70%

I'm voting blue, and you should too

But if it's a competition for engagement, why did we have to go with the least engaging candidate possible?

Because the system isn't fixed yet.
Unfortunately, we have to engage in order to fix it. It won't just fix itself so that we can participate with a clean ~~ego~~ conscience.
- So much this. This is a shitty game, but the only way to fix the game, is to play. Keep voting blue to beat the fascist reds, and in primaries, vote with your heart. A strong voter turnout for both will make the red party irrelevant until they move more to the center, while also pushing blue more left.
- Okay... But let's walk it out... Say turn out is good enough to beat Trump this time... Biden gets in again... What's the next step? How do we then get him and the Dems to fix the system? Probably not even that hard... Ranked choice, end dark money, end gerrymandering... The rest will likely sort itself out... So what? Do we call our elected reps and say, okay, this time I really mean it, you fix this dumpster fire or else... Else what?
  (Just to keep this from getting derailed... I'm voting for Biden and so should everyone, especially in the swing states.)
  But I've heard this song before... Over and over... Just vote like you're told to this time, and then we'll fix the system later... And like clockwork we're right back here every 4 years... And god forbid anyone ever point out that we did this exact same dance last time, and we got them in, and shocker of all shockers, they didn't fucking fix anything about the system. Shit, they didn't even try.
  So show me the Democrat's plan to fix the system. Or I guess it is already "fixed"... How are they going to unfuck it?
- If we're expecting democrats to fix our broken, two party system, we're going to be waiting a long time. The left is going to have to work hard and do it ourselves. Democrats are enslaved in a broken system they helped create.
- I have participated for over two decades in all ways possible, I can't support any part of this system with a good conscience anymore. We can do something better, the US constitution and neoliberal capitalism isn't the ultimate attainment of human progress.
- so that we can participate in it with a clean ~~ego~~ conscience.
  Thank you for this.
- This is very true.
- Preach
My question still is why does it feel like the democratic party continues to try to mostly target 'undecided' voters. Which I'm still not convinced actually exist in any significant numbers. But I know tons and tons and tons of theoretically democrat voters that just don't bother to actually vote.
Feels like 80% of the messaging is aimed at somehow flipping a red voter blue instead of actually capitalizing on the blue voters they actually have.
Whereas all I see Republicans do is advertise to their own base. I basically never see them legitimately try to flip a blue voter. They seem to correctly recognize that's a lost cause, so they spend most of their effort on energizing their voter base.
Dunno, I don't think voting for LDPR is better than voting for CPRF. Wait, you mean american blue?
Because we did the same thing in 2016, and no one learned anything from those mistakes.
- ☝️
Because no one in their right mind would run
Because it's not just a popularity contest. I mean, it is, but you also need money to advertise yourself to an entire country.
Advertising is expensive when you have to pay for it, instead of doing stupid or evil stuff all the time like certain famous Republicans.
So, who has money, and how do you convince them to give you money? This is where the intersection between who we want and who we get lies.

It’s much easier to get 65% turnout when it’s a candidate we can get excited about.

You might notice there are a ton of candidates on your ballot who aren't running for president
- Oh, I got it. Good job. Took me a while though, I think I have Covid… again. Yes, it’s still out there.
Change starts from the bottom, not the top.
Young people aren't voting = political parties seeing no reason to appeal to them.
Older generations vote, so politicians who appeal to older generations get promoted over ones who might otherwise have broad appeal.
Don't complain about there being nothing but geriatric candidates if you're only engaging in National level races and not taking part in local, regional and state elections that are spring boards for the younger politicians to rise up the ranks to get onto the national level.
You want to see change? Vote. In every election you're eligible to vote in. And get all your friends and co-workers to do the same. Doesn't matter if it's for city council, school board or senate races. Just fucking vote.
- when the dem party ran a candidate that young people liked, we went out and voted for him. so it's not the young people's fault that they don't vote, it's that the party doesn't care enough to put forward a candidate that young people actually can get behind.
- Young people aren't voting = political parties seeing no reason to appeal to them.
  Older generations vote, so politicians who appeal to older generations get promoted over ones who might otherwise have broad appeal.
  And that works great until the old farts start dying and the young people the party spent so long alienating don't trust them for some fucking reason.
His record is great, and the alternative is the end of democracy.
What more do you want
- His record is great
  i'm want to assume that you mean his record for the last 3 years because the last 51 years has been very bad; but even those 3 years were hit and miss.
  but then again, if you only look at the last 3 years of his life, kissinger was a pretty good guy too.
- I dunno... someone that doesn't make up words like "goodest"?
- I've heard this before. What do you people mean when you say "end of democracy"?
Well if you crush the Republican party midterms become a free for all and real progressives can be elected?
I’d agree but when the other candidate is Trump the excitement should be at max level for you, or I’ll have to think you have a secret agenda.
- people have short attention spans. and the media circus isn't helping Biden's cause. I'll hold my nose this time and vote biden, just like i did with hillary, but not everyone will do that. a lot of people are going to skip voting, and you shouldn't blame them, you should blame the democratic party for not putting forward the best candidate for the job.
- You mocked opposition to genocide elsewhere in this thread.
- Its not secret. I want to dissolve the two party system and force the legacy political parties to compete in a free market of ideas. If they arent competitive because their muscles have weakened from long use of First Past The Post voting as a crutch... that's on them.

Those % are very much bullshit but I support the message. Vote out the fascist party.

Don’t let the bullshit percentages distract you from the fact that in 1998, the Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table. Vote. 🗳️
- That was way too short, not voting and it's all your fault
Yeah had to go validate them
They did not validate

My source? I made it the fuck up

It's totally accurate if the extra 15% that shows up is all people voting for Biden.
- A 6:9 split in favor of the Democrats is actually more than sufficient. Go crawl back to your "Voting bad actually" disinformation silo.

If the Republicans win this one, you won't have to worry about voting ever again.

- gestures broadly at the world that has been increasingly crumbling
  You sure about that?
- Common .ml brain failure.
That's the silver lining I guess. Elections are such stressful events that people living under totalitarian regimes just don't have to deal with.
- Considering I stressed about Trump every day when he was President, stressing about an Election every couple of years for a few months is much preferred.
Unless the democrats have an actual plan, they can actually get through congress, to unwind the legal framework for fascism that the republicans have built it won't matter in the long run anyway...
Like seriously we're in the end game now, without an actual plan to stop it the next republican president will be our last.

Biden: Who cares about turnout, I have to capture the moderates! All 5 of them!

Republicans won in 2016 with 60.1% turnout, in 2004 with 60.1% turnout, in 2000 with 54.2% turnout
Democrats won in 1996 with 51.7% turnout

i support the message, but if this is true why is the dem party hell bent on keeping the candidate who isn't actually engaging his base enough to make them want to go out and vote? If biden wins, I'll be surprised. Happy, of course, but surprised nonetheless.

The wealthy donate to both parties
If Dems ran a candidate voters want. They'd get majorities in both houses, not long till super majorities.
And then there's no excuse not to do what voters want.
Moderate Dems want to win, but only by so much they're not able to do anything in office.
- Was looking for this comment so I didn't have to type it out. It's never about winning for Democrats because then they'd have to actually do what they said they would. It's much more convenient to have the Republicans blocking everything they do while they're in power so they can then demonize them.
- If Dems ran a candidate voters want
  Joe Biden won the democratic primaries in 2020. He may not be what most voters wanted, but he was the least objectionable candidate for many people. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Tulsi Gabbard all ran, and most didn't win a single state.
  Who is this mysterious candidate that "voters want" who chose not to run?
  The 2020 primaries should have been a wake-up call to a lot of people that what they thought voters wanted wasn't actually true. There are a lot of socially conservative democratic voters out there.
Because they are shit at engagement, as proven since 1984
- Because they prefer electing republicans to winning if the cost of winning would be compromising even a fraction of an inch with the left
- Obama got people excited in 2008
Controlled opposition, so the other side doesn't go to far from center?
They are both right wing parties and both entrenched in capitalism and corporations and donation money.
The OP is true because more people are in the middle like a bell curve and the D is slightly right, while R is far right. So the more people you add the more likely they are to vote D.
- Most people want to think they're in the center. But the second you dangle M4A, universal education, and the possibility of lower rents in front of them they love it. Not realizing that those aren't center positions.
- how can we energize left leaning people to vote for more left leaning parties? maybe not this election cycle, but we might be able to push further left if we can get some green candidates in the house next time.
Biden's been doing fine. I never gave a shit how he "appeared" in televised debates.
- The point is that if the post is true moving to the left would motivate more people to vote instead of the current system where the left does not have a real voice in American politics ...
if this is true why is the dem party hell bent on keeping the candidate who isn’t actually engaging his base enough to make them want to go out and vote?
He's the only one that can beat Trump. But he can only beat Trump if everyone in the country turns out and votes for him.
Also, nobody look at how Republican voter participation changed between 2016 and 2020
- at this point, he is. but he didn't have to be the candidate. we were forcefed biden and not given another choice.

Replacing First Past The Post voting with a more representative electoral system such as Ranked Choice voting would allow more then 2 political parties to be viable with no spoiler effect.

This would increase engagement as more people would be represented by the extra parties. This would increase voter turnout and... going off of your own post... would increase the number of voters for the democratic party.

More democracy, more representation in government, more democratic voters. A win win win for the people of the USA and the DNC.

Since the electoral system is managed at the state level, one must wonder why the democrats haven't implemented this easy win mode in the states they control. It's clear democrats understand the faults of First Past The Post voting. Just talk to any one of them about voting third party and they will go on and on about how its a wasted vote. Well if you understand the flaws of the voting system so well, why haven't you done anything to fix the problem? For longer then I've been alive...

How would the republicans prevent this reform if they don't control these blue states? Who is standing in the way of electoral reform in these democratic strong holds?

If you believe the Republicans are an existential threat, you should be on board with using every tool available to prevent that right? That means passing electoral reform in your state ASAP. We should be asking our representatives why they aren't using every tool at their disposal to defeat the republicans.

Since the electoral system is managed at the state level, one must wonder why the democrats haven't implemented this easy win mode in the states they control.
Because political parties are more concerned about donations and influence than democracy. Destroying the two party system would see their monopoly of influence slowly dwindle away
They don't see Republicans as an existential threat, they see the Republicans as a canary in a coal mine. The Republicans act as a gauge to see exactly how low their own constituents will allow them to sink before they get in trouble. So long as Democrats can look good by comparison, they will continue to serve their donors and themselves over the needs of the people.
Replacing First Past The Post voting with a more representative electoral system such as Ranked Choice voting would allow more then 2 political parties to be viable with no spoiler effect.
As a result, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party would oppose getting rid of First Past the Post because it gives them an advantage in elections. So, in order to get rid of First Past the Post, you would need to first elect a third party. Unfortunately, because of First Past the Post, you're not going to be able to elect a third party.
Testing different voting methods: https://electionscience.github.io/vse-sim/VSEbasic
STAR voting seems to be the latest and greatest.
People in Oregon tried to get it on the ballot, but failed to get enough signatures from voters... 😭
https://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_STAR_Voting_Initiative_(2024)

All it takes is for the Democrat Party to move a bit to the Left or alternatively as this post requests checks notes 22 million voters to move to the Right and vote for people such as the current checks notes unwavering supporter of a ethno-Fascist regime and ideology currently committing a Genocide which according to a study publish in the Lancet is already estimated to have killed over 180 thousand people, a large fraction of which are children.

It's not as if the Democrat Party is getting much in the way of votes from their Right, so one has to wonder why exactly is the DNC doing all it can to stop the easy solution of the party having leaders who actually act the suppose Left-of-Center values of the party.

who cares what they actually do? they say they're democrats so that means they're the good guys. as long as we vote for the person who isn't orange man, we win! it's that simple
- as long as we vote for the person who isn’t orange man,
  Have you seen Biden lately?
  They're literally both orange now...
  https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-is-getting-more-orange-2024-7
- lmao
/r/creepyasterisks
- !lostredditors@lemmy.world
Are you suggesting they endanger profit?

At this point I vote just to say that I did. I don't expect voting is the way that America is going to fix its problems. We're voting in a two-party system where both sides do everything in their power to maintain the status quo. We simply do not have a seat at the table.

There are some options:
grassroots voter advocacy, à la Stacey Adams
grow and build a viable third party by joining with Democrats during electoral college cycles (or, stay at the state level until big enough)
work with Democrats to propose, write, enact, and defend progressive policies that are wanted
skip the politics and go into media
Those are the only other non-violent, legal things I can think of atm to change it. Obviously I think the third is most viable, but mostly that’s from watching the others not work yet. New media continues to change structures though.

This isn't really true in this election. Usual caveats, I'm voting blue and all that.

But likely voter polls favor Biden more than registered voters. There's straight up not a linear regression of people voting to democratic winners like this presents. It's bad statistics.

People who don't pay attention to politics at all are more likely to vote for Trump. I think that makes a lot of sense. People who pay attention aren't as likely to vote for him as people who don't really follow.

It's true. My wife works in a bakery and her coworkers said they will likely vote for trump, and they didn't know anything about project 2025.
- Project 2025 is really only in recent headlines. Those people have at least 8 years of info to work with. If they say they're not aware of how shitty Trump is then they're just as shitty as he is because they're clearly lying to save face.
Uhoh! Someone is below the 10,000 word caveat requirement! That makes you a secret russian Republican terrorist!

I have a product that I want to sell.
You don't like that product.
I'm at risk of being broke because I don't sell anything.
It's YOUR FAULT because you don't buy what I sell.

I think that's not the way it works.

I think that’s not the way it works.
The fact that you don't see a difference between you as an individual consumer buying a product and we as a society voting together to steer our collective course is a very serious problem.
Why don't you share the way you do think it works?
Unless you don't know anymore of "how it should work" than the people running the show, despite your wish to appear as you do.
It's cute 😺
- Did you give this a moment's thought before replying?
  He's saying that they're not offering a product people like.
  You're asking what the alternative is.
  The alternative is offering a product people DO like. Inferring that from the comment you replied to is common sense.
If 70% of the people buy the product they don't like, another worse company goes bankrupt.
But if 50% of people buy the product they don't like, the two biggest companies kill everyone.

No republican party? I'm not sure democrats would even allow that since they need a boogieman party to have voters vote against instead of actually having to run on progressive policies that voters can actually vote for.

"We need a Republican party that is principled and strong" - Joe biden

This is exactly why it's so frustrating that left leaning cynics constantly sabotage outreach efforts, and then turn around and proudly state that Democrats are bad at messaging.

how about this, we get 80% of the country, the disenfranchised non-voters and vote for an actually decent third party and destroy them both

Good. I would also like a pony.
- is the Democratic strategy for engagement to respond with cynicism and low bars?
- The ponies will be free, and the toothbrushing mandatory.
Well for starters we would need to actually have a decent third party that’s worth voting for

Bad news from the future. I live in a place with mandatory voting. It hasn't solved anything.

It’s a start though. Ranked choice voting would likely solve the two party problem.
- We also have that lol. Still just the two parties. But to be a little optimistic we are starting to see a lot more support for one of the third parties, and they have been able to affect some small, but positive, change. I think the younger generations are slowly breaking that mindset of just voting for the big two who have failed us so far.
Where is that?

Why is that? Do dems simply have less voter engagement or is this a split on age lines? Really interesting statistics though!

Gerrymandering, voter ID, challenging voter registrations, disenfranchising felons, opposing mail-in voting, anonymous mailers threatening to arrest voters, closing polling stations in Democratic-leaning areas, challenging voters at the polls to gridlock the polling places, making the handing out of water to people waiting to vote (in red states - where it’s hot) illegal.
All the well-known cheating tactics of republiQans. Others are less well known. That’s one of the problems.
- Also democrats running shit candidates.
- Dude I got a fucking email that was a trump ad and it just had a 'random' quote at the bottom. It was that fucking sleeping with the fishes quote. The ad was straight up threatening me to vote for Trump or else.
I think this chart, which I hope shows up, kind of gets to the point. Both reds pretty much ALWAYS vote. The conservative blues also always vote. That pretty much just leaves the progressive blues that need to be convinced to show up... But if they do show up, they vote blue.
Also notice that even if the Biden's of the party could in fact get every centrist Republican to switch over and vote for them (and the biggest swing they actually achieved in these years was only a few percent) it still wouldn't compare to the votes they'd get if they'd just embrace progressives and let the conservatives go.
- That pretty much just leaves the progressive blues that need to be convinced to show up… But if they do show up, they vote blue.
  not running shitty candidates with thoroughly fucked up voting/support history would be a great way to convince progressives to show up; the democrats had that with bernie and denied him 2x, so it doesn't seem realistic that the democrats would ever change.
  and it turns into a chicken and egg problem because democrats needs progressives to show up; but progressives won't show up because democrats keep punching left.

"There isn't a Republican party anymore" is a ludicrous thought. You really think all these conservatives are going to roll over and let Democrats actually win like that?

Conservative Christians are indoctrinated very deeply and reinforce that strongly in social settings. You can change perspectives over time, but they ain't gonna watch 70% of the population vote in a swarm of Democrats without screaming "fraud"

The fact thay the republicans are always on the losing side of history on purpose kinda shows that they’re not really a legitimate party that actually works for the people. They shouldn’t even be in the discussion but they lie, cheat, and steal their way to more power than they deserve. Conservatives will complain because they’ve been shown, however wrongly, that they have a lot of support which feeds into a cycle that eventually ends up where we are today where the far right is gaining huge amounts of power in places it doesn’t deserve and plants itself down as legitimate enough that they keep pulling in fools to elect their own doom.
Basically what I’m saying is too fucking bad for them, reality’s a bitch when you’re evil and/or stupid but that’s just too fucking bad for them. And if they want to threaten or intimidate people that’s called domestic terrorism. Boo-fucking-hoo.
- The fact thay the republicans are always on the losing side of history on purpose kinda shows that they’re not really a legitimate party that actually works for the people
  Civil War. Cold War. etc.
They can scream all they want, it won’t get them elected.
The post is exaggerating, but it’s true that after one huge loss (or even a series of losses in a row), the Republican Party will have to reform itself to appeal more to moderates (aka non-fascist right-wing voters).

Okay but democrats aren't really progressive, are they?

No way comrade.

The voter turnout according to the VEP metric was 66.9% in 2020 and yet Dems don't have majority in senate so this meme is already wrong.

Were all the senate seats up for election?
- Did Dems win a majority of the seats that were available?

Something tells me this isn't true

The current political crisis is a competition of ideas. Specifically who can spread their ideas the farthest and the fastest. Neo-liberalism is entrenched in our society and because of that fascism is on the rise. People reflexively reject socialism without understanding that the ideas work and would improve our lives.

We need to vote for Biden in 2024, because he is going to be the Democratic nominee. But defeating Trump will not be the end of this problem. Unless we successfully perform a political revolution we are going to be in this same situation with the threat of a fascist take-over every presidential election.

We need wealth redistribution and also systemic change to our political and economic institutions. To do that we do need high voter turnout. We need people to vote for socialists and progressives in 2026 and 2028. To get those votes we need to change minds.

I personally appreciate the sentiment of this meme, because we need to be encouraging voter turnout. But the fascist movement will only grow the longer we stick with neo-liberalism. The more wealth inequality grows the more people who will be susceptible to fascist ideas.

"vote blue" is so cringe and culty. I mean ya, I am going to vote that way out of self defence... But that particular phrase is definitely not going to speak to someone who didn't already drink the party Kool aid.

Democrats are not your friend, they're just another powerful political establishment. Republicans are your enemy though.

It's vote blue until you suggest replacing Biden then suddenly Biden himself is the only candidate that can win. Why don't Biden's supporters just "vote blue" and elect an anti-genocide candidate?
- I’ll vote for the candidate with the most reach who is not trump. That candidate will be a democrat. No other parties are even close. So.

Lmao.

You guys still can't figure out why voters don't want to turn out? You just assume you've won the war of ideas because the only other organized team we're allowed to have has gone to shit.

Try thinking less like a team and more like someone who wants people to vote for them.

You Must Choose.*️⃣
Choose Democrat -> hope, and a four year reprieve from insane chaos and destruction
Choose RepubliQan -> insane chaos
Choose Third Party -> insane chaos
Choose not to vote -> insane chaos
THERE ARE NO OTHER CHOICES.
*️⃣ This presumes one is a registered American voter.
- *️⃣ This presumes one is a registered American voter.
  And one lives in a swing state where one's vote matters.
I definitely thought "we won the competition of ideas long ago" was parody for a split second
Least condescending centrist take I've ever seen.

Do non-voter really lean left or is this just some unsubstantiated BS?

I used to work for the party and had access to the VAN database (Democratic party database). Also remember that specific information being passed around. IIRC, this had been true most of my life up to that point (2008). I suspect it is still true. If voter turnout was high, Republicans would lose so many races their impact on the country would be negligible. It shows you why turning away voters and discouraging voters is a cornerstone of their strategy.
The thing is if we actually showed up the whole country would shift left. This would force both parties to move left to compensate for the shift in their districts and the angry disaffected voters would actually get what they wanted. But for some reason how our system works is basically magic to most people. So instead some throw up their hands and say "my vote doesn't matter anyway".
- Can't we please aim for some more optimism, for once, and run a half full cup of coffee..?
Traditionally yes. Since the right went crazy it’s a little harder to see how much left.
They aren't going to vote for the Republican party.
- That's a lot of words to tell people that you're a right-wing trumpist.

[citation needed]

what does "win in-a walk" mean?

Supermajority

At what level do we get actual progressives/a left party in the USA?

Probably never honestly. The dems will run whoever they want and we will continue to vote blue regardless
- And then anyone that suggests that elections aren't going to fix the root issues is shamed for ushering in fascism.
The one where progressives start actually engaging with the levers of power by pursuing leadership positions in the Democratic party, consistently putting forward good candidates in the primaries and actually showing up to vote for said candidates.
- So what is the plan after they do that then get shut out immediately?
  Need ranked voting and money out of politics but neither party will allow that
Electoral reform at the state level so people can vote outside the two party system with no spoiler effect.

Wish I could upvote more than once.

What does "win in-a walk" mean? i can't grok this statement. (not a native english speaker)

I am a native English speaker and I have never heard this phrase before, so don't worry it's not you!
Meaning in a race, where people normally run to win, a person might be so far ahead, or the race might be so lopsided that one could win by walking.
Someone answered already, but I just wanted to point out that I loved your use of "grok". I'm native English speaking and I could only guess what "win in-a walk" could mean through context. You're doing great

If you had won the competition of ideas, voters would turn up lol.

The problem is that both of you are two sides of the same coin. One with the carrot and one with the stick. Your differences are simply not big enough and the positive things you promise are simply too little compared to the damage you do to everyone to be frightened by this stupid lesser evil rhetoric.

I'll vote for someone who has an even remotely adequate program for the people's demands. Have a good one👍

Democrats represent the same center-right politics that has ruled America in decades past, though in recent years they've been a little bit amenable to progressive policies (see Inflation Reduction Act, which included $783 billion on energy and climate change among other things); this is of course extremely faint praise, but it is what it is.
Meanwhile, the Republican party has detailed plans to orchestrate a fascist takeover.
Support for Israel is controversial within the Democratic party and they're at least susceptible to militant influence; the Republican party, meanwhile, has no reason to ever moderate their support for a genocide.
Nobody's happy to vote Democrat, but they absolutely represent the lesser of two evils. This is observable evidence, but it does have the downside that it doesn't make you look smarter than everyone else, so i understand if you don't want it.
- Controversial support for Israel? The fact that you think there's any moderation in support for Israel is the problem. The fact that you think the democrats care even remotely for climate change and that they do something about it, besides for show, is the problem.
  I don't care to look smart, I don't care if I'm smart, I care about my interests. And my interests are not with people who don't touch billionaires, fund wars and privatise the air I breathe. It's ok if you don't care enough, not everyone has the same interests - because our difference is not about who wants to look smart, but who takes the issues I'm talking about seriously enough - who cares enough and who has been impacted the most to understand the consequences of neoliberal politics.
  The problem isn't that there isn't a lesser evil, of course there is one, one has to be less evil if the two are not the same. But rather that the lesser evil is too evil.

Okay cool but then how do we get rid of the Democrats?

Change the way we vote, opening up the gate to a myriad of parties.
- I don't know what's less likely; that or getting 70% turnout

Is advocating for the Democratic Party allowed on this comm?

Should be allowed anywhere people acknowledge reality lol. The number of people on Lemmy who think that they’re gonna magically change the world by complaining loudly on a tiny Internet forum and labeling literally everyone that disagrees with them for any reason a genocide supporter is utterly astounding…and more than a little ironic given how many of them are out here fangirling over Mao and Stalin.
Like, holy fuck dude. The far left echo chamber here is so far off in la-la-land it makes the people I see ranting in my Facebook feed seem well-informed by comparison. You guys literally have no idea how anything gets done in the real world lol.
Keep it up with this “all or nothing” mentality, and you’re gonna get nothing every single time.
Obviously.

Fractured idiots vs a cult. Blue needs votes! SOME states are starting to split their electoral votes or do ranked choice. IT IS COMING! Just like legalisation of weed and abolishing slavery. It is starting in a few states and it will spread (except in the predictable trash-states). Let's not lose it all before we finally get a system that allows third-party voting! Red winning means that it will either be outlawed (see above trash-states) or packed SCOTUS, Congress, Senate will invalidate their vote if it goes non-red. Not to mention all the other official positions that will get polluted (see postal service) by Project 2025.

I really feel voting should be mandatory, with an opt out option on the ballot. Letting people obstruct or dissuade others from the voting booths just causes too many complications for democracy.

So many unheard opinions all because they are too stressed/apathetic/pessimistic to vote, that's not democracy.

Belgium has mandatory voting and politics there are difficult as hell because all those people who ordinarily wouldn't vote, tend to vote for the more extreme parties as a FU to the establishment.

... sauce?

Demand ranked choice voting if you want other choices to matter
- Ah no, we have about 10 major parties here.
In other words, you have a poor understanding of how First Past the Post works, and never could be bothered to read about it, or the long, failed history of voting 3rd party in our FPtP system. Because why make an informed decision, when you can just say "Nah, I'm throwing the election to the fascists."
Either that, or you're actually a Republican hoping to hook weaker-minded people into "Voting Green". Which one is the sadder betrayal of democracy, I wonder?
- I see you understand the faults of the voting system. Have you any news of your representatives efforts to resolve this glaring problem with the voting system?
  I will link some videos here for you to share to your representatives and your people.
  First Past The Post voting
  Other electoral systems to choose from:
  Alternative vote
  Ranked Choice voting
  Range Voting
  Single Transferable Vote
  STAR voting
  Mixed Member Proportional representation
  So glad to have someone so well versed in the flaws of First past the post voting to be working on this issue! It really has been a problem for a long time.
  Best of luck to you!
- FPtP? We don't have that here.
No, you're voting orange :)
- What is orange?

I didn’t know this sub had a horse in this race! budum tish

But also seriously, i am voting blue as always, because i don’t really have a choice if i want to protect other people i don’t even know.

But but Biden and muh Jennoside???

So this was actually analyzed not long ago. In fact its completely untrue. The apathetic voters (people who just sont vote) by a huge margin report that they would be more likely to vote for trump. So the issue here is actually that the more people that come out to vote the further behind democrats will be. And at this stage unless they remove Joe biden, Donald trump will be the next president this isnt a contest anymore and the sooner the democratic party realizes that party loyalty is what's going to destroy them the better.

You're going to need to source that.
- The source is a poll.
  Polls are garbage.

And when that 70% votes is gerrymandered into 45% of the final vote? Republicans keep winning.

Don’t really matter when only one side picks the popular one that moves their masses.

The vast majority of Republican voters show up because of fearmongering on Fox News and other right wing propaganda. It is a lot easier to energize an angry base that one who just wants stability in their government and do the things they want to do in their spare time.