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What is the worst facet of American elections?

the wooooorst

  • Electoral College

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Campaign finance

    Votes: 30 46.2%

  • Gerrymandering

    Votes: 24 36.9%

  • Other (specify)

    Votes: 11 16.9%
  • Total voters
    65
My vote doesn't count more than some uneducated yokel. Or a woman's.
 
Campaign finance.

I also don't understand why an electoral college makes any sense at all.
 
Campaign finance and gerrymandering are a pretty strong chicken-egg situation now.
 
Deacfreak07 said:
Campaign finance and gerrymandering are a pretty strong chicken-egg situation now.
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I agree with this. I voted campaign finance laws but there is something else that should have been on the poll - the absolutist position our society has taken on First Amendment rights. This makes us unable to restrict campaigning periods, campaign advertising, who can give, how much, etc. etc. like most other Western countries. It goes far beyond Citizens United. This is actually what lies behind all the money in the system. Because campaigns go on forever and spending is completely unrestricted, our politicians are in constant campaign mode instead of get something done mode, and campaigns have become astronomically expensive which feeds the campaign finance monster and the need for politicians to laser-focus on campaign cash instead of fixing problems.
 
It's a combination of finance and gerrymandering. A perfect example is Austin is one of the most liberal places in TX. However due to the design of the districts, they have zero Dems in the House.
 
voted Gerrymandering. No way in hades that NC should look anything like it does.
 
Deacfreak07 said:
Campaign finance and gerrymandering are a pretty strong chicken-egg situation now.
Click to expand...

This is spot on. I'm having trouble deciding which one is worse to me.


I think I'll go campaign finance, but it's damn close.
 
finance, no question. gerrymandering is frustrating but finance silences the poor or underrepresented
 
I've said it before, but all pre-election polls should be outlawed. They impact voter turnout and votes themselves, because nobody wants to waste their time showing up or voting for a loser. If you remove the polls, then people vote on preference alone. I've always been convinced that Perot would have won had people not thought they were wasting their vote by voting for him, because the media polls said he had no shot.
 
The ridiculously stupid "logic" used by candidates to shit on one another. And it's slurped up by the same electorate which complains about mudslinging and name-calling.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
I've said it before, but all pre-election polls should be outlawed. They impact voter turnout and votes themselves, because nobody wants to waste their time showing up or voting for a loser. If you remove the polls, then people vote on preference alone. I've always been convinced that Perot would have won had people not thought they were wasting their vote by voting for him, because the media polls said he had no shot.
Click to expand...

Just.....
 
fuheel said:
voted Gerrymandering. No way in hades that NC should look anything like it does.
Click to expand...

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!


mapMain.png



Texas:

2012-Texas-Congressional-map.png




What a fucking crock of shit.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
I've said it before, but all pre-election polls should be outlawed. They impact voter turnout and votes themselves, because nobody wants to waste their time showing up or voting for a loser. If you remove the polls, then people vote on preference alone. I've always been convinced that Perot would have won had people not thought they were wasting their vote by voting for him, because the media polls said he had no shot.
Click to expand...

tumblr_inline_naqzijH3mb1rqxufd.gif
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
I've said it before, but all pre-election polls should be outlawed. They impact voter turnout and votes themselves, because nobody wants to waste their time showing up or voting for a loser. If you remove the polls, then people vote on preference alone. I've always been convinced that Perot would have won had people not thought they were wasting their vote by voting for him, because the media polls said he had no shot.
Click to expand...

to_help_others.gif
 
There is so much more, including the lengths of campaigns - now they're 1-2 year affairs. Contrast that with the UK. I would have said gerrymandering was the worst aspect before Citizens United. Now I'd say campaign finance.

Speaking of the UK, over the last few years I've been getting the feeling that a multi-party parliamentary system would be vastly preferable to our 2 party system. If govt ain't going well, dissolve and have a new election. And most importantly, you wouldn't be shutting out points of view that don't fit neatly within out 2 parties. I'd see having 5-6 national parties here - libertarians, fiscal conservatives, Christian Right/tea baggers, green, labor and what I'd call the New American Whig party (fiscal moderates/social liberals). Let's have that new constitutional convention.
 
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