Al Franken: The Case for Universal Voting. Like in Australia!

[Rhiannon12866]

WaPo’s E.J. Dionne & Harvard’s Miles Rapoport on making everyone vote! - Sep 3, 2023.

[unweird]

1. Rec for the subject line alone

Nt

[rampartc]

2. i'm going to disagree on this one.

the choice not to vote is itself a vote that neither of the choices is a good one.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

4. It's not a choice to buy car insurance either, but which is vital to democracy?

Not voting is of course a choice, mandatory voting is to get you to think about your bad choice some more.

See Australia, but good point, only ever two choices in America, but surely the D will be better than the fascist?.

[cab67]

6. It's a very selfish choice.

Such people put their own sense of political purity over everyone else's well being.

Neither choice may be good, but inevitably, one of them will be better, or at least less bad.

Such decisions gave us tfg. Too many progressives felt Hillary Clinton wasn't sufficiently progressive. They stayed home, wrote in another candidate's name, or voted for someone like Jill Stein. Had these people been better informed about Hillary Clinton, and had they been willing to look out for everyone around them (two words: Supreme Court), HRC would have won in 2016.

"There's no candidate who mirrors my positions" is always going to be true. The only way I'll find a candidate who precisely mirrors my policy opinions is to run for office myself.

[drmeow]

8. You can submit a blank ballot nt

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. Forced to resign by mass media frenzy...yet tRump and a coup. Pass!!

The only frenzy now is mass media greed for campaign and eyeball cash!

Santos..etc. etc… the corporate mass media is one way resign demanding.

[Ozzi]

5. I live in Australia and I agree with full public involvement for full public benefit.

Imagine a Community that decides to rule itself with full voting rights and expectations & that each community member appreciates involvement and participation. Imagine a small few decide they don't like that idea anymore. Imagine what happens to that Community as that 'vote for leadership and laws' non-participation festers. Imagine the ease of a dictatorship rule takeover as that idea of rebellion, apathy & disconnect spreads. Its a similar mathematical consequence to a social media ideological algorithm consequence.
But Oh wait, you don't have to imagine any of that! Just look at USA as an example. Thankfully, your voter participation is generally increasing now.
Here in Australia, we vote on weekends, the places to vote are plentiful, the wait is relatively short, the penalty of not voting is a very small financial fine and the fear around voting is almost non-existent. Very few don't vote. I want my children to vote and be somewhat forced to take a very short amount of their time every few years to consider their 3 levels of Government and who best suits their ideology and lifestyle. Its a small price, a small expectation and it passes down the family line. You either participate in choosing leadership and laws (in referendums etc) or you allow you and your younger loved ones to become uninvolved and uninterested until it is too late. Then you or your offspring are forced to care and work harder to undo the fact that uninterested participants may have likely helped to create an unbalanced system that doesn't just hurt minorities, as you have then allowed yourself to become a minority (minority in who you are OR in what power you have). A voice is better used than kept silent even if you don't like both political parties. Just take the time to choose the 'better for democracy' party and then time can work in your benefit rather than against you. Its evolution.A full voting community can help keep the majority of hopefully best interests and best practices at the forefront direction of best leaderships. That can only happen when everyone participates in Elections. When full and free voting maintains full throttle power.
Here in Australia our best public/worker-carer political party is in majority power. It has helped us through a pandemic and, in my opinion, has helped us increase mainstream benefits so less people are left desperate. We have a housing crises but nothing is perfect when your country is exposed to environmental and global realities. Over the years my Country has helped me when I was a single parent, student, sick, poor and prejudiced against. My preferred Governmental party has also helped me gradually increase wealth. My children have also been able to develop businesses (with several staff) as well as have livable wages with full comfort, rights and stability. Plus both political parties are still capable of working together.
I still worry as after I spent 2 1/2 years traveling to multiple countries as a woman alone, including 11 months driving all over USA often sleeping in my car, I noticed some political bigotry and wrongful clever Election trickery fairly easily transplanted from USA etc to my Country. As climate and population risks increase its more and more obvious that we all live in a tenuous world. Justice and honest media systems as well as full participation Elections are more important than ever.
I just wish that voting was easier and fairer in your Country as what happens in your Country WILL affect my Country. Plus I car deeply about your Country as I fondly remember friendly people, amazing wildlife and stupendously incredible scenery USA has a lot of Global influence in its economy, military, ideology and politics. Don't let any extreme, any imbalanced, any poorly regulated, badly stretched (to greed/power one end and bigoted ideology other end) political party take over. Preserve yr democracy. Preserve, encourage and facilitate the 2+ best intentioned best mainstream political parties that you can by getting the best majority vote you can. VOTE as if the World needs you to. Not voting is just a lazy temper tantrum in my opinion but I also get that voters are fighting a national and international force that wants to reduce the USA vote and spread fear, misinformation and most especially make it extremely hard to vote. By not voting, you are letting them win.
You want good public education, hospitals, health care, services, infrastructure, media, policing, justice, libraries, etc etc. Then be a whole public who cares. Vote as a whole!
PLSE NOTE: my other small number of entries are encouraging your fight for Democracy, ie Democrats, by suggesting you fight with images and messages that bring to the forefront Compare and Contrast detail to a diverse voter attention. Compare and contrast States and Countries that do it fairer and better! Compare and Contrast political ambitions, policy pasts and criminal histories. Compare and Contrast those that do public rights, public service, elections, infrastructure, education, health care, justice, policing, environmental care etc BETTER. Like the above Video suggests as an example but in placard form. Keep it simple and interesting, but also clear and concise using graphs, statistics and even life stories. Get your voters to consider the next generation, their children's future. What is best for them. There's more similarities between Republicans and Democrats than differences when it comes to family, environment and public rights. Use as AI family to show a Republican future as compared to a Democratic future. Send those messages to rural areas, school councils, street verges, small media, libraries etc. Wherever you can, as often as you can and however you can. Use States and Countries that have lower crime per capita because they look after those in need (its the cheaper way) and have less corruption and less guns. These are just some ideas.

[MagaSmash]

7. If there is a better way to do things; then duplicate it here.