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Post by kiyoat on Oct 18, 2018 12:50:20 GMT -6
I'm not going to discuss politics in this thread, or political stances. I'm just curious as to the likely voting turnout in the midterm elections from this online community. I think that those that post here represent a fairly intelligent sampling of people, and as such should not miss the opportunity to voice your opinions with your vote.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 19, 2018 5:21:06 GMT -6
I wouldn’t have guessed the number of absentee voters! Personally this is the first time I have ever voted that way, and I’m hooked. I like the time it gives to research topics.
Some are predicting a historic midterm turnout of 45-50%. I hope that is the case.
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Post by Yotes on Oct 19, 2018 7:31:52 GMT -6
I voted already. Never had any desire to vote until the last election, won't be skipping election day ever again. The political landscape in this country all comes from the bottom up. Vote in those local elections to help determine the direction of our country.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 19, 2018 9:18:58 GMT -6
Me too. Here's something I find ironic: midterm turnouts in the 40-50% range are historic, and presidential elections in the 50-60 range is considered high. Some are crying about voter fraud, some are crying about voter suppression... but at the end of the day, a higher turnout would negate the effects of both of those issues. (if they exist)
Just do it.
I think that lots of younger voters are simply uninformed about: 1. how to register 2. when and where to vote 3. how to get an early voting ballot
etc. Or they might not care.
If any adults on this board have questions about how/when/where, don't feel bad about asking. Post it here, or PM me.
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Post by canislatrans on Oct 19, 2018 11:26:23 GMT -6
I voted already. Never had any desire to vote until the last election, won't be skipping election day ever again. The political landscape in this country all comes from the bottom up. Vote in those local elections to help determine the direction of our country. Especially agree with the last part of this post, the best government is local government. In a republic, the power is with the citizen, we have deferred that power too often to the State capitols, and worse to D.C. Vote regularly, and even more regularly contact your local representatives, and let them know that you vote regularly! Excuse me for rambling, now how are we going to get our OL back to being the strength of this team, I'm sure it will happen, and then look out!
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Post by elcoyote on Oct 19, 2018 15:25:11 GMT -6
Me too. Here's something I find ironic: midterm turnouts in the 40-50% range are historic, and presidential elections in the 50-60 range is considered high. Some are crying about voter fraud, some are crying about voter suppression... but at the end of the day, a higher turnout would negate the effects of both of those issues. (if they exist) Just do it. I think that lots of younger voters are simply uninformed about: 1. how to register 2. when and where to vote 3. how to get an early voting ballot etc. Or they might not care. If any adults on this board have questions about how/when/where, don't feel bad about asking. Post it here, or PM me. Back in my days in the lucrative education field, I used to register the seniors in government class. Also registered the boys with Selective Service. First of the month I'd ask who'd turned 18 and then have them fill out one of the forms that I kept in my file cabinet. Did all the summer birthdays in September. One Spring, about 07 or so, the principal called me in and said I couldn't do it anymore. The state legislature in it's infinite wisdom had passed a law making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail or a $5000 fine for teachers to register students to vote. Never could understand why they would want to make it more difficult, but I had my suspicions.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 19, 2018 17:55:15 GMT -6
Back in my days in the lucrative education field, I used to register the seniors in government class. Also registered the boys with Selective Service. First of the month I'd ask who'd turned 18 and then have them fill out one of the forms that I kept in my file cabinet. Did all the summer birthdays in September. One Spring, about 07 or so, the principal called me in and said I couldn't do it anymore. The state legislature in it's infinite wisdom had passed a law making it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail or a $5000 fine for teachers to register students to vote. Never could understand why they would want to make it more difficult, but I had my suspicions. Wow. That kinda sounds unconstitutional, but I'm not a lawyer. I can understand why you wouldn't want to test that one out in court, though. I was being generous with my comments equivocating the two things. To my understanding, based on expert opinions and data, one absolutely exists and one is myth, but I didn't want to wade into that debate. My point is that people can effectively overcome either problem through mass participation.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 19, 2018 17:58:53 GMT -6
In this small sample, 100% of those voting are planning to vote, with 85% making a strong commitment to it. Not a great sample size (14), and there is a great deal of selection bias, but I still like it!
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Post by coyote70 on Oct 19, 2018 20:36:45 GMT -6
I know I'm treading on quicksand here a bit because I'm not as concerned about the number of people voting as I am about making an informed decision when people do vote. This means taking time to understand the candidates and issues involved.
For example, when it comes to changing our state's (SD's) constitution, I fear too many folks may rely on 30-second TV ads, often financed by monied out-of-state interests as their only source of information. I'm uncomfortable with that. On the other hand, to get a law passed, one must go to the legislature, testify in front of House and Senate committees and go through a much more rigorous process to get a law enacted.
I don't think I'm going against the grain here when I state that if one is planning to vote: good. Please take the time to be informed: it's your duty.
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 20, 2018 0:20:41 GMT -6
I fear too many folks may rely on 30-second TV ads, often financed by monied out-of-state interests as their only source of information. I'm uncomfortable with that. You have a point, but it also makes me uncomfortable that some people put more weight in conspiracy theories shouted over the radio than by the findings of researchers and scientists. Or the influence of Facebook ads from special interests and Russian trolls. Or how about the influence of special interests on our own state legislature? I think that even gullible and unintelligent people have the right to their opinion, and the right to vote. People need to learn to consider multiple viewpoints, be more skeptical, and look for sources in their media consumption, but we can't make them. Also, banning out-of-state money won't stop the problem. There are plenty of people in-state that will happily fund propaganda. Vote discouragement in any form breeds political apathy, in my opinion. The solution is education and participation. Local news plays a huge role in getting all the candidates and amendments equal screen time, regardless of the money backing them. Experienced voters can smell the slime in attack ads, and disregard them, but practice makes perfect. Here's a less wordy way to put it: Would you rather have special interests funding propaganda ads in order to TRY and influence independent voters,.... Or have special interests directly funding (bribing) the campaigns of our elected officials, knowing they have influenced their votes in state government? Either way the special interests have paid for more influence than the average South Dakotan. The difference is that citizen voters haven't been paid off, and can choose to vote their conscience.
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Post by coyote70 on Oct 21, 2018 16:30:09 GMT -6
Agree with you on all points except my comment about out-of-state interests. Maybe more South Dakotans would pony up to finance special interest ballot issues but it would pale in comparison to out-of-state money. South Dakota is not a wealthy state. It is a moot issue anyway because we know that outstate money cannot be banned.
By the way, wouldn't it be great if the USD Political Science Department held a discussion on this topic on SDPB before the election? I'd tune in.
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Post by coyotecrazie5 on Oct 24, 2018 16:07:01 GMT -6
Does anyone have a link where I can watch the debate in full?
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 24, 2018 20:46:16 GMT -6
Does anyone have a link where I can watch the debate in full?
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Post by sdyotefan on Oct 25, 2018 20:50:05 GMT -6
I had missed the debate so thanks for posting! As a USD Government major it is extremely important that voters listen to candidates and then do some digging to see how they really have voted and what their core beliefs are which unfortunately are often very different from what their TV ads say! Politicians are smart enough to know that SD is conservative so they always run as a conservative but their history doesn't reflect their "TV" position!
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Post by kiyoat on Oct 26, 2018 11:49:14 GMT -6
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