March 24, 2019

Barr summary? Need more investigations. As many as the republicans did for Benghazi and emails.

Barr summary? Need more investigations.

As many as the republicans did for Benghazi and emails.

D'ya think Snowflake Trump could handle 11 hours in one stretch?

March 14, 2019

737 Max vs Ford Pinto gas tanks?

737 Max vs Ford Pinto gas tanks?

After a financial analysis, Ford decided it was cheaper to pay off the lawsuits than change the gas tank design.

?cb=1375094208

March 3, 2019

Different ways of voting - Updated

Different ways of voting. Updated from a previous version.

Inputs requested.

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Plain old majority wins.

Might require a runoff.

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Duverger's Law and the Two-Party System Explained

This can actually help a third party.

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How does ranked choice voting work?

http://www.rcvmaine.com/how_does_ranked_choice_voting_work

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Fusion voting - the practice, rarely used in other states, which allows candidates to appear on multiple ballot lines under the endorsement of multiple parties.

As deployed in New York, fusion voting typically means minor parties endorsing a major-party candidate. Think about the Working Families Party endorsing Democrat Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo last year and the Conservative Party backing Republican Marc Molinaro.

https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/cuomo-jacobs-democratic-party-1.27929485
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How Does the Electoral College Work?

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/how-does-the-electoral-college-work.html

For Presidential elections, we do not actually vote for the candidate.

We are voting for an elector who has ‘committed’ to voting for the candidate.

Funny thing…. The Electoral College elector is not legally bound to vote for his supposed candidate.

Some low population states actually have more proportionate voting strength than bigger states.

Candidates/parties know this and concentrate their efforts for those particular Electoral College votes.

It is possible to lose an election and actually get more popular votes than the ‘winner’.

Many people are trying to get rid of the EC.

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What is a causus? ... mini party primaries to determine convention delegates

A caucus is an open meeting, at which voters who are registered with the party discuss and debate presidential candidates. When they’re finished talking, they vote for the delegates who will back their favored candidate at the national convention.

On a state’s caucus day, these meetings are held all over the state, divided into precincts. At the end of the day… a number of delegates will emerge from each precinct who will go on to the national convention. The number of delegates from each state’s caucus are decided differently depending on the party.

Unlike primaries, which are run by state governments, caucuses are run by political parties.

https://informationstation.org/video/what-is-a-caucus/

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Parties of some states can select, for state/national office holders, whether they want a

1. Primary. .. open/semi/closed, all voters (or all voters of that party/unaffiliated) can vote for their choice.

2. Convention… Party representatives from around the state/country select their choice.

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Which method of voting do the people/candidates prefer?

The one that they feel gives them the best advantage.

Sometimes there are some pretty good internal squabbles trying to decide which to use.

.............. edited to add:

Absentee ballots - especially good for overseas military who cannot be there in person. And other voters who must be gone.
Some hijinks have occured with absentee ballots, such as improper handling, voided because of 'mistakes', and outright tossing out wholesale because the count would not have changed the result or sometimes, politically, because they 'might' change the results.
With great rationalization, of course.

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Early voting - convenient for folks who might have difficulty getting to the polls at a single designated time only.
Again, subject to political hijinks if the folks in power feel threatened that it might help the other side.

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