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Seedersandleechers

Seedersandleechers's Journal
Seedersandleechers's Journal
February 1, 2019

Why do we vote on Tuesday in November

Ever wonder why elections are held on Tuesdays? The answer lies with America’s 19th-century farmers. Americans first began the custom of weekday voting in 1845, when Congress passed a federal law designating the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November as Election Day. Before then, states were allowed to hold elections any time they pleased within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December, but this system had a few crucial flaws. Knowing the early voting results could affect turnout and sway opinion in states that held late elections, and those same last-minute voters could potentially decide the outcome of the entire election. Faced with these issues, Congress created the current Election Day in the hope of streamlining the voting process.

But why a Tuesday in November? The answer stems from the agrarian makeup of 19th-century America. In the 1800s, most citizens worked as farmers and lived far from their polling place. Since people often traveled at least a day to vote, lawmakers needed to allow a two-day window for Election Day. Weekends were impractical, since most people spent Sundays in church, and Wednesday was market day for farmers. With this in mind, Tuesday was selected as the first and most convenient day of the week to hold elections. Farm culture also explains why Election Day always falls in November. Spring and early summer elections were thought to interfere with the planting season, and late summer and early fall elections overlapped with the harvest. That left the late fall month of November—after the harvest was complete, but before the arrival of harsh winter weather—as the best choice.




https://www.history.com/news/why-do-we-vote-on-a-tuesday-in-november

January 29, 2019

HOWARD SCHULTZ HECKLED AT BOOK EVENT: 'DON'T HELP ELECT TRUMP, YOU EGOTISTICAL, BILLIONAIRE A**HOLE'

Source: newsweek.com

Howard Schultz’s potential run for president as an independent continued to be met by swift backlash Monday night as a heckler interrupted a book event in New York City, angrily telling him not to run for the White House.

The former Starbucks CEO’s announcement Sunday that he was weighing a potential bid for the White House in 2020 has been slammed by Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump. Were Schultz to run as an independent, they fear, he would take precious votes away from the Democratic nominee, helping to elect Trump to a second term.

snip:

“I am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent and I wanted to clarify the word independent which I view merely as a designation on the ballot,” he said during an interview with CNBC’s Andrew Ross.

snip:
However before he could finish the thought, a member of the audience had their own message.
“Don’t help elect trump you egotistical, billionaire a**hole,” shouted the impassioned heckler.



Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/howard-schultz-heckler-trump-2020-billionaire-1308752?utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=NewsweekTwitter&utm_medium=Social&__twitter_impression=true

January 8, 2019

Campaign to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms in Denver says it has enough signatures to make the

Source: 9news.com

Denver for Psilocybin said it will turn in more than 8,000 ballot signatures following a rally outside of the Colorado Capitol on Monday afternoon.

The campaign to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms in Denver said it has more than enough signatures to make the May municipal ballot and will turn them into the elections office following a rally outside the Capitol Monday afternoon.

Kevin Matthews, the campaign director for Denver for Psilocybin, said the group has gathered more than 8,000 signatures. The elections office has 25 days to verify they have collected the 4,729 valid signatures needed to make the May 2019 municipal ballot.

“This is a chance for Denver and Colorado to be an example for the rest of the country,” Matthews said.

Read more: https://www.9news.com/article/money/business/campaign-to-decriminalize-psychedelic-mushrooms-in-denver-says-it-has-enough-signatures-to-make-the-ballot/73-1984ed05-2351-4426-948c-11e163637bff?fbclid=IwAR1c6yn2DyOVbsAw4ReJZINqmCrT0QoaofrK1fHGQYVaoQNMuGaHVUohb24



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January 4, 2019

Bipartisan Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United Introduced

Source: teddeutch.house.gov

Washington, January 4, 2019
On Thursday, the first day of the 116th Congress, Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and Congressman John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bipartisan constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics and restore democratic power to the American people.

The Democracy for All Amendment affirms the right of states and the federal government to pass laws that regulate spending in elections, reversing the concentration of political influence held by the wealthiest Americans and large corporations capable of spending millions of dollars in our elections. This legislation comes days before the ninth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling in the Citizens United case.

For more information on the amendment, click here for a background summary and click here for a section-by-section and answered FAQs.

“Years after the Citizens United decision, election spending has exploded into billion-dollar races that corrupt our elections by drowning out the voices of American voters," said Congressman Deutch. "Meaningful political participation cannot be reserved for individuals with extreme wealth and special interests, and we cannot continue to allow those who spend the most to dictate public policy that is out of step with our country. From climate change to gun violence, the issues that are most important to the American people are dominated by the will of the bottomless pockets that fund elections rather than the will of voters. We need to overturn Citizens United to get big money out of politics, strengthen our democracy, and restore power to the American people.”

Read more: https://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399461

January 1, 2019

We Know How Trump's War Game Ends

Nothing unites our political class like the threat of ending our never-ending war

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-syria-withdrawal-772177/

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