Encouraged by Voter Turnout........

[FinanceDude]

Yesterday I had to wait 20 minutes in line to vote, voter turnout was very heavy. Our village had 60% turnout to vote for state Supreme Court justice. I talked to a poll worker who has been working elections for 40 years, and she said this was the highest turnout for an "off" election in her 40 years of observation.

Nice to see democracy still works, although Wisconsin being the epicenter of politics these days probably didn't hurt. I was voter number 2504, and that was at 4:00pm.............

 

[ziggy29]

On one hand, if these are informed voters this is a good thing. It may not be a popular or politically correct thing to say, but I find little "good" about high voter turnout if much of the electorate is ill-informed about the issues and has taken little time to read and consider them.

 

[FinanceDude]

I see your point ziggy, but how many times have you heard someone bitch about who get elected, and then you ask them if they voted, and they say NO

 

[ziggy29]

I see your point ziggy, but how many times have you heard someone bitch about who get elected, and then you ask them if they voted, and they say NO

And when they do that, I tell them I'm not interested in their complaints. They had their chance at the ballot box and they passed on it, so they are getting the government they deserve.

 

[donheff]

Our village had 60% turnout to vote for state Supreme Court justice... Wisconsin being the epicenter of politics these days probably didn't hurt.

So, were there candidates who appeared to be aligned by temperament and history with the opposing sides of the recent controversy? If so, what were the election results?

 

[FinanceDude]

So, were there candidates who appeared to be aligned by temperament and history with the opposing sides of the recent controversy? If so, what were the election results?

Supreme Court race is still no decided, probably headed for a recount. County executive was won by a Democratic candidate whose dad is a billionaire and one of the founders of Boston Scientific.........

 

[donheff]

Supreme Court race is still no decided, probably headed for a recount. County executive was won by a Democratic candidate whose dad is a billionaire and one of the founders of Boston Scientific.........

Yeah, yeah, but does he like teachers or not

 

[FinanceDude]

Yeah, yeah, but does he like teachers or not

I'm sure he does, his spent all his time as a community organizer, so maybe he'll be on the presidential ticket in 2016...........

 

[donheff]

Looks like the progressive candidate who was way behind ended up ousting the long term Supreme Court justice. Sounds like a slam at the Governor, no?

 

[Westernskies]

Sounds like a slam at the Governor, no?

It may not be a popular or politically correct thing to say, but I find little "good" about high voter turnout if much of the electorate is ill-informed about the issues and has taken little time to read and consider them.

YMMV

 

[Hamlet]

I'm pretty sure this is going to be drawn out for a very long time for recounting.

It is close enough that we won't be sure who won for months.

Looks like the progressive candidate who was way behind ended up ousting the long term Supreme Court justice. Sounds like a slam at the Governor, no?

 

[Westernskies]

I'm pretty sure this is going to be drawn out for a very long time for recounting.

It is close enough that we won't be sure who won for months.

Let's let the circuit court judge who issued the injunction decide...

 

[Westernskies]

Looks like the progressive candidate who was way behind ended up ousting the long term Supreme Court justice. Sounds like a slam at the Governor, no?

I'm pretty sure this is going to be drawn out for a very long time for recounting.

It is close enough that we won't be sure who won for months.

Maybe not...

Wis. corrects vote count, gives incumbent big lead - Yahoo! News--

 

[veremchuka]

maybe not...

wis. Corrects vote count, gives incumbent big lead - yahoo! News--

yahoo!

 

[donheff]

Maybe not...

Wis. corrects vote count, gives incumbent big lead - Yahoo! News--

yahoo!

Yes, I see things are in flux. Congratulations on your apparent win. Did I mention that my daughter has your son in her class

 

[FinanceDude]

yahoo!

IS it just me, or did she look like a deer in the headlights in that victory press conference?

 

[Brat]

The 'oversight' deserves a through review regardless. I think a recount is in the best interest of both candidates.

 

[FinanceDude]

The 'oversight' deserves a through review regardless. I think a recount is in the best interest of both candidates.

I have no problem with that. However, voter ID needs to be the NEXT thing the legislature picks up in session. If Wisconsin had voter ID, it would be much harder for fraud to occur..........

 

[Brat]

What do you mean by voter ID? Do you have Canadians illegally voting in your state? I have always received a voter registration card.

To institute a new system of voter registration may have a huge impact on the elderly and disabled who have been voting for years, they may have given up driving and have no need for state issued ID, never had a passport or have misplaced a long expired passport. Would a 1099R from Social Security be sufficient?

 

[FinanceDude]

What do you mean by voter ID? Do you have Canadians illegally voting in your state? I have always received a voter registration card.

To institute a new system of voter registration may have a huge impact on the elderly and disabled who have been voting for years, they may have given up driving and have no need for state issued ID, never had a passport or have misplaced a long expired passport. Would a 1099R from Social Security be sufficient?

Maybe. There are two main flaws in Wisconsin voting:

1)When you show up at the voting place, they ask you for your name. They cross check it on two different lists to verify your address. Then they give you a ballot and let you vote. No ID shown. I have presented my driver's license everytime I got to the polls and the workers just say: "we don't need that". Then I ask how they know its ME, and they say, because your address and name are on this list. ANYONE could pretend to be me and vote!

2)We have same day voter registration. There is NO verfication process that cross-checks to prove if that address even exits. Once those ballots are tabulated, whether they are legit or not, the vote stands.

There is a plan floating around that would require some sort of voter ID if you don't have a driver's license or passport. It would cost $5 to get and $5 a year to maintain. I don't think that would break anyone's bank.........

 

[Brat]

I do not think that there should be any cost to obtain and maintain a voter ID. We are entitled to vote by virtue of our citizenship and in which election by our place of residency. The associated cost is the cost of a democracy. By that thinking why not charge a fee for each office you mark your vote? After all it costs money to tally them. It is not a question of the ability to pay the fee, it is illegal IMHO.

Oregon and Washington are both vote by mail. When we had polling places I didn't ever present ID because, probably, I was personally known (or maybe notorious ) but I did bring my voter registration card. The identification after registration for vote by mail is a comparison of signatures on the envelope to my signature sample provided at registration. For older folks, the blind or the sick, whose signature has changed or who is unable to sign another person can certify the identity of the signer on the envelope or the voter can update their signature with the registrar.

 

[FinanceDude]

I do not think that there should be any cost to obtain and maintain a voter ID. We are entitled to vote by virtue of our citizenship and in which election by our place of residency. The associated cost is the cost of a democracy. By that thinking why not charge a fee for each office you mark your vote? After all it costs money to tally them. It is not a question of the ability to pay the fee, it is illegal IMHO.

Oregon and Washington are both vote by mail. When we had polling places I didn't ever present ID because, probably, I was personally known (or maybe notorious ) but I did bring my voter registration card. The identification after registration for vote by mail is a comparison of signatures on the envelope to my signature sample provided at registration. For older folks, the blind or the sick, whose signature has changed or who is unable to sign another person can certify the identity of the signer on the envelope or the voter can update their signature with the registrar.

I have no problem with that, IMHO it would be one of the BEST uses of taxpayer money in my lifetime.........

 

[Bestwifeever]

FinanceDude, here's a tidbit from Voter ID: State Requirements:

The federal help america vote act mandates that all states require identification from first-time voters who registered to vote by mail and did not provide verification of their identification with their mail-in voter registration.

Also from the above National Conference of State Legislatures website, twenty-seven states request/require ID for voting thereafter (Illinois does not--you just tell them who you are--nor does Minnesota, another Wisconsin neighbor). But, "in no state is a voter who cannot produce identification turned away from the polls—all states have some sort of recourse for voters without identification to cast a vote." Wisconsin is hardly unique in not requiring ID.

I don't think many elections are influenced by people trying to vote fraudulently (there are so many more efficient ways to steal elections, at least in Chicago ).

 

[FinanceDude]

Also from the above National Conference of State Legislatures website, twenty-seven states request/require ID for voting thereafter (Illinois does not--you just tell them who you are--nor does Minnesota, another Wisconsin neighbor). But, "in no state is a voter who cannot produce identification turned away from the polls—all states have some sort of recourse for voters without identification to cast a vote." Wisconsin is hardly unique in not requiring ID.

I don't think many elections are influenced by people trying to vote fraudulently (there are so many more efficient ways to steal elections, at least in Chicago ).

Maybe, but there is an underreported newstory from Dane County, home to Madison and the State Capitol. Apparently, there were 10,000 ballots cast for Joanne Kloppenburg, but the ballot was empty other than that. The residents of Madison had a hotly contested mayoral race, a hotly contested county executive race, etc. So, 10,000 supposed residents of Dane County ONLY voted for the Supreme Court Justice race, when there were other races that directly affect them? Sounds fishy, and the state govt election bureau is investigating...........

 

[Bestwifeever]

Maybe, but there is an underreported newstory from Dane County, home to Madison and the State Capitol. Apparently, there were 10,000 ballots cast for Joanne Kloppenburg, but the ballot was empty other than that. The residents of Madison had a hotly contested mayoral race, a hotly contested county executive race, etc. So, 10,000 supposed residents of Dane County ONLY voted for the Supreme Court Justice race, when there were other races that directly affect them? Sounds fishy, and the state govt election bureau is investigating...........

That is exactly what I mean when I say there are more efficient ways to steal an election than unregistered voters showing up. You don't send in 10,000 fraudulent voters--you steal the election in the counts.