More voter suppression - Billboards in Milwaukee

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corwin

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2006
8,644
9
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I don't think it's necessarily retarded. It wouldn't work for me because I'm familiar with the laws and know it'd be ridiculous to throw people in jail for simple mistakes in registering or whatever.

But apply this type of campaign to something else I'm not familiar with.. if you started advertising how people were going to jail for not having the proper registration paperwork with them on their boats, and I saw those billboards all over the place and had that bug planted in my head that boat paperwork is complicated and you can get in a lot of trouble for not doing it right.. you can be sure I'd pay a lot more attention to what the rules were and how to do it properly. If there were no incentive to boating I'd probably just not bother with boating at all (my analogy falls short in that one might have more motivation to own a boat than to vote).
Actually your analogy falls short on many fronts...first there's more motivation to vote than to own a boat by far;) Second people aren't thrown in jail for simple mistakes in registering, that just doesn't happen...third if they're too stupid to know if they are legally able to vote then they are too stupid to vote, same with owning a boat, if they're too stupid to know how to register it they're too stupid to own one;)

You yourself say if you saw a sign to that effect you would just pay more attention, are you saying democrats are too stupid to pay attention or they just wouldn't care enough to vote? Again, back to not needing those types of people to vote;)

Voting is not complicated, registering to vote is not complicated, knowing you have to be a legal resident and in many states not a convicted felon is pretty simple too...are you just saying that democrats are comprised of a bunch of morons who can't figure these simple things out?
 
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Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,913
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Actually your analogy falls short on many fronts...first there's more motivation to vote than to own a boat by far;) Second people aren't thrown in jail for simple mistakes in registering, that just doesn't happen...third if they're too stupid to know if they are legally able to vote then they are too stupid to vote, same with owning a boat, if they're too stupid to know how to register it they're too stupid to own one;)

You yourself say if you saw a sign to that effect you would just pay more attention, are you saying democrats are too stupid to pay attention or they just wouldn't care enough to vote? Again, back to not needing those types of people to vote;)

Voting is not complicated, registering to vote is not complicated, knowing you have to be a legal resident and in many states not a convicted felon is pretty simple too...are you just saying that democrats are comprised of a bunch of morons who can't figure these simple things out?

Your argument does not address whether or not this suppresses voting. You are essentially saying 'this may suppress voting, but if it does it's only undesirable (stupid) votes and so that justifies it.'

We can argue separately about whether or not it is a good thing for stupid people to vote. If it isn't, should we have poll tests?
 

corwin

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2006
8,644
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Your argument does not address whether or not this suppresses voting. You are essentially saying 'this may suppress voting, but if it does it's only undesirable (stupid) votes and so that justifies it.'

We can argue separately about whether or not it is a good thing for stupid people to vote. If it isn't, should we have poll tests?
Actually poll tests wouldn't be a bad thing imo...at least a few questions to see if they actually know who the hell they are voting for;)

As to the first question how is a PSA "suppressing" votes? It does nothing to discourage anyone from doing anything, it merely educates the public that voter fraud is an actual crime. I doubt it has any effect whatsoever on anyone who would actually do it anymore than billboards at the border would have any effect on illegal immigration but in no way at all can I see this as suppressing anything. If anything it should serve as a PSA for anyone in doubt to actually check to be sure they can legally vote
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
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Actually poll tests wouldn't be a bad thing imo...at least a few questions to see if they actually know who the hell they are voting for;)

As to the first question how is a PSA "suppressing" votes? It does nothing to discourage anyone from doing anything, it merely educates the public that voter fraud is an actual crime. I doubt it has any effect whatsoever on anyone who would actually do it anymore than billboards at the border would have any effect on illegal immigration but in no way at all can I see this as suppressing anything. If anything it should serve as a PSA for anyone in doubt to actually check to be sure they can legally vote

Again I think you're mistaking "suppression" with "disenfranchisement." You are correct it does not restrict anyone's ability to vote. The net effect of it, however, is to discourage voting (to use your view of it, to discourage some stupid voters must be retarded to not vote over this) and thus decrease, or "suppress," turnout.

Poll tests were last used by Southern states before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_test. Still in favor? ;)
 
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corwin

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2006
8,644
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Again I think you're mistaking "suppression" with "disenfranchisement." You are correct it does not restrict anyone's ability to vote. The net effect of it, however, is to discourage voting (to use your view of it, to discourage some stupid voters must be retarded to not vote over this) and thus decrease, or "suppress," turnout.

Poll tests were last used by Southern states before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_test. Still in favor? ;)

How does it discourage voting? It encourages those who may be in doubt to educate themselves but I don't see any discouragement there. Now you may argue that some may be too lazy or not interested enough to educate themselves and may opt for the easy route and just not vote but that is a choice of theirs. It's no different than DUI billboards, if someone is concerned they could educate themselves on what is a safe amount to drink and still legally drive, or they can be lazy and just not drink at all, it's a choice and entirely theirs to make.

Now are you saying that there's some measurable percentage of democratic voters who, for whatever reason, may doubt their voting eligibility and are too lazy to actually see if they can vote? I thought it was the republicans that were by and large uneducated, mouth breathing morons?

And poll tests done in the right way I would support...it'll never happen but I would support making sure voters were coming to vote and had actually put some thought into it before hand rather than just coming in to vote D or R or their color...
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
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By the idiotic "logic" of huffpo and other mental midgets, one would assume that putting a sign warning about the perils of shoplifting is somehow going to suppress customer buying.

So pathetic it's funny. :D
 

davmat787

Diamond Member
Nov 30, 2010
5,512
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I heard that the Secret Service wrestled tropical storm Sandy to the ground and they're charging her with voter suppression.

Don't you get sick and tired of other people telling you how you think or feel about a given subject? We see it all the time on here, it drives me nuts.
 

xBiffx

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2011
8,232
2
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Don't you get sick and tired of other people telling you how you think or feel about a given subject? We see it all the time on here, it drives me nuts.

Me too.

it-drives-me-nuts-cartoon-598x550.jpg
 

nehalem256

Lifer
Apr 13, 2012
15,669
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It doesn't matter if 5%, 10% or even 1% come to that conclusion. It's a pretty simple marketing strategy--'if I show this to 100,000 people, in a predominantly Democratic area, 1,000 will come to that conclusion and not vote.'

I'm assuming anyone claiming this isn't suppression knows their argument is specious and I'm just stating the obvious

So your argument is that Democrats are stupid?

hahahahahahah, so now leftists have a problem with any message that might convince people who have no legal right to vote to not vote illegally? Really? How pathetic can you get?

People who cannot vote legally are predominantly democrat.

Seems the only logical conclusion you can draw is that Democrats are predominantly stupid and illegal voters.
 

nehalem256

Lifer
Apr 13, 2012
15,669
8
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Your argument does not address whether or not this suppresses voting. You are essentially saying 'this may suppress voting, but if it does it's only undesirable (stupid) votes and so that justifies it.'

We can argue separately about whether or not it is a good thing for stupid people to vote. If it isn't, should we have poll tests?

Ballots are by their nature a test of intelligence.

For example they require the ability to fill the ballot out correctly.

As we learned in Florida 2000 this can be a problem for some people.

This was also an issue in the 2008 Mn senate race, where some people were unable to correctly fill in the bubble next to their candidate of choice and it was necessary to "interpret" what for example circling the name instead meant. Note as I recall the election lady show you how to correctly bubble in the circle prior to voting. And note also that originally the Republican won, and that afterward the Democrat did.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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It tries to put a level of fear into voters. That is the intent. It's not like the billboards are trying to solve a real problem. It is a way for rich white people who support the GOP to use their cash to say "hey poor and minority people - we are watching you, you had better not show up at the polls".

Feel free to put up your own pro-vote fraud billboards in order to fight back against this obvious attempt at voter suppression. I can see the counter-ad now, "Voter Fraud isn't a real problem, and it's not like you'll get caught anyway."
 

chowderhead

Platinum Member
Dec 7, 1999
2,633
263
126
Governor Scott Walker who is probably considering running for President in 2016 wants to eliminate same day voter registration because ... he says elderly election workers cannot handle the influx of all those same day voters. Scott Walker, the Republican face of the union busting effort, IS for voter suppression in Wisconsin.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statep...ter-registration-rules-hk7n9e8-180010171.html

This is the Republican MO, suppress the vote because they cannot win on their own ideology/merit.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
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Governor Scott Walker who is probably considering running for President in 2016 wants to eliminate same day voter registration because ... he says elderly election workers cannot handle the influx of all those same day voters. Scott Walker, the Republican face of the union busting effort, IS for voter suppression in Wisconsin.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statep...ter-registration-rules-hk7n9e8-180010171.html

This is the Republican MO, suppress the vote because they cannot win on their own ideology/merit.
Republicans catering to people who can't do their jobs? Eh?

EDIT: Aw crap, I generalized.
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
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Legislators who wrote and passed laws suppressing the vote should be thrown in jail.
 

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
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wait! the op is really serious? he thinks that billboard is bad and actually getting people to not vote?

wtf..

/facepalm




so did i.


Because you might think "What if there's a problem with my registration? I could go to jail"
 

dabuddha

Lifer
Apr 10, 2000
19,579
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OP: If that billboard honestly scared you and intimidated you, you should not leave your parent's basement.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,623
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Governor Scott Walker who is probably considering running for President in 2016 wants to eliminate same day voter registration because ... he says elderly election workers cannot handle the influx of all those same day voters. Scott Walker, the Republican face of the union busting effort, IS for voter suppression in Wisconsin.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statep...ter-registration-rules-hk7n9e8-180010171.html

This is the Republican MO, suppress the vote because they cannot win on their own ideology/merit.

I moved out of Wisconsin in 1988 and they had same day registration well before I left. It worked fine then. They set up seperate lines for registration-if you need that you go through that line first before getting in the voting line. Effect on those already registered-ZERO. His excuse is total and absolute BS.

Yet one more piece of proof why we NEED national laws regulating national office elections and nonpartisan professionals running the election process.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,589
5
0
Because you might think "What if there's a problem with my registration? I could go to jail"
what the hell can be wrong with the registration.

Maybe that there is a warrant out for ones arrest and they are waiting at the polling location for you?

If you are going to toss out what ifs, at least make them plausible one show is smarter that the average bear.;)