General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAfter N.C. Court ruling
Dems control the election boards. And there are those who will say that we should be the adults, that we should turn the other cheek.
Screw that. Be as bad as they are. Suppress the hick vote. Do everything the GOP did to blue districts with the blessing of the GOP rank and file. It was all a laugh to them. Time to put the shoe on the other foot.
Close down most rural polling places. Curtail early voting hours in red areas. Send too few voting machines, half of which are broken and have tech support be the stoner from Taco Bell, employ too few poll workers. Just pull that shit in Hillbilly land for a couple years. And then they'll get the picture of why what they did in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro is wrong.
They don't learn any other way.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)is now possible. We will be better off in the long run.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/06/03/this-computer-programmer-solved-gerrymandering-in-his-spare-time/?utm_term=.fdcc8b0344fc
Yesterday, I asked readers how they felt about setting up independent commissions to handle redistricting in each state. Commenter Mitch Beales wrote: "It seems to me that an 'independent panel' is about as likely as politicians redistricting themselves out of office. This is the twenty-first century. How hard can it be to create an algorithm to draw legislative districts after each census?" Reader "BobMunck" agreed: "Why do people need to be involved in mapping the districts?"
They're right. These programs and algorithms already exist. Brian Olson is a software engineer in Massachusetts who wrote a program to draw "optimally compact" equal-population congressional districts in each state, based on 2010 census data. Olson's algorithm draws districts that respect the boundaries of census blocks, which are the smallest geographic units used by the Census Bureau. This ensures that the district boundaries reflect actual neighborhoods and don't, say, cut an arbitrary line through somebody's house.
You can see for yourself how his boundaries look. Here's a comparison of Pennsylvania's current congressional districts (top) and Olson's algorithmically-drawn ones (bottom).
shraby
(21,946 posts)be difficult to change.
NCDem777
(458 posts)I'm talking about election boards. For years now, the GOP election boards used their power to undersupply blue areas and oversupply red areas. That's why long lines in the big cities were the norm. The GOP cut early voting hours in blue precincts and increased them in red precincts. Blue precincts were chronically understaffed and undersupplied.
It's time for brutal payback. They will never learn otherwise. They're like naughty children who don't think things they do to others are wrong until it's done to them.
If we let them off, they'll go right back to doing what they were doing when the pendulum swings the other way.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)But I still think it would be better if we had non-partisan laws about this sort of thing, because otherwise there will be endless rounds of "pay back."
gopiscrap
(23,674 posts)electoral map to favor us, because you sure as hell know when the shit stain repukes are in charge, they'll have no qualms about doing it
SWBTATTReg
(21,859 posts)available and should be used, but I sure would like to make the gopigs suffer for basically the crime of taking our vote away or suppressing it. I would get an irrational feeling of pleasure making them feel the pain that we've had over the years fighting this attempt to steal elections/our votes/our legislators...
Control-Z
(15,681 posts)Which NC Court ruling? And are you talking about Dems controlling NC's election boards? And how did that happen?
NCDem777
(458 posts)By NC law, the governor's political party has majority control over election boards. GOP tried to change it. NC Court said no. Now that Dems have control, we should pay them back.
gopiscrap
(23,674 posts)SCantiGOP
(13,856 posts)Something that is illegal and unethical. I wouldnt be a member of a party that would do that as a matter of policy.
Suppress the hick vote. Do you consider this liberal?
Mister Ed
(5,896 posts)People, I know the thought of paying the bastards back in kind is emotionally appealing. But please drop it.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)If that is done, North Carolina will have more Democrats.
I don't favor stripping rural people of the right to vote efficiently because republicans did that tactic to blue and purple areas. If we are going to simulate republican facist tactics, then what are we fighting for?
NCDem777
(458 posts)repeatedly steals toys from other kids, you don't "explain" why stealing is wrong. If explaining worked, they wouldn't have stolen in the first place. You take away their toys. By learning how it feels, they learn stealing is wrong.
We've tried to explain why voter suppression wrong to the GOP elected officials and average GOP voters. Evidence indicates that explaining does not work.
They need a demonstration done to them. Let them deal with long lines for a few elections. Let them deal with a lack of machines for a few elections. Let them deal with all the nonsense that people in the cities have dealt with. Not for long-term, just long enough for a reality check. By learning how voter suppression feels, they learn that it is wrong.
After getting the picture, they'll be inclined to come to the table. Remember: Conservatives, especially of the white variety, do not give a shit about anything until it hurts them personally.
So make it hurt them personally.
gopiscrap
(23,674 posts)gopiscrap
(23,674 posts)let them suffer I don't give one iota shits about any republican, let them all cease to exist and go to hell
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Tie the number of voting machines to be deployed on voting day to population. Cities and bigger population areas get far, far more voting machines and poll staffing. Rural areas should have minimal machines and poll workers, in accordance with their population density.
Hayduke Bomgarte
(1,965 posts)They learn at all.
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)Simple ratio mathematics then no one can complain
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)Saves on staff and moneys
sunonmars
(8,656 posts)Was to make areas outside of urban areas with less than lets say 3000 voters mail in only and deploy all staff and machinery to larger precincts