Comment: Proportional representation leads to government that is fair and inclusive

allthecanadianpolitics:

I want to add my support to those individuals and groups that have endorsed the proportional-representation option in the electoral-reform referendum in British Columbia.

Under our current first-past-the-post — or “winner-take-all” — voting system, the party with the most seats can form a government even if it received a minority of the popular vote. That means, in effect, that political parties win 100 per cent of governing power, even if they received only 40 per cent or less of the vote. Thus 60-plus per cent of votes are disregarded, an outcome that can foster resentment and alienation.

People often express to me their astonishment over the U.S. voting system with its anti-democratic, antiquated electoral college that enabled the current president to win despite winning 2.8 million fewer votes than his rival. Isn’t our own FPTP, winner-take-all voting system similarly antiquated?

Think of how our federal Conservatives in 1988, with 43 per cent of the popular vote, formed a “majority” government and then rammed the Free Trade Agreement through Parliament, despite being opposed by parties supported by 57 per cent of the population. In a different FPTP twist, here in B.C., think of how the Liberals won 58 per cent of the vote in 2001 — a majority to be sure — yet they gained every legislative seat except two because of FPTP. This left the province with no official opposition for four years.

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Comment: Proportional representation leads to government that is fair and inclusive

spacehussy:

for a quick change of pace–i know we’ve all seen a thousand posts about voting, but what i haven’t seen (not yet) is one saying thank you. 

thank you for those who made it out in the rain and the cold, who organized and canvassed and took on the onerous task of working with non-voting & conservative friends/family to change their stance if at least just this once. thank you for those who stood in line for hours, who had to travel because your voting place was moved, who had to jump through ridiculous fucking hoops to register, who weren’t inspired but showed up anyway for the disenfranchised and the greater good. thank you as well to everyone who voted early, absentee, and provisional. 

it mattered. 

msyjes17:

Y’all know what to do

Spread this like wild fire

agentsokka:

your votes made a difference, don’t let anyone tell you different!

beatrice-otter:

kawuli:

Something to remember, as the election approaches:

The work is never wasted.

Even if the Republicans keep control of Congress–yes, that would be terrible, yes, I would be furious and frustrated and sad and it would hurt like hell–EVEN SO: the work we have done to get here was not wasted.

I was part of the previous “biggest worldwide protest ever,” the global protests against the Iraq War in February 2003.

We lost. The war happened. Is still happening.

But some of the people who got involved then worked for Obama’s campaigns, a lot of them are part of the resistance now, and all of us learned something. The work was not wasted.

Even if we lose. There were Democratic primary debates in my hometown for the first time I can remember. Even if our terrible Republican Congresswoman gets re-elected, there’s still a broader and stronger Democratic Party organization in Mike Fucking Pence’s home state.

The election can’t be an end. It will only be an end if we win and get complacent, or if we lose and give in to hopelessness. We cannot afford either. We do the job that is in front of us. No matter what.

The work is never wasted.

The stories our world tells us are about Great Heroic Struggles With Triumphant Climaxes In Which Good Vanquishes Evil And They All Live Happily Ever After. It’s all about the one extreme emergency during which people rise to the occasion.

Problem is, that’s not how the world actually … works. That’s not how change happens. That’s not how societies are reshaped. We hear about MLK and the bus boycott and the protests, but not the DECADES OF WORK that came before, the organizing and the education and the legal challenges and the hundreds of thousands of people, from great heroes to ordinary people, who put in the grinding every-day work to make the world a better place, step by step, bit by bit. The big things–the speeches, the marches–were the tip of the iceberg. Nothing would have happened without the rest of the iceberg.

The 2018 midterms are the tip of the iceberg. They are incredibly important, yes. But without the rest of the iceberg, they mean nothing. Without ordinary people across America organizing and talking to their friends and coworkers and paying attention to politics and getting involved and volunteering (not just politically, but for all the nonprofits out there working to make the world a better, fairer, more just, more merciful place) the election is useless.

This is not a sprint. It is a relay marathon. If you can run a major leg, awesome. If you can help organize the marathon, awesome. If you can coordinate the people running, awesome. If you can hand out bottled water along the route, awesome. If you can cheer along the way, awesome. If you can remind people that the marathon is happening, awesome. It’s not about great heroes or one person doing it all or one climactic battle in which everything magically gets fixed.

It’s about ordinary people doing what they can. What you can do right now is vote. What you do on November 7 and the months and years following (no matter who wins the election) is stay involved and stay working.

Take care of yourself. Take care of others. Don’t hyperfixate and burn out. Be the tortoise, not the hare. Vote. And then keep moving on.

onfirewhenifoundit:

thefingerfuckingfemalefury:

cheskamouse:

krishnath:

liberalsarecool:

catbirdseat4u:

➣ NATIONWIDE TRACTION, PLEASE!

Keep up the energy. Inspire the youth vote.

VOTE LIKE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDED ON IT, BECAUSE IT DOES!

❤ ALL OF THIS ❤

Get out and vote regardless of whether it seems like its a “Sure thing” or seems “Hopeless”…there’s no such thing as a sure thing and there is always ALWAYS a chance that your vote can make a difference no matter how hopeless it might seem…

Just to be clear: I dislike the Democrats. I don’t feel that they reflect my values, and I find them mostly ineffectual.

BUT

The Republican party is a complete dumpster fire right now. I’m voting to keep white supremacists, transphobes, social Darwinists, and fascists out of places of power. I’m voting like lives depend on it, because they literally do.

I don’t like the Democrats, but you can be damned sure I’m voting for them this week, every chance I get. You should too.

Source: catbirdseat4u

A voter guide for the 100 million who are not planning to vote

realcleverissues:

daaaaaaaaaaamnnn!!! This is SOOOOOOOOOO good!!

It’s basically a national level issues guide. Highly recommend – esp if you’re “not that into politics” and want a quick summary of the big issues right now based on party leadership

Policies > Party

Just a few examples:

1. Do you want comprehensive background checks in order to buy a gun in America?

One hundred percent of the total sponsors of Background Check Expansion Act are Democrats. The only way for this to happen is to vote for Democrats.

2. Do you want to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico?

While there are some Democrats who support “the wall,” 100 percent of the sponsors of the Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act are Republicans. The only way for this to happen is to vote for Republicans.

3. Do you want mandatory coverage for pre-existing conditions?

One hundred percent of those who voted for the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) were Democrats; 100 percent of the Democrats in Congress voted against the ObamaCare repeal endorsed by Donald Trump. Republicans have made numerous attempts to repeal ObamaCare since Trump took office, and voted dozens of times during the Obama administration. The only way for that to continue to happen is to vote for Democrats.

7. Do you want equal pay for women in America?

Of the 247 sponsors of
the Paycheck Fairness Act, to close loopholes that prevent women from
receiving less than $1 for every $1 a man makes at the same work, 246
are Democrats. Only one is a Republican. The only way for that to happen is to vote for Democrats.

8. Do you want to get money out of politics?

There are 162 sponsors of the Government By the People Act; 29 sponsors of the Fair Elections Now Act; and 16 sponsors
of the We the People Democracy Reform Act, to reduce the role of money
and big money lobbyists in American elections and American politics. At
207 total, 206 are Democrats. Of the 217 total sponsors of the DISCLOSE Act, to disclose the identities of corporate “dark money donors,” all are Democrats. The only way for that to happen is to vote for Democrats.

A voter guide for the 100 million who are not planning to vote

sload:

dr-archeville:

between-stars-and-waves:

Don’t let evil jackasses like this one decide your future. Vote.

What the absolute fuck?

friendly reminder that steve bannon used to own a world of warcraft gold farming company and realized that a lot of gamers are disenfranchised young white men who are absurdly easy to take political advantage of, and brought milo yiannopoulos on board to do it. which is a large reason why white supremacy and misogyny are so prevalent among the young white male age group right now. We can laugh at people like this all we want, but this is a phenomenon purposefully engineered by the current administration.

Source: between-stars-and-waves

lauraannegilman:

gooseweasel:

Hey so friendly reminder about voting and elections that I haven’t seen going around yet but is SUPER IMPORTANT.

Watch what you wear and say while you’re waiting in line for the voting booth/at the polls. It is against federal law to do anything that might be considered campaigning once you’re there, and since we know that voter suppression is the name of the game this election, there will be people looking for ANY reason to remove you from the polling place. And they will nitpick. You have a shirt with a artistic picture of donkey on it? You’re visibly supporting the Democrats, you’re disqualified from voting. Want to wear a Black Lives Matter shirt? Not there you don’t. They’ll call it intimidation and kick you out. Pins, buttons, stickers, none of it. Wear the most bland, plain clothes you can imagine. 

And then keep your mouth shut. Even the slightest hint of discussion about which candidate you’re voting for can get used against you. Don’t assume the people around you are safe to discuss it with. You might be overheard. There WILL people watching for these things, hoping to get rid of anyone they can. Voter suppression isn’t just about making registration impossible. It happens at the polling stations too. Be smart, be bland, be quiet, and make sure your vote gets in. 

Also- and I have seen this mentioned but it bears repeating- DO NOT TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR BALLOT. EVER. It’ll also disqualify your vote. Take a selfie when you’re out of their with your fun little sticker. 

This is for your protection as much as your oppression: this means the opposition party can’t use those tactics against you either – and if anyone tries, REPORT THEM.

kropotkhristian:

ubiquitousdevil:

dabblingindissent:

kropotkhristian:

Particularly if you live in Texas, please vote, just for the schadenfreude. Can you even imagine if Texas goes blue. Can you even imagine Ted Cruz losing. I’m getting giddy just thinking about the conservative meltdown. There is literally zero path to the Presidency for Republicans that doesn’t include Texas. If they have to sweat bullets for the next forever thinking that Texas might be a left-leaning state… guys, this just sounds like a fun time.

Vote for Beto for the schadenfreude.

Beto is fucking BEHIND!!! Get out there and VOTE!!!

Last I checked, Beto is behind by like 4%. That is already huge for a Democrat in Texas by my understanding, and that is only polling “likely” voters, which literally never includes young people. If people our age turn up to vote, it would definitely swing the election massively towards Beto. 

Texans, please do it. For me.