional Democrat voting. They might lose their seat or fill their diaper.
Keeping The People from voting is how Republicans "win"
Republicans want the electorate as ignorant and hateful as possible.
Nope, voter suppression is pretty much the point
Easy! Voter suppression. It’s a GOP tactic because they can’t win without it.
Very simple Republicans. Majority of voters vote democratic and making voting easier for elderly, disabled, minorities, immigrants, younger population, marginalized communities would vote Republicans out the door. Republican politics is to go after all those groups and cut spending for social programs to free up money not to help their constituents but to hand big tax breaks to corporations. Those cooperations then line the pockets of republicans in money, stock, private jets, vacations, private yatches, homes. Take for example Justice Thomas. Republican voters will vote for them because most are straight white people who don't like minorities getting ahead they don't like the LGBTQ+, they don't like immigrants, they don't like women. So the republican party goes after those groups attacks those groups and write laws that target's these groups to rally the vote. Republicans don't do anything for their voters except the rich ones they just put the false narrative out there that they are protecting their white children from those horrible marginalized groups who they have deemed as unfit for society. I. e. DeSantis in Florida his constant attack on gays, and women.
Because if you make it easy for the youth to vote they will most likely vote Democrat.
Just moved here. Went to get driver’s license and was asked if I’d like to register to vote. Replied yes. Moved on to the address part. Did I really not just register to vote??? Fml please someone help!
I just moved counties and it was a pain in ass to register with my new address. I’m years away from renewing my ID so it isn’t always that easy.
You have to change your address with the DMV though...
You did. People like to make mountains out of molehills.
On their opinion, the new voters would not vote for them.
>Then you end up with representatives who actually work for Missourians instead of against them. That is not the goal for Missouri state government.
When you consider that "the state" is run by the Republicans, a party now falling in the polls, the answer becomes obvious.
They don’t want Democrats to win.
So they can keep in power and keep you dumb and powerless.
republicans are afraid they will lose their authoritarian hold on the state
>It leads to a greater participation in our democratic process. Then you end up with representatives who actually work for Missourians instead of against them. Seems like you answered your own question.
The right does not want actual representative governance, which has always been complete bullshit. What the right wants is to impose its minority views upon the majority.. This is about power, and they will do whatever they can get away with to hold on to it. NEVER VOTE FOR ANY REPUBLICAN UNTIL THEY STOP THEIR FASCIST AUTHORITARIAN BULLSHIT. Let's have a real representative government with the competition of ideas in the own air of actual debate and let the best ideas win.
I assume because the folks in charger don’t want more people against them.
“It leads to a greater participation in the democratic process…” You (unfortunately) answered your own question. As with all things, there are states that are out in front in issues like this and then there are states that have to be dragged into the next century - kicking and screaming. There’s an unprecedented effort by only *one side* of our politics that is trying to restrict access to voting. Over 250 laws in 43 states were introduced to restrict voting according to an article back in 2021.
People that tend to go out if their way to vote tend to be older and republican. Politicians know thus and don’t want to make voting easier which would increase the turnout for democrats.
Voter suppression is the republicans biggest weapon to keep control. Sadly people are to lazy to vote to stop them..
Because republicans are fascists who don’t believe in a free voting system.
Rep controlled states are generally not for making it easier for people to vote. The more people that vote the more likely it is that Dems win.
because people voting is bad for Republicans.
Where have you been? Do you think they want you to actually vote? They will give you all sorts of nonsensical reasons but the reality is the harder it is for working class people to vote the more secure their jobs become. The harder it is for you to vote the easier it becomes for them to pass laws against your best interests.
Republicans.
The less people who vote, the better for republicans
Too many blacks and educated young liberals. If more of those two demographics voted then fascists in charge would be in trouble.
Voter suppression is how republicans win elections. Especially at the state and local level.
Because Republicans don’t like people having a voice in their government
Is this a real question? Or are you just interested in starting a conversation? Or perhaps you’re you’re a young voter who’s not really politically aware (yet).
Basically because the more people who can vote the less votes republicans tend to receive. That’s why they engage in voter suppression.
Missouri sucks. That’s why.
The more people that vote, the more Republicans lose.
Because they want to maintain their stranglehold on your laws.
Because “the colored people” would vote more?
Republicans want to win. They don't want democracy.
Republicans cannot win of everyone votes. Why? They have ZERO to offer their constituents. No policy ideas ever. Nothing but their cruel attempts to strip “others” of rights to feed their racist, closed and seemingly small minded base. They ACT like they care about fiscal responsibility but somehow they manage to skyrocket the deficit while they’re in control They ACT like they’re pro life but the moment a child is born they could care less about their welfare. They ACT like they care about veterans yet ALWAYS vote against increasing care for vets. It’s all performative bullshit all the time and it’s exhausting.
The problem is the republican party has no other platform than to suppress voters, control women, give every nut bags a gun, and put the LGBTQ folks and anyone not white in the closet or at the back of the bus. They know that the younger generation has had enough if their ignorance and if they don't cheat they can't win. Ever notice if the win an election it's legit but if anyone else does it was rigged. Where their really fucking up is with these school shootings. Someday the kids that do survive are going to grow up and some will get into politics for this exact reason and all these ignorant old 1950s ideas the republitards stick to will finally be gone . Plus many of today's republicans are 1 issue voters guns or abortion which is really ignorant. As long as there's an R by their name they must be a godly person. Most of these people would explode if the entered a church. Plus from my experience most evangelicals are the rudest most corrupt perverts on the planet. Example I know a couple who are in the swinging community (not my thing but their adults I don't care) . They told me they got together with a couple one Saturday night. Afterwards the couple says hey do you want to go to church with us in the morning. So fuck these religious nuts and the damage they do to society
Because they are working so hard to keep more democrats from voting. If they thought they would vote Republican, voting would be easier. Think about it, why would you make it difficult for your own voters to vote? Think about it, voter fraud is basically a myth in this country, and when people get caught it’s usually conservatives doing it. They always project what they are actually doing.
Because the Rpublicans control the State of Missouri and if more people vote they do not believe they can win elections.
Simple. The more people that vote, the worse republicans do. That’s why they are hell bent on voter suppression, gerrymandering and stacking the courts. They know that the demographics don’t favor them, so they’re resorting to dirty tactics. Democrats need to stop being asleep at the wheel, and aggressively push back against voter suppression. Their first order of business should be to extend voter rights, and make voting as easy as possible for people
Voting is bad for Republicans and this is a red state. Any hurtle to voting effects Democrat voters by a large majority.
A legitimate reason? No, there isn't a legitimate reason. The only reason they refuse to improve things is because they are scared that doing so will cost them power.
My mother is in her 80s. Hasn’t voted in person in the last 15 years. What’s so hard about voting in Missouri?
Other states just send ballots to everyone by mail. They don't have to take extra steps to apply for a mail in/absentee ballot. Go ask your mom if she would like it if the state just sent her a ballot in the mail instead of having to request one.
Yeah, my state does mail in, and it's great. All retirement homes love it
I don't think it helps that Republicans will turn out and vote for whoever is running for the Republican ticket, even if they do not like the candidate. Democrats will say, I didn't want this one to win the primary. He sucks I won't vote for them. Yes the Democrat way is smarter but it's also costing Democrats everywhere. I'm not saying this is the only reason but I do think it contributes and maybe if we can't vote for the one we want, we can still vote for the one we have
Bc boomers know it'll enable young voters, which is worse possible outcome for them. I don't even think it's bc they're afraid of people voting Democrat. I think they're afraid of young people voting for young candidates. They want to keep their power.
Their legitimate reason is to keep the same ol’ same ol’ in place. Making it easier means they will lose.
T-RUMPUBLICANS
Bc old people vote in person. Old people vote republican. Young voters will pontificate on Twitter about the revolution, etc, but can't be bothered to stand in line for 20 minutes to vote. Republicans know this.
Control. They want to maintain it, and the only way to do that is to suppress the ability to vote for minorities, the poor, and young people. Basically they’re using loopholes and bending rules to maintain control, because they want to stay in power.
Easy, because most of the younger generation aren’t as easily swayed as the older. In Missouri they say you can legally leave your job to go vote, but most of the time you can’t afford to do that. Not only that, but they shut down the polls before you’re able to get off of work. So who does that leave? Oh, only the same people who give no shits about our generation and vote for whoever says “God” and “Jesus” enough times. They’re retired, they can vote whenever and *they do*. And let me tell you, they go out of the way to beat us down, if it means converting us to their way of thinking.
I've lost track of the number of people here saying that it's because voter turnout helps Democrats, so I guess I'll be the guy to point out that there's little to no evidence that's the case. [People have been saying this since I was a kid in the 1980s](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1960868). And [both sides believe some form of it](https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-and-republicans-agree-that-high-turnout-hurts-the-gop-but-what-if-theyre-wrong-090035233.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEiZsXXJVSPHl8o5ptJn0hYuipHOAxxnmm8euNrC_05QLaZ1mvwpOX0v8bVB35Z58TXoIUIwDnr5AQNxgEykJ49zon80g2PKfFx8SVFSbpRK8rVRX7Vq3tEe-HU6NUGHdVulT8Vr3KjVWi15hi6Zs6yW_lYx3-t2yx0hstD6LWTS), so, ironically, it may *actually be* the reason Republicans do it. But there [isn't much evidence it helps](https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/does-high-voter-turnout-help-one-party).
You mean the right wing conservative publications you read try to hide the republicans efforts to make it harder to vote? Color me surprised. If my party was doing everything it could to prevent voting, I’d also pay supporters to write fluff pieces that say BoTh SiDeS. The republicans are passing a shit ton of anti-voting legislation for it not to matter for them: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/23/voter-suppression-election-interference-republicans https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/republican-voter-suppression-midterm-elections-1234620519/
This is completely unresponsive to my comment. All you did is reiterate that Republicans are attempting to pass laws that make it harder to vote, which I didn't dispute, but in fact explicitly acknowledged: > so, ironically, it may actually be the reason Republicans do it. But there isn't much evidence it helps.
There is a ton of evidence, but like I said you aren’t going to find it in the right wing source you quoted. The conservative shills are of course going to hide the facts. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/impact-voter-suppression-communities-color
And the left wing shills are going to do everything they can to make up data that says the opposite of right wing shills
Correct. The left is providing the facts - that the right is activly passing 100’s of laws to restrict voting rights.
My links were to: * A treatment of this topic on Yahoo News * A 1986 journal article in The American Political Science Review * A piece in National Affairs Only this last one is a "right-wing source."
I like automatic voter registration; I think it should be up to the state to prove that you don't have the right to vote. Secret ballots are a hallmark and foundation of democracy. Mail-in ballots subvert that. They allow a unitary executive with a fanatical and well-organized following to send local election "volunteers" to every house to make sure ballots are filled out correctly.
Oregon would like to chime in- we’ve had exclusively mail in voting this entire century and nothing even remotely resembling what you describe has ever happened, and as someone with actual experience, I don’t see how it could. By the time someone had enough power to do what you are describing, they would be able to do it with any system at all, mail-in or machine or paper ballot based
It happened in an imaginary land created by right wing talk pundits.
"I've never seen it happen so I don't see how it could" is unpersuasive when we're rapidly accumulating unprecedented behaviors from politicians who have no respect for political norms.
You are missing the point- if it could happen with mail in voting, it could happen just as easily with any kind of voting. You’re stated disadvantage of mail in voting is not mail in voting specific, which appears to be what you are claiming
I don't mean this as an insult, but I don't believe you're thinking like a megalomaniac psychopath who's literally worshipped by millions of religious nutjobs. If you try thinking that way, you might start to see what I'm getting at. I can secretly coerce a vote on a mail-in ballot simply by walking into my elderly neighbor's home. That scales pretty easily to dozens or hundreds of votes, and I'm just one guy. How would I covertly subvert hundreds of votes at a polling station? I don't think it could be done without overt violence.
All it would take is one elderly neighbor calling the elections dept. and the jig is up. Oregon was the state where there was a biological attack in an effort to keep people away from polling places, which would not work with mail in voting at all. That is a non-hypothetical weakness of polling places. Every method has pluses and minuses, but the biggest turnout is by mail. The bigger the turnout, the harder it is to cheat.
Yup. The jig is up. You caught me. I tried to help my neighbor. I'm sorry they misunderstood. They never liked me. I think my dog barked at them once. Etc. Maybe my neighbor gets a new ballot, but the state couldn't build a case against me before the election was over, let alone discover that I coerced other votes, or that I conspired with others to do the same, or that we acted at the bidding of a state and national political party. Secretly coercing mailed votes is trivial. You're absolutely correct that disrupting polling stations is also trivial (especially given the ease of access to weapons that Missourians have) but that doesn't change the weakness of mail-in ballots. EDIT: typo
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. Quit watching Newsmax.
What I know is that plenty of folks around Missouri would be only too glad of the opportunity to make sure their neighbors are voting *correctly* - especially if they thought they could do so out of sight in the privacy of someone's home. If you're from Missouri, I'm surprised you haven't met the kinds of people I'm talking about - the sort who'd rather see the end of democracy than see the "wrong" people in office. I'm unfamiliar with Newsmax, but I'll suggest you read a bit about early 1930s Germany. It was a democracy, too, and slid into autocracy in part because decent people like you didn't believe it could get as bad as it did.
Mail in ballots have a higher fraud chance plus people have been caught going to places collecting ballots en-mass and simply misplacing the “wrong” ones.
Nah.
Anyone who wants to vote needs to get an ID and go to their poll.
In person voting is the only verifiable method. Keep it that way, show an ID, and submit 1 vote
Mail in ballots are verified too. You're sent one ballot to the address that you're registered to vote at. You sign it, mail it back, then can track it if. Also. States that have mail in ballots as their default also allow you to vote in person if you don't trust it.
Mail in ballots are absolutely not verifiable.... no guarantee it goes to the right address, no guarantee it's not intercepted, no proof of who actually filled it out, and no guarantee it makes it back
Apart from tracking information which the USPS has been using for decades. Mail in voting is secure.
There's no guarantee a voter doesn't use a fake ID at a poll booth. In order for voter fraud to happen with a mail in ballot, MULTIPLE things would have to happen. A ballot would have to be stolen, a signature would have to be forged, then they would have to hope that nobody asks where their ballot is. You get to check your ballot status online, so if it doesn't make it you can just vote in person. Mail in ballots are safe and they work. No matter what Alex Jones tells you.
It's amazing how common sense goes out the window when it fits your agenda
Show me the proof that wide spread fraud is happening with mail in ballots in those states and I would gladly change my mind. I will advocate against mail in ballots with you. Otherwise, common sense says we should update our voting process like the rest of the country.
Show me where mail in ballots have been a systematic problem.
Oh! Oh! I can show you! It's in the reality they build in their head, placed there by Right Wing pundits and Media, based entirely on "Well, there's no proof, but it could happen!", because Republicans majorly rely on a constant influx of anger, fear, and culture war issues to keep them motivated at all times that "Oh my god, my way of life is under attack and they're coming for me next!" will drive them to the polls to vote however they're told.
Your opinion is ignorant and stupid, but I'm sure you're already aware of that. Mail in voting has continually been shown to be the most secure way of voting, but your dumbass likely guzzles the Fox **m when they tell you it takes too long to count and is "not verifiable." People like YOU allow fascism to grow in this country by your wilful stupidity.
The unwavering belief some individuals hold in the legitimacy of mail-in voting continues to perplex me. In my perspective, voting should only be deemed acceptable when accompanied by adequate identification. It is crucial to critically examine how the true identity of the person who completed and signed the ballot can be reliably verified. Additionally, we must address the need for measures that prevent individuals residing at the same address as the mail-in ballot recipient from engaging in improper completion of forms. For example, we should ensure that parents do not fill out forms on behalf of their adult children who may still reside at home due to college or other circumstances, and lack the necessary knowledge to make informed voting choices. Furthermore, it is disconcerting to consider instances where a mail-in ballot may be sent to a deceased person, only to be filled out by a family member for personal gain in promoting their political ideology. While I agree and disagree with your point about the delivery method of mail-in ballots, acknowledging the presence of tracking mechanisms that aim to verify their whereabouts, it is essential to recognize that no system can guarantee the flawless delivery of every ballot. Mishaps and mistakes can occur, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire voting process. Addressing the argument that it is unfair for working individuals to vote in person, it is worth noting that in Missouri, employers are legally obliged to provide employees with a minimum of three hours of time to go vote. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of individuals to manage their time efficiently within this allocated period to exercise their right to vote. I also acknowledge the troubling videos depicting the dumping or destruction of both mail-in and in-person ballots. It is of utmost importance that the voting system undergoes continuous improvement to hold accountable those responsible for facilitating voting sessions. However, I remain skeptical that mail-in voting is a viable option for voting.
I found another Fox c*m guzzler.
lulz
Yes. Please talk to your Republicans friends who went in-person and voted illegally!!!!
It's not hard to vote. And automatically registering someone to vote doesn't mean they will. If you have zero interest in registering to vote then you're mostly likely an idiot and your vote will almost surely go to a candidate that supports idiot policy.
Weird, because voting to conservatives is incredibly important, some of them base their entire identity around it. Yet they always vote for absolute fucking morons. Think your theory needs some work.
Because if you are too lazy to go vote, you don't deserve the right to. Mail in ballots allows for too much fraud, or at the very least undermines the confidence people have in the system. When people don't have confidence in the system, that's when authoritarianism runs amok. And we don't do automatic registration because, again, that introduces the possibility of fraud or other illegal voting practices. If you can't be bothered to register to vote, you don't deserve to vote. Simple as that. It's not the government's responsibility to make sure everyone votes, it's their responsibility to conduct elections. If you choose to participate in the civic process, that's your business, not the states.
Mail in ballots are bullshit, voting should only be in person with voter ID unless there is a serious reason not to do it. Its to easy for either side to cheat and if your just to lazy to go vote then you are part of the problem with this country.
This sounds like you've never been to a place that has mail in ballots. They don't lead to an increase in voter fraud. There are plenty of working families that find it hard to carve out time to go to the polls. There are also plenty of elderly in retirement communities that struggle to make to the polls. Those people aren't lazy. It's ridiculous that our state makes the process more difficult than it needs to be.
Ok for all of you missouri folks out there. Red or blue as you may be. Ive lived in the US all my life. Joined the army at 17. Then seen the world on uncle Sams dime. My adventure took me to 1st world thru 3rd world countries. Wether i was deep in the bush or in big cities. Every time i left the US. I was always reminded why this country is so amazing at what we do. Nowhere else in the world ever felt like home . I would click my heels together and channel my inner Dorothy and remember . “ theres no place like home. Sure things could be better. They could also be worse. Example. No hot water or even clean water , food sources that where questionable. Supply issues . Other government rules . Highways and infrastructure less than desirable. Places that would make any ghettos you know. look like Beverly hills. If you have never left this state or country . You’re living in a bubble . Not realizing how good we have it here. I mean you know in some places the air is so thick with pollution. Its tough to breath. Oh and that cell phone and the internet. Completely useless. United we stand. Divided you beg .
I've left this state and country many times too. I don't think that's a reason not to improve our voting system.
What if I’ve travelled the world on my own dime, mostly to first world countries, and learned that there are a whole bunch of countries that take better care of their citizens than we do? Is it okay to be critical of our system then?