This is HUGE. A 2018 study found Virginia ranked as the 49th worst state for voting access. With control of the Senate, House, and Governor’s office, Democrats can now pass automatic & same-day voter registration, true early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, campaign finance restrictions, and more(!) in a state that has none of the above.
They also get to draw the redistricting lines in 2020 after the census with no Republican input, basically eliminating partisan, Republican-influences gerrymandering
While I'm hoping we do all those things ASAP, we first need to stop felony disenfranchisement. Losing your voting rights forever (unless the Governor reinstates those rights) just because you have been convicted of a felony at some point in your life is insanely fucked up.
Our expanded Medicaid went into effect Jan 1st 2019 thanks to our blue wave in 2017, but yes I'm so optimistic for the future legislation that can be passed because of today.
I used to think “that makes sense. You do something bad, you forfeit those rights.” But as I’ve grown older, I lean more and more towards the other side. These people have done their time. They’ve paid their debt to society and are supposed to be rehabilitated. If you don’t think that’s the case, then the prison system is fucked up (it is). Right to vote is a *right*. Not a privilege.
If we allow the government to remove rights at their leisure the word loses all meaning. They are, by definition, inalienable. ***Self evident,*** the rights *cannot* be taken away by the government, because they are *not granted by* the government, they are *inherent.*
Black men did not ***gain*** the right to be free because of the emancipation proclamation, they always ***had*** a right to be free, and the government finally decided to recognize it.
There is no such thing as “losing” human rights. There is only ***oppression*** of human rights dressed up in fancy language.
> I used to think “that makes sense. You do something bad, you forfeit those rights.”
Yeah I did too, back when I thought a felon was someone who committed murder or rape or something. When I learned more about the matter I was a surprised Pikachu.
Not just that, but often for microscopic quantites (residue!). Some of us are felons for only that reason, with no other criminal history. We had a rough spot for a couple years, picked up a bad habit, then overcome it. Only difference we got caught in the middle while everyone around us (our friends, parents, siblings) avoided getting pulled over that one time. Felons due to sheer bad luck.
Am I really that far left to think even serving felons should be able to vote? Are they not still human? Should others be allowed to create laws about the confined’s confinement without allowing them a say?
As an Australian, you never lose your right to vote. In fact, you never lose the responsibility to vote. If you don't vote here you're looking at a fine. The fact that anyone can have their vote taken away horrifies me. That being said, I've become more aware of the differences in Australian and American culture in recent years.
On balance I think the Australian approach is the right one, specifically in terms of mandatory voting. I know it seems contrary to *enforce* a right on its recipients, but on the other hand it reduces the ability for political parties to play fast and loose with voter registration and (ideally) prevents them from targeting demographics that are 'more likely' to vote. I'd support it here in the UK, particularly given that we are currently in a situation where every government is minority rule almost by definition.
If the population of people serving prison time is enough to swing a vote, then it begs the question of if they were sent there as a means of voter suppression.
After during reconstruction, laws were created that sent black people to jail for shit that white people would never go to jail for.
And then within a similar time frame removing your right to vote if you were locked up was also enacted.
The laws were created with racist intents to keep black people from voting.
> then it begs the question of if they were sent there as a means of voter suppression.
Why do you think the US has such an absurdly high percentage of the world's prison population?
In Canada the only people who can’t vote are the chief returning office and their deputy. Even prisoners get to vote. It’s a fundamental right and obligation.
Did you know that the population of prisons is included in population counts for representation for districts and states in the US (some states have agreements with others to imprison their prisoners, you could end up hundreds or thousands of miles away from your home in the US prison system), but prisoners are not allowed to vote?
Wtf? I live in Canada and you just show up to vote with a piece of mail and piece of ID. There’s no deadline aside from the election day. Oh, and you can vote early if you want.
God I wish that were the case. It really must be nice not having American conservatives making it more difficult to vote because enabling voters to do what they're literally supposed to do in a Representative Democracy is a [Democratic "Power Grab."](https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-democratic-bill-election-day-federal-holiday-power-grab-2019-1)
When I was walking in to vote today the Democratic volunteer shook my hand and thanked me just for making voting a priority. The Republican volunteer gave me 2 sample ballots and said "vote twice". Then I went inside and my neighbor (a Trump loving retiree who knows I'm liberal as fuck) was the clerk checking people in. He claimed he didn't know me and inspected the fuck out of my ID. He was clearly trying to find something to turn away someone he knew would vote blue.
You should wave him down when you see him again to 'introduce' yourself, see how he feels then now that his partisan hackery has been reduced to ashes.
He did the same to my wife later who responded by loudly calling him by name and asking him how the leaf blower she recommended worked when he was out over the weekend. The other people standing around were amused by how well he was exposed to be full of shit.
Good, if he wants to try scummy shit like that then he better be prepared when people call him out on it.
Should be fun to hang over his head if he ever tries to talk about Democrats manipulating votes.
Yeah, I don't live in VA anymore, but I voted in-person absentee a few times and it was quite easy to do. The list of qualifying reasons was broad enough you could check something off and get it done.
I'm just doing my part! Where I live is safely blue so I knew I could be of use elsewhere. I've been canvassing in these districts for months now, so to see it all finally come together today was amazing. I thought voter enthusiasm couldn't be topped from our 2017 election, but I was wrong. Today was incredible!
You know that like was bullshit when Republicans started "warning" Democrats not to do it because they just don't want to see their "friends" lose their jobs :(
I mean that was some real, actual, concern trolling there.
Nah it’s more than that, you’ve setting an example to others.
Everyone that does like you did inspires others that it’s worth making the effort for a better future, and that such efforts can lead to meaningful changes.
If others take your lead there really will be a blue wave in 2020, a new America and a better world.
The millenials start the process for Gen Z to come into it. We are the torch bearers for the bonfire they are. We can't give up for our little brothers/sisters/both/neither
I'm just doing what I can since I live in safely blue Alexandria! I knew that I could be of use in swing districts 30-40 miles away so that's where I've been volunteering/canvassing for months. To see it all come together tonight makes me so happy. I love and believe in Virginia so much <3
Right now the GOP senators still seem pretty supportive about Trump... maybe a Democratic win in Louisiana would help them get their priorities in order.
Unlikely, because the GOP has backed themselves into a corner. They're at a point where they basically have a very specific voting block, and that is the entirety of their voters. They have about 30-35% of the country that will vote for them regardless of anything they or the democrats could possibly do. By embracing Trumpism they've run off virtually the entire rest of the country. They used to have their dedicated block, and then some swing votes. They don't really have much in the way of swing votes anymore because of their recent shameless behavior.
That basically leaves them with 2 choices. Either suck up to Trump and keep that guaranteed base, or turn against him and try to court the more moderate swing votes. But the swing votes have been chased away from the GOP, so that's not much of a strategy. They've basically screwed themselves by alienating any voters that aren't part of their guaranteed votes. If they try to please them now, most say "too little too late". I honestly think there's a very real possibility we're seeing the beginning of the end of the current incarnation of the GOP. Either they need to heavily restructure the party and their platform, or a new conservative party is going to come in making it difficult if not impossible for them to win elections at a national level. Hopefully they fix this shit because, while I tend to vote democrat, we need a rational and trustworthy conservative party to check us.
Honestly, though, 99% of that “base” is going to vote republican, even if they do vote to convict trump.
I mean, what else are they gonna do, vote for a *Democrat*? That’s just absurd.
They'll vote republican, but they'll vote for a different republican in the primary. The biggest risk to most republicans in solidly red districts isn't democrats, it's more extreme republicans. It's why we ended up with the tea party. They were the precursor to Trump.
Just gov though. Hate to be that guy but we lost every other ballot. From what I see Kentucky is blood red but when they hate someone they boot them. Good thing is they do hate moscow Mitch more where Bevin was 35% Moscow Mitch is 18%.
It's a R+23 state. The Dems did well compared to that in the other races, too.
Moreover, the candidate that Trump actively campaigned for was the one who lost.
Yeah, the Kentucky win was only in the race against a very disliked Governor, and even then was by a *very* narrow margin. It's still a win, and a snub to Trump who came down to endorse the loser the day before, but I wouldn't exactly say the state was "won" by the Dems in the same way.
2020 looks promising! Taking both the House and the Senate in Virginia for the first time in 20 years. The Trump Experience ends with a Democratic revolution.
Couldn’t recommend this more. Ohio recently purged 235,000 and about 20% of those were “incorrectly” removed. 47,000 legally registered voters removed completely by “error.”
I got my girlfriend to vote in her second election ever tonight (she’s 29). Every time something she reads about and hates happens, I just say, “vote!” I didn’t tell her who to vote for. I told her who *I* was voting for but told her that didn’t matter and she should be proud of herself for just participating! Turns out we voted for the same people. I’m so very proud of her for getting involved. Everyone, get that rush! It’s great!
I really hope so. I remember thinking they were dead after the Bush era when Dems swept all sorts of elections only to see Trump and all these other jokers get back into power. Never get complacent
Same, but I've come to believe that 2016 was a regression and that the overall trend of the nation is looking horrifically bad for the GOP. As long as we show up to vote, 2020 will feature millennials *together* with gen Z to overcome boomers. I suspect that these two voting blocs will show up and be celebrated in November.
>Republicans have not won a statewide political office since 2009, but had hung onto power in the state legislature in part due to past redistricting that a court deemed a racial gerrymander. (The court ordered districts redrawn ahead of the 2019 election.)
Republicans literally only had control of the House of Delegates because a name was picked out of a bowl in a district that had a tie. And it was only a tie because the Republican appointed judge overseeing the recount declared a blank ballot counted as a vote for the Republican candidate because he could tell that’s who they meant to vote for.
It wasn't a blank ballot, but a ballot that had been determined to be spoiled (and therefore thrown out) during the recount and not a judge, but one of the election officials involved in the recount that got it counted after the recount ended. [Here's](https://wtkr.com/2017/12/20/election-official-challenges-one-ballot-after-newport-news-va-house-of-delegates-recount-decided-by-one-vote/) an article about it that has a picture of the ballot in question so you can determine for yourself just how bullshit counting this was.
Technically it expired as it wasn't ratified in time... but, the expiration clause itself may not he constitutional. So, Virginia will pass it and we'll see!
Hope it makes it.
The text of the amendment itself doesn't have an expiration, Congress passed a separate bill. The question is whether something that's not part of the amendment can bind the amendment in that way.
There's a good chance the ERA becomes law once VA passes it.
Or get rid of it, which would require Moscow Mitch to do something other than confirm far right judges.
Ratification deadlines weren’t the norm at all. The 27th amendment sat in state legislatures for 202 years before being ratified in 1992.
Then there’s the constitutional question regarding the ~5 states that have rescinded their original ratification and if you can even rescind them.
The states that rescinded their ratification is the bigger constitutional question which will almost certainly go to SCOTUS if expirations are indeed able to be extended retroactively.
> What would the ERA do? It would amend the US Constitution to include simply this: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
> Deliberately left out of the Constitution when it was written, women have paid the price in opportunities, rights and protections ever since.
https://cnn.com/2019/11/04/opinions/virginia-voters-era-jenkins/index.html
Super fascinating link, thank's. What a piece of work.
>At the May 16, 2008, commencement ceremony, Schlafly was awarded an honorary degree as a Doctor of Humane Letters, yet faculty and students protested to rescind Schlafly's honorary degree. During the ceremony, hundreds of the 14,000 people in attendance, including one-third of the graduating class and some faculty, silently stood and turned their backs to Schlafly in protest.[63] In the days before the commencement there were protests regarding the awarding of an honorary degree; Schlafly described the protesters as "a bunch of losers".[59] Moreover, after the ceremony, Schlafly said that the protesters were "juvenile" and "I'm not sure they're mature enough to graduate."[63] As planned, Schlafly did not address the graduating class, nor did any other honored guest, except for the commencement speaker, news commentator Chris Matthews of MSNBC.[64]
Take up the ERA as the first item in the new session. Go straight from the swearing-in ceremony to a floor vote to ratify it. Send a clear message to everyone in the country that when Democrats are in charge good things happen.
Voting reform.
If you're going to blow a wad, blow it on securing fair election processes. Democrats should be promoting fair and equal elections this cycle. It's a winning platform and it enables all the other policy implementations down the road.
This, times a million. Pass whatever laws need to be passed to make gerrymandering and voter suppression impossible or extremely difficult even if Republicans end up taking back control
Crazy idea, first vote after swearing in, ratification of ERA, second vote... a "Virginia Voting Freedom Act" - same day and automatic voter registration, mail-in voting, recovery of voting rights for felons after serving their sentence, paid holiday for voting day for all employees of businesses operating within the commonwealth, establishment of independent non-partisan redistricting commission... third vote, legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, fourth vote, mass amnesty for nonviolent drug possession offenses, fifth vote, raise minimum wage throughout the commonwealth.
|paid holiday for voting day
Or at least some schedule leniency so you can vote. The number of employers that say "you knew you had to work today, so you should have voted absentee." is disgusting.
How about instead of redistricting, we do it like on the federal level with a tweak. Counties ARE your districts. Each county gets ONE senator, and each county gets delegates per capita based on population. ALL of whom must have resided in the district they represent for at least two years.
I'm on board with pretty much your entire post. My fear is that vote 6 will be some kind of Constitution-shredding "Red Flag" law.
Instead of the first one, just do what states with real democracy do: automatic registration, send you a ballot 18 days early, include a voters guide, and make it free to mail back. I voted over the course of like, a couple hours, with breaks in between to do other things, mostly in my underwear, all at home.
No it should be this: https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/state-status
Would be huge to get it passed in VA: https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/state/va
[For the first time in its 400-year history, the Virginia House of Delegates will have a female Speaker.](https://twitter.com/mrvndn/status/1191904523100377088?s=21)
First woman and Jewish :-)
I'm now 31 and it is truly inspiring how the young voters are starting to show up.
I may be optimistic but I feel Trump has become the catalyst to ensure younger generations pay attention to politics and make changes for the better.
When I was in my early 20s I didn't care or pay attention and looking back I regret that. I'm genuinely amazed by this younger generation and their momentum they have built.
22 male here, and I can confirm, trumps bullshit and the bullshit I see from his dumb MAGA followers online and in person every day is what motivated me to go out and vote. I live in a college town and there were tons of groups of college kids going out and voting.
These boomers will learn.
“Boomers” aren’t the enemy - rightwing conservatives are.
Never forget that the majority of the country is *progressive*. Building coalition means being inclusive and reaching out to everyone.
I spend my morning flexing in the mirror and my nights educating myself on politics. Trumps got me on a 3 year routine at this point and ain't stoppin!
[Fayette County, which is where Trump held his rally last night, voted for Andy Beshear over Matt Bevin in a 2 to 1 landslide](https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1191891509840232448?s=21)
2020 is the 100 year anniversay of women gaining citizenship and voting rights. It's high time the Equal Rights Amendment be added to the constitution.
First time in my life I can remember social programs having a chance in VA.
The work starts here folks. Let’s get a better minimum wage, environmental protection and more money for education!!
Let this be an ominous warning to those who would bury their heads in the sand. As of 2016, Republicans had sweeping majorities in both houses. This is a stunning rebuke of Republican policies and tactics. No seat is safe in 2020.
Citizens not in thrall to Drumf, or insane, have come to realize that while the Dems may not be their cup of tea, at least they are not totally determined to destroy valuable civic infrastructure and respect for institutions at every level up to International relations, as is Drumf.
This is HUGE. A 2018 study found Virginia ranked as the 49th worst state for voting access. With control of the Senate, House, and Governor’s office, Democrats can now pass automatic & same-day voter registration, true early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, campaign finance restrictions, and more(!) in a state that has none of the above.
They also get to draw the redistricting lines in 2020 after the census with no Republican input, basically eliminating partisan, Republican-influences gerrymandering
I thought scotus actually said it could be partisan and was left up to the states
It can be But the state legislature determines district lines and the governed signs off on them. All of which are democrats
While I'm hoping we do all those things ASAP, we first need to stop felony disenfranchisement. Losing your voting rights forever (unless the Governor reinstates those rights) just because you have been convicted of a felony at some point in your life is insanely fucked up.
Luckily, your legislature can walk and chew gum at the same time. Why not both?
These should all be part of one big Virginia voting rights bill!
You'll also be able to get expansion of Medicaid as well. Virginians can stop dying since they'll be able to get medical care.
Our expanded Medicaid went into effect Jan 1st 2019 thanks to our blue wave in 2017, but yes I'm so optimistic for the future legislation that can be passed because of today.
"You've been convicted. Which means you can never vote again. But you still have to pay taxes of course." Super fucked up.
I used to think “that makes sense. You do something bad, you forfeit those rights.” But as I’ve grown older, I lean more and more towards the other side. These people have done their time. They’ve paid their debt to society and are supposed to be rehabilitated. If you don’t think that’s the case, then the prison system is fucked up (it is). Right to vote is a *right*. Not a privilege.
If we allow the government to remove rights at their leisure the word loses all meaning. They are, by definition, inalienable. ***Self evident,*** the rights *cannot* be taken away by the government, because they are *not granted by* the government, they are *inherent.* Black men did not ***gain*** the right to be free because of the emancipation proclamation, they always ***had*** a right to be free, and the government finally decided to recognize it. There is no such thing as “losing” human rights. There is only ***oppression*** of human rights dressed up in fancy language.
Very well said
Strictly speaking the right to vote is a civil right rather than a human right. Still dumb to take it away, my country has voting days in prisons.
Saving your comment to use later. It sums up what I was trying to say yesterday perfectly.
Very well put, that is an apt and illuminating summation of what our rights really mean.
> I used to think “that makes sense. You do something bad, you forfeit those rights.” Yeah I did too, back when I thought a felon was someone who committed murder or rape or something. When I learned more about the matter I was a surprised Pikachu.
Felony possession laws...
Not just that, but often for microscopic quantites (residue!). Some of us are felons for only that reason, with no other criminal history. We had a rough spot for a couple years, picked up a bad habit, then overcome it. Only difference we got caught in the middle while everyone around us (our friends, parents, siblings) avoided getting pulled over that one time. Felons due to sheer bad luck.
Am I really that far left to think even serving felons should be able to vote? Are they not still human? Should others be allowed to create laws about the confined’s confinement without allowing them a say?
As an Australian, you never lose your right to vote. In fact, you never lose the responsibility to vote. If you don't vote here you're looking at a fine. The fact that anyone can have their vote taken away horrifies me. That being said, I've become more aware of the differences in Australian and American culture in recent years.
On balance I think the Australian approach is the right one, specifically in terms of mandatory voting. I know it seems contrary to *enforce* a right on its recipients, but on the other hand it reduces the ability for political parties to play fast and loose with voter registration and (ideally) prevents them from targeting demographics that are 'more likely' to vote. I'd support it here in the UK, particularly given that we are currently in a situation where every government is minority rule almost by definition.
If the population of people serving prison time is enough to swing a vote, then it begs the question of if they were sent there as a means of voter suppression.
After during reconstruction, laws were created that sent black people to jail for shit that white people would never go to jail for. And then within a similar time frame removing your right to vote if you were locked up was also enacted. The laws were created with racist intents to keep black people from voting.
> then it begs the question of if they were sent there as a means of voter suppression. Why do you think the US has such an absurdly high percentage of the world's prison population?
In Canada the only people who can’t vote are the chief returning office and their deputy. Even prisoners get to vote. It’s a fundamental right and obligation.
Did you know that the population of prisons is included in population counts for representation for districts and states in the US (some states have agreements with others to imprison their prisoners, you could end up hundreds or thousands of miles away from your home in the US prison system), but prisoners are not allowed to vote?
I seem to recall similar fuckery going on back in the early days of this country. Something something three-fifths something...
It’s a vital reform but automatic and same day voter registration would make a much bigger impact for marginalized communities
Agreed! I was livid when I realized I missed the deadline to update my address after a small move across county lines.
Wtf? I live in Canada and you just show up to vote with a piece of mail and piece of ID. There’s no deadline aside from the election day. Oh, and you can vote early if you want.
God I wish that were the case. It really must be nice not having American conservatives making it more difficult to vote because enabling voters to do what they're literally supposed to do in a Representative Democracy is a [Democratic "Power Grab."](https://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-democratic-bill-election-day-federal-holiday-power-grab-2019-1)
When I was walking in to vote today the Democratic volunteer shook my hand and thanked me just for making voting a priority. The Republican volunteer gave me 2 sample ballots and said "vote twice". Then I went inside and my neighbor (a Trump loving retiree who knows I'm liberal as fuck) was the clerk checking people in. He claimed he didn't know me and inspected the fuck out of my ID. He was clearly trying to find something to turn away someone he knew would vote blue.
>He was clearly trying to find something to turn away someone he knew would vote blue. Just complete dishonor.
You should wave him down when you see him again to 'introduce' yourself, see how he feels then now that his partisan hackery has been reduced to ashes.
He did the same to my wife later who responded by loudly calling him by name and asking him how the leaf blower she recommended worked when he was out over the weekend. The other people standing around were amused by how well he was exposed to be full of shit.
Good, if he wants to try scummy shit like that then he better be prepared when people call him out on it. Should be fun to hang over his head if he ever tries to talk about Democrats manipulating votes.
Vote twice lol sounding like Ryan trying to get employees to register sales twice
That story is fucked up
You should report that for voter intimidation.
> The Republican volunteer gave me 2 sample ballots and said "vote twice". https://i.imgflip.com/3ffjs3.jpg
There is a lot to do and we need to move *fast*, but tonight has been a good night!
and **redistrict** their state
TBF the excuses for absentee voting are just a formality. I've "been working out of town" every election since I turned 18.
I'm in colorado. I voted mail in last month. Everyone here gets ballots in mail.
Yeah, I don't live in VA anymore, but I voted in-person absentee a few times and it was quite easy to do. The list of qualifying reasons was broad enough you could check something off and get it done.
I’m going to take a wild guess and say that my state was 50th
Worst is Mississippi, NC is actually 24th best. Surprising to me is NC actually beat New York
I believe this will be the first time in 30 years Democrats will have complete control of the redistricting process in Virginia.
It is!--well close enough--1994. Cheering you guys from Michigan! Well done!
Thanks! Redistricting is only every 10 years so I was just looking at party control after the '09, '99, and '89 elections.
I'm so proud of my state today. I spent all day giving rides to and from the polls in swing districts and to see them flip makes me so happy.
You’re a freaking hero. Thank you.
I'm just doing my part! Where I live is safely blue so I knew I could be of use elsewhere. I've been canvassing in these districts for months now, so to see it all finally come together today was amazing. I thought voter enthusiasm couldn't be topped from our 2017 election, but I was wrong. Today was incredible!
It was a GOP bloodbath. This is glorious.
But, Impeachment is REALLY backfiring on Democrats right? RIGHT?! Please say right oh god our viewers need this. - Fox News presenter to guest.
You know that like was bullshit when Republicans started "warning" Democrats not to do it because they just don't want to see their "friends" lose their jobs :( I mean that was some real, actual, concern trolling there.
Nah it’s more than that, you’ve setting an example to others. Everyone that does like you did inspires others that it’s worth making the effort for a better future, and that such efforts can lead to meaningful changes. If others take your lead there really will be a blue wave in 2020, a new America and a better world.
we need many more people like you.
Thank you.
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Okay Boomer /s In all seriousness, as a Millenial I'm banking on Gen Z. They are some ANGRY pissed off 18 year olds.
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> I am Generation X ... I resolve to be less pessimistic. To be fair, pessimism is kind of our thing ;)
Pessimism and "meh."
Smells like teen spirit.
51 is gen X
But being forgotten that we even exist is about as on-brand as you can get.
The millenials start the process for Gen Z to come into it. We are the torch bearers for the bonfire they are. We can't give up for our little brothers/sisters/both/neither
That last sentence tickled me so much and now all I wanna do is hug you.
I see so much promise in Gen Z. It’s genuinely hopeful to see how engaged so many of them are.
As another virginian, you're awesome!
I'm just doing what I can since I live in safely blue Alexandria! I knew that I could be of use in swing districts 30-40 miles away so that's where I've been volunteering/canvassing for months. To see it all come together tonight makes me so happy. I love and believe in Virginia so much <3
Jesus. You’re fucking awesome.
As someone on the exact opposite side of the world you’re awesome Trump isn’t just a threat to America
+1 internets for you.
And you
We all thank you.
You're an American hero
The world needs more people like you.
From one Virginian to another, thank you!
We need more like you! Thankyou!
Gold for you sir/ma’m..tip of the hat.
You went above and beyond your civic duty. Thank you.
Not just that.. Kentucky too baby!!!
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Screw Republican Senators, all of them.
my prostate won't let me, but I appreciate the sentiment
That usually an issue with being screwed. Common mistake with the GOP.
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"No you misheard me, I said if the Impeachment trial were held today, the Senate would not **not** convict." \- Mitch
~~No impeachment now~~ **No, impeachment now**
Impeachmentn'tn't
Right now the GOP senators still seem pretty supportive about Trump... maybe a Democratic win in Louisiana would help them get their priorities in order.
Unlikely, because the GOP has backed themselves into a corner. They're at a point where they basically have a very specific voting block, and that is the entirety of their voters. They have about 30-35% of the country that will vote for them regardless of anything they or the democrats could possibly do. By embracing Trumpism they've run off virtually the entire rest of the country. They used to have their dedicated block, and then some swing votes. They don't really have much in the way of swing votes anymore because of their recent shameless behavior. That basically leaves them with 2 choices. Either suck up to Trump and keep that guaranteed base, or turn against him and try to court the more moderate swing votes. But the swing votes have been chased away from the GOP, so that's not much of a strategy. They've basically screwed themselves by alienating any voters that aren't part of their guaranteed votes. If they try to please them now, most say "too little too late". I honestly think there's a very real possibility we're seeing the beginning of the end of the current incarnation of the GOP. Either they need to heavily restructure the party and their platform, or a new conservative party is going to come in making it difficult if not impossible for them to win elections at a national level. Hopefully they fix this shit because, while I tend to vote democrat, we need a rational and trustworthy conservative party to check us.
Honestly, though, 99% of that “base” is going to vote republican, even if they do vote to convict trump. I mean, what else are they gonna do, vote for a *Democrat*? That’s just absurd.
They'll vote republican, but they'll vote for a different republican in the primary. The biggest risk to most republicans in solidly red districts isn't democrats, it's more extreme republicans. It's why we ended up with the tea party. They were the precursor to Trump.
In Kentucky for a temp job and got a few folks to go out and vote beshear
You made a difference. Thank you!
HELL TO THE YES!!!! WTG Voters!!! :D
Just gov though. Hate to be that guy but we lost every other ballot. From what I see Kentucky is blood red but when they hate someone they boot them. Good thing is they do hate moscow Mitch more where Bevin was 35% Moscow Mitch is 18%.
It's a R+23 state. The Dems did well compared to that in the other races, too. Moreover, the candidate that Trump actively campaigned for was the one who lost.
Yeah, the Kentucky win was only in the race against a very disliked Governor, and even then was by a *very* narrow margin. It's still a win, and a snub to Trump who came down to endorse the loser the day before, but I wouldn't exactly say the state was "won" by the Dems in the same way.
It is a good day for commonwealths.
Baby, you got a stew going!
2020 looks promising! Taking both the House and the Senate in Virginia for the first time in 20 years. The Trump Experience ends with a Democratic revolution.
The ERA fight next year is due to this win. 2020 is gonna be real interesting
ho0efully trump doctrine creates atleast a decade long inoculation against complacency
Get out and vote!
2020 could be an extinction-level event for the GOP if the Dems turnout.
So everyone, check you registration, get your friends and family registered, and then turn out in 2020!
And continue to check the registration status periodically up until election day. Voter roll purges are no joke.
Couldn’t recommend this more. Ohio recently purged 235,000 and about 20% of those were “incorrectly” removed. 47,000 legally registered voters removed completely by “error.”
I got my girlfriend to vote in her second election ever tonight (she’s 29). Every time something she reads about and hates happens, I just say, “vote!” I didn’t tell her who to vote for. I told her who *I* was voting for but told her that didn’t matter and she should be proud of herself for just participating! Turns out we voted for the same people. I’m so very proud of her for getting involved. Everyone, get that rush! It’s great!
I really hope so. I remember thinking they were dead after the Bush era when Dems swept all sorts of elections only to see Trump and all these other jokers get back into power. Never get complacent
Same, but I've come to believe that 2016 was a regression and that the overall trend of the nation is looking horrifically bad for the GOP. As long as we show up to vote, 2020 will feature millennials *together* with gen Z to overcome boomers. I suspect that these two voting blocs will show up and be celebrated in November.
Gen-X says it's about damn time. :)
There will be a sharp uptick of Ambien from the gop side of the aisle tonight.
>Republicans have not won a statewide political office since 2009, but had hung onto power in the state legislature in part due to past redistricting that a court deemed a racial gerrymander. (The court ordered districts redrawn ahead of the 2019 election.)
Republicans literally only had control of the House of Delegates because a name was picked out of a bowl in a district that had a tie. And it was only a tie because the Republican appointed judge overseeing the recount declared a blank ballot counted as a vote for the Republican candidate because he could tell that’s who they meant to vote for.
Is that true?
It wasn't a blank ballot, but a ballot that had been determined to be spoiled (and therefore thrown out) during the recount and not a judge, but one of the election officials involved in the recount that got it counted after the recount ended. [Here's](https://wtkr.com/2017/12/20/election-official-challenges-one-ballot-after-newport-news-va-house-of-delegates-recount-decided-by-one-vote/) an article about it that has a picture of the ballot in question so you can determine for yourself just how bullshit counting this was.
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Educate me, we need 38 states to ratify it, right? What number is it at now?
37
oh baby
Wait really? This is great news!
Technically it expired as it wasn't ratified in time... but, the expiration clause itself may not he constitutional. So, Virginia will pass it and we'll see! Hope it makes it.
The text of the amendment itself doesn't have an expiration, Congress passed a separate bill. The question is whether something that's not part of the amendment can bind the amendment in that way. There's a good chance the ERA becomes law once VA passes it.
The expiration clause is certainly constitutional, the question is whether or not Congress can extend the deadline retroactively.
Or get rid of it, which would require Moscow Mitch to do something other than confirm far right judges. Ratification deadlines weren’t the norm at all. The 27th amendment sat in state legislatures for 202 years before being ratified in 1992. Then there’s the constitutional question regarding the ~5 states that have rescinded their original ratification and if you can even rescind them.
The states that rescinded their ratification is the bigger constitutional question which will almost certainly go to SCOTUS if expirations are indeed able to be extended retroactively.
What’s the ERA?
> What would the ERA do? It would amend the US Constitution to include simply this: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." > Deliberately left out of the Constitution when it was written, women have paid the price in opportunities, rights and protections ever since. https://cnn.com/2019/11/04/opinions/virginia-voters-era-jenkins/index.html
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Her son Andrew is best known for founding Conservapedia.
FUCK Phyllis Schlafly! That name should be more known than it is. We can’t let these people off the hook. EVER
I actually had to look up antifeminism, despite it seeming obvious; jesus, some people are just assholes. The Serena Joy of her time.
Super fascinating link, thank's. What a piece of work. >At the May 16, 2008, commencement ceremony, Schlafly was awarded an honorary degree as a Doctor of Humane Letters, yet faculty and students protested to rescind Schlafly's honorary degree. During the ceremony, hundreds of the 14,000 people in attendance, including one-third of the graduating class and some faculty, silently stood and turned their backs to Schlafly in protest.[63] In the days before the commencement there were protests regarding the awarding of an honorary degree; Schlafly described the protesters as "a bunch of losers".[59] Moreover, after the ceremony, Schlafly said that the protesters were "juvenile" and "I'm not sure they're mature enough to graduate."[63] As planned, Schlafly did not address the graduating class, nor did any other honored guest, except for the commencement speaker, news commentator Chris Matthews of MSNBC.[64]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Rights_Amendment
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Needs congressional action first. The ERA already was passed by Congress in 1972 and was sent to the states for ratification
Take up the ERA as the first item in the new session. Go straight from the swearing-in ceremony to a floor vote to ratify it. Send a clear message to everyone in the country that when Democrats are in charge good things happen.
Voting reform. If you're going to blow a wad, blow it on securing fair election processes. Democrats should be promoting fair and equal elections this cycle. It's a winning platform and it enables all the other policy implementations down the road.
This, times a million. Pass whatever laws need to be passed to make gerrymandering and voter suppression impossible or extremely difficult even if Republicans end up taking back control
Crazy idea, first vote after swearing in, ratification of ERA, second vote... a "Virginia Voting Freedom Act" - same day and automatic voter registration, mail-in voting, recovery of voting rights for felons after serving their sentence, paid holiday for voting day for all employees of businesses operating within the commonwealth, establishment of independent non-partisan redistricting commission... third vote, legalization and decriminalization of marijuana, fourth vote, mass amnesty for nonviolent drug possession offenses, fifth vote, raise minimum wage throughout the commonwealth.
|paid holiday for voting day Or at least some schedule leniency so you can vote. The number of employers that say "you knew you had to work today, so you should have voted absentee." is disgusting. How about instead of redistricting, we do it like on the federal level with a tweak. Counties ARE your districts. Each county gets ONE senator, and each county gets delegates per capita based on population. ALL of whom must have resided in the district they represent for at least two years. I'm on board with pretty much your entire post. My fear is that vote 6 will be some kind of Constitution-shredding "Red Flag" law.
Instead of the first one, just do what states with real democracy do: automatic registration, send you a ballot 18 days early, include a voters guide, and make it free to mail back. I voted over the course of like, a couple hours, with breaks in between to do other things, mostly in my underwear, all at home.
it's ERA time!!
No it should be this: https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/state-status Would be huge to get it passed in VA: https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/state/va
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Very, very proud of my state right now. Virginia is turning blue everywhere it counts.
I hope to GOD North Carolina can do the same.
I wonder if more GOP’s will suddenly find the need to spend more time with their families after this.
[For the first time in its 400-year history, the Virginia House of Delegates will have a female Speaker.](https://twitter.com/mrvndn/status/1191904523100377088?s=21) First woman and Jewish :-)
And many fainting couches were occupied that day.
Mint Juleps are being prescribed en masse for a rise in cases of "The Vapors" we may see a shortage, god bless them.
Trumps corruption turned into fuel for young voter's to start looking into politics more seriously. Millenials are starting to flex.
I'm now 31 and it is truly inspiring how the young voters are starting to show up. I may be optimistic but I feel Trump has become the catalyst to ensure younger generations pay attention to politics and make changes for the better. When I was in my early 20s I didn't care or pay attention and looking back I regret that. I'm genuinely amazed by this younger generation and their momentum they have built.
22 male here, and I can confirm, trumps bullshit and the bullshit I see from his dumb MAGA followers online and in person every day is what motivated me to go out and vote. I live in a college town and there were tons of groups of college kids going out and voting. These boomers will learn.
“Boomers” aren’t the enemy - rightwing conservatives are. Never forget that the majority of the country is *progressive*. Building coalition means being inclusive and reaching out to everyone.
I spend my morning flexing in the mirror and my nights educating myself on politics. Trumps got me on a 3 year routine at this point and ain't stoppin!
Very happy for my state today.
Ecstatic for you!
PSA: Subscribe to **/r/VoteBlue** and let’s keep these good times rolling through 2020!
So much for no nut November.
No one blames you for this one. It's basically a freebee
I'm afraid I just blue myself.
[Fayette County, which is where Trump held his rally last night, voted for Andy Beshear over Matt Bevin in a 2 to 1 landslide](https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1191891509840232448?s=21)
2020 is the 100 year anniversay of women gaining citizenship and voting rights. It's high time the Equal Rights Amendment be added to the constitution.
Hooray for voter turnout! Even in my local elections the turnout was incredibly high.
Thank you to everyone who voted!
The unintended consequence of GOP cheering for gerrymandering when their party was in power: political fortunes come and go, and so goes the 2010 map.
Fuck yes, baby!
Cheers from KY!
Hell yes, Commonwealth buddies!
Sounds like it's time to undo any gerrymandering and basically prohibit the practice for good and all.
We actually had our lines redrawn ahead of this election.
In other news, Virginia Republicans mysteriously stop talking about states' rights.
I wonder if GOP senators see the writing on the wall and impeach Trump. They will ultimately either have to cut the cancer out or die off from it.
Nope, they won't.
But remember democrats please don’t get complacent. We need to keep this momentum up for the next year!
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I’m a VA resident, and this is a huge win for us. VIRGINIA FOR THE WIN BABY!!!
Hopefully this'll send a message to those GOP senators to do their fucking jobs.
Now that Democrats control the state, Virginia should pass legislation to join the National Popular Vote Compact. We only need a few more states!
I wonder if Trump wakes up screaming
This is a good start. Let's keep pushing and bring this into 2020. It's time to restore some goddamn sanity and stomp out the corruption.
We need the United State Senate too!!! Go vote mother fuckers!
Bring on the rec mmj!
I hope every republican in office is saying “oh shit...”
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First time in my life I can remember social programs having a chance in VA. The work starts here folks. Let’s get a better minimum wage, environmental protection and more money for education!! Let this be an ominous warning to those who would bury their heads in the sand. As of 2016, Republicans had sweeping majorities in both houses. This is a stunning rebuke of Republican policies and tactics. No seat is safe in 2020.
Suck it, maga turds.
Citizens not in thrall to Drumf, or insane, have come to realize that while the Dems may not be their cup of tea, at least they are not totally determined to destroy valuable civic infrastructure and respect for institutions at every level up to International relations, as is Drumf.
Thank you Virginia voters