This breakdown of voters should be included in every disclaimer on ever poll that’s comes out online, in the news, or on the radio. That’s not a small number of people, but it is a SIGNIFICANT minority and the country needs to not be held hostage by 15% of the population.
Totally agree and this is where our low voter turn-out really kicks us in the ass. These MAGAts vote and vote often. They might “only” represent 15% of voters, but if their rate of voting is 2X what other groups are, then they could easily represent 30% of the actual ballots cast. That is easily enough to swing elections in their favor… and all because regular folks are too lazy to go vote.
“Regular folks are too lazy,” to stand in line for hours, or were blocked by shitty regressive laws to block student votes, or their polling place was changed twice in a year, or any other of the myriad cheating mechanisms regressives have baked into the system.
Yup…that sucks. But the military taught me “no excuses.” We need to outlast, out organize, and out fight them. Volunteer to help - Teri Kanefield (she’s on mastodon) has some incredible tips - Obama calls it Citizenship.
You’re both right. I can’t demand someone working two jobs to take a bus across town and wait in line for two hours with their kids to vote, even if I think I would find a way to make it work. But if you have to take an hour of pto to vote, make plans, whatever level of reasonable effort and don’t just because it’s as hard as doing your taxes? Too bad, democracy isn’t supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to mean every citizen’s needs are acknowledged. Keeping yourself informed is hard and frustrating and if you can do it that’s the price.
When you brush off your civic duties because someone else will do them you have to deal with the consequences of someone else having done them or not
I wasn’t sure where you were going to go with this. No one is saying that gerrymandering doesn’t exist, but even in most of the most heavily gerrymandered districts, Dems could win if only enough of them would get off their asses to vote. When HALF the country doesn’t show up, upping your numbers by even a small amount can swing elections where Republicans like to stack the cards on their side. This is especially true on mid term years where Dems are notorious for not showing up, so they lose representation in Congress.
More like 43% of the Republican voters.
Republicans represent roughly 1/3 of the registered voters. 43% of that would represent roughly 15% of the entire country.
This breakdown of voters should be included in every disclaimer on ever poll that’s comes out online, in the news, or on the radio. That’s not a small number of people, but it is a SIGNIFICANT minority and the country needs to not be held hostage by 15% of the population.
Totally agree and this is where our low voter turn-out really kicks us in the ass. These MAGAts vote and vote often. They might “only” represent 15% of voters, but if their rate of voting is 2X what other groups are, then they could easily represent 30% of the actual ballots cast. That is easily enough to swing elections in their favor… and all because regular folks are too lazy to go vote.
“Regular folks are too lazy,” to stand in line for hours, or were blocked by shitty regressive laws to block student votes, or their polling place was changed twice in a year, or any other of the myriad cheating mechanisms regressives have baked into the system.
Yup…that sucks. But the military taught me “no excuses.” We need to outlast, out organize, and out fight them. Volunteer to help - Teri Kanefield (she’s on mastodon) has some incredible tips - Obama calls it Citizenship.
https://terikanefield.com/things-to-do/
You’re both right. I can’t demand someone working two jobs to take a bus across town and wait in line for two hours with their kids to vote, even if I think I would find a way to make it work. But if you have to take an hour of pto to vote, make plans, whatever level of reasonable effort and don’t just because it’s as hard as doing your taxes? Too bad, democracy isn’t supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to mean every citizen’s needs are acknowledged. Keeping yourself informed is hard and frustrating and if you can do it that’s the price.
When you brush off your civic duties because someone else will do them you have to deal with the consequences of someone else having done them or not
Couldn’t have said it better.
And yet, they keep winning congressional seats and Mayoral races. I wonder why that is… /s
Because they VOTE. While regular people will use any excuse to skip out of going to the polls.
I’m not sure that’s the entire reason.
If this is going to be some conspiracy theory nonsense, then you can just go ahead and keep it to yourself.
Politics isn’t quite easy, but it isn’t really that difficult either. It’s kind of like sports - you get the most points you win.
Oh, no conspiracy, just actual Republicans found guilty of illegal gerrymandering, while also applying all kinds of tactics for voter suppression. If Politics is like sports, some of the Republicans are cheating.
I wasn’t sure where you were going to go with this. No one is saying that gerrymandering doesn’t exist, but even in most of the most heavily gerrymandered districts, Dems could win if only enough of them would get off their asses to vote. When HALF the country doesn’t show up, upping your numbers by even a small amount can swing elections where Republicans like to stack the cards on their side. This is especially true on mid term years where Dems are notorious for not showing up, so they lose representation in Congress.