Voter suppresion/"stealing the election" megathread

[Progressive Pessimist]

THANK YOU SH!TTY TEENYBOPPER MUSICIAN!

https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1294685438528159749?s=19
Proving that while her music is almost as bad as Kanye's, Taylor Swift is still a more useful and better person. Since she speaking about this means people who wouldn't listen otherwise will.

Take that back Taylor's music is amazing

"Look What You Made Me Do" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

Yeah...and that recent "Me-e-e oooh oooh oooh" song isn't much better. I can look past that though if she somehow manages to help Biden get elected.

[GoTfan]

Whichever way we got here, talking about Bernie Sanders does not matter right now. There are actual pressing issues to deal with.

We're a politics discussion board--discussing stuff like this is precisely why we all spend our time here.

And this matters because it's one more illustration of how lefty absolutists (Sanders) keep screwing our democracy over.

Well if you want to find something to attack Sanders for, it's not this:

For this to have credence, you have to believe that Obama was attempting to pack the BOG in an attempt to privatize the USPS, which...man, come on.  Do I really have to argue that Obama wasn't trying to privatize the postal service?  Regardless, I'm not sure keeping the BOG empty for years on end so Mitch McConnell could fill every vacancy with a Trump sycophant was the smart alternative.

https://twitter.com/DrJasonJohnson/status/1294382286205583362

Except the people he blocked were literally supportive of privatising USPS.

You tnink privatisation of USPS is a good thing, apparently

[GeorgiaModerate]

Voters in North Carolina have received absentee ballot request forms in the mail with Trump's face on them.

[Heebie Jeebie]

Whichever way we got here, talking about Bernie Sanders does not matter right now. There are actual pressing issues to deal with.

We're a politics discussion board--discussing stuff like this is precisely why we all spend our time here.

And this matters because it's one more illustration of how lefty absolutists (Sanders) keep screwing our democracy over.

Well if you want to find something to attack Sanders for, it's not this:

For this to have credence, you have to believe that Obama was attempting to pack the BOG in an attempt to privatize the USPS, which...man, come on.  Do I really have to argue that Obama wasn't trying to privatize the postal service?  Regardless, I'm not sure keeping the BOG empty for years on end so Mitch McConnell could fill every vacancy with a Trump sycophant was the smart alternative.

https://twitter.com/DrJasonJohnson/status/1294382286205583362

Except the people he blocked were literally supportive of privatising USPS.

You tnink privatisation of USPS is a good thing, apparently

No, I don't. I think the kinds of people Obama would nominate (all of whom had to make it through confirmation in a Republican Senate) would be more trustworthy than those nominated by Trump. I think there's a big difference between a Board of Governors with a minority who favor USPS privatization, and a BOG completely packed with Trump toadies willing to use the USPS to steal an election. You and Sanders disagree, apparently.

[Interlocutor is just not there yet]

THANK YOU SH!TTY TEENYBOPPER MUSICIAN!

https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1294685438528159749?s=19
Proving that while her music is almost as bad as Kanye's, Taylor Swift is still a more useful and better person. Since she speaking about this means people who wouldn't listen otherwise will.

Take that back Taylor's music is amazing

"Look What You Made Me Do" is one of the worst songs I've ever heard.

I can certainly agree with that. Doesn't take away anything from the great 1989 though

[GeorgiaModerate]

Trump is now railing against drop boxes for absentee ballots.

https://twitter.com/PeterAlexander/status/1295391357331288064

[Ancestral Republican]

https://mobile.twitter.com/DrJasonJohnson/status/1294261815833251841

The entire article seems like it's speculating, without evidence--"believed to be"--that it's Sanders. But of course The Hill is garbage and of course the usual suspects will foam at the mouth at any mention of Sanders name because MUH LEFTISTS and all.

As soon as I saw "Jason Johnson" I knew it was going to be bad. That dude is one of the most blindingly stupid political commentators out there. No surprise a centrist lib on here would be posting his crap as facts.

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/NewJerseyOAG/status/1295771712714416128

[Tender Branson]

Trump's stooge at the Postal Service folds:

https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1295776143250006018

[Ferguson97]

Trump's stooge at the Postal Service folds:

https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/1295776143250006018

Oh my god...

... Did we just win?

[Tender Branson]

https://twitter.com/EmmaKinery/status/1295777411678842883

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

For those who may be a little shaky on what this means:

https://mobile.twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1295778485743562759

[Landslide Lyndon]

Great news. Once again, we can thank Trump and his big mouth for that. Sabotaging the USPS was a political loser and he made sure that everyone knew who was responsible for that.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Don't care.  They tried, got caught, they'll cover it up and try again in secret.  I want him held down and tortured in Congressional hearings until he cries and begs for mercy.  Confess.  Confess.  Confess.

This battle isn't over until the USPS funding bill gets signed by the president and the funding properly allocated.  If we declare victory, then in six weeks we'll have stories about how "USPS employees still can't do their job" and it won't matter because people will just be on to the next issue.

[Horus]

I'm still voting in person. This could very well be a fake out.

[brucejoel99]

...

None of this states that he'll actually reverse all of the damage that he's already done (like undoing the removal of sorting machines).

No, in other words, they've already ratf**ked it enough, so good luck getting it fixed.

[Catholics vs. Convicts]

Good news, but trust 'em as far as you can throw 'em. Damage has been done and needs to be repaired, and everyone needs to make sure they don't try stuff behind our backs.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock/status/1295786455088771073?s=19

[GeorgiaModerate]

Somebody in one of the several USPS threads asked about the security of drop boxes for absentee ballots (I can't find the original post).  Here's a bit on Georgia's drop boxes, which are new this year:

To avoid the potential for mail delivery delays, Georgia voters can return their absentee ballots in drop boxes set up in many counties, according to rules the State Election Board passed this year.

Absentee ballot drop boxes must be located on government property and monitored by video cameras for security. They also must be securely fastened and built with a slot that prevents ballot tampering, damage or removal.

https://www.ajc.com/politics/mail-delays-turn-into-election-year-fight-in-georgia-and-congress/4HAXXDUUSJB3BLDAS5JQ7TPROA/

[Hammy]

For those who may be a little shaky on what this means:

https://mobile.twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1295778485743562759

What's to stop them from doing the same thing two weeks or so before the election?

[Progressive Pessimist]

This is excellent news, but we can't let our guard down. Trump and his minions may very well be trying to make us do that. But for now it does seem like Trump's hubris backfired on him, as per usual.

[Badger]

https://twitter.com/newsdamian/status/1294406176289898497

Feels like only a week ago that the bedwetters were saying that it's a 100% chance the Democrats/public would roll over and allow Trump to steal the election 3 months before it happens.

Amazing what happens when an incompetent authoritarian announces his secret plan on the biggest media platforms

One hurdle at a time, but what happens say 8 years from now when all it requires is President Cotton not to blab his id directly onto Twitter, plus a remotely functioning press office to claim it's all part of "tax dollar saving measures to improve efficiency"? It'd be more than just enough to convince many that it's just "both sids/politcs as usual", and many others from paying attention.

All I'm saying is, after nearly 5 years of Trump literally screaming his evil intent in our faces on a near daily basis, the fact that 40-45% of the voting population will still back him to the nines makes me lose faith in voters ever being smart enough to overcome America's challenges.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

For those who may be a little shaky on what this means:

https://mobile.twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1295778485743562759
 

What's to stop them from doing the same thing two weeks or so before the election?

After the vast majority of mail in ballots have been cast? People know about this now, so they'll be mailing out ballots ASAP.

[Admiral Stockdale]

I think there are a couple levels or degrees of suppression.

1. Slow down mail.  This involves the receipt of your absentee/mail in ballot OR the delivery of it after your ballot is mailed in.  This can be largely addressed by doing things as early as possible.  Does it potentially disenfranchise late deciders?  Yes.  Does it impact "both sides"? Yes, but Democrats seem to be saying they will be voting by mail more than in person - at least that's what they say now.  There's a huge spot light on this now and I think the scrutiny will be essentially stop this from happening.

2. Destroy/Lose mailed in ballots or applications.  This is really a dramatic step up and something I just don't see happen on a large scale.  There's a risk that you get rid of some of 'your votes' although you could target very likely precincts that would be against you.  It's relatively easily to see happening based on historical voting trends and other audit trails. 

3. Preventing in-person voting.  This takes many forms (e.g., reducing sites, limiting machines, voter roll screw ups, challenging identifications, etc.).  This happens to some extent every time.  Long lines are ridiculous.  This will continue and state needs to be held accountable to address this in the long run. 

Vote early.

[Gass3268]

One thing I learned in the August Wisconsin Primary was that there were only three sites in the City of Milwaukee where you could drop off your absentee ballot. Thankfully they are adding 15 drop off boxes to the cities libraries, city hall, and the ballot processing center. Hopefully they add more in the future, but this is good news.

https://twitter.com/SenChrisLarson/status/1296102608080269312?s=20