Just a thought: How about we nix Presidents’ Day and make Election Day a national holiday instead?

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@flyhigh @Strandjunker

oh yes, chaos will be wonderful, no suffering at all will exist then. with no government evil men will just vanish! (/s)

you're asking for worse, deep thinker

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@Strandjunker

we have veteran's day on nov 11 *right there* next to our current bullshit election day. it's already a federal holiday

we could sell it as "honor those who fought for our right to vote by voting"

it has to be a day off for everyone of course

[alexf24@mstdn.social]

@Enema_Cowboy Yeah but it is in the Constitution that there is separation. Churches should not dictate. Want to go to Church on Sunday? Then vote before or after.

Does the pastor, rabbi, imam or other tell you how to vote? Tax them!

[claralistensprechen3rd@friendica.myportal.social]

@Strandjunker I'm definitely in favor of this excellent idea.

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@benroyce @Strandjunker I think voting needs to be a two day affair, with a mandated time off for everyone.

So places like hospitals can schedule.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@nuintari @Strandjunker

i like that

*someone* has to be working, no escaping it

so make it 2 days so the absolutely essential work can be covered by a coworker, then the next day, reversed

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@benroyce @Strandjunker Yeap, this.

Also, voting is mandatory.

You can abstain all you want, but you HAVE to show up and cast a ballot as such.

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@nuintari @Strandjunker

i used to disagree

that if you make voting mandatory, people will draw dicks on their ballot or do joke votes

and you do see that in places where voting is mandatory

but i've changed my view

you can't force people to care, yes

but enough say they "care" but then won't do fucking shit to prove it in an extremely effective way: by voting

so now i think getting enough of those lazy entitled assholes off their asses and voting outweighs the sabotage/ vandalism effect

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@benroyce @Strandjunker Yes, this. Some people will always be fuckasses, but more will just fucking actually vote.

We get this, then we fix our two party system. Ranked choice...

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@nuintari @Strandjunker

yes! ranked choice next!

Psychotic Network Ferret i love you

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@benroyce @Strandjunker Awww, I love me too!

I mean you, I love you too!

[benroyce@mastodon.social]

@nuintari @Strandjunker

[nuintari@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@Lats @benroyce @Strandjunker Heaven forbid we HELP people participate in our so called perfect democracy!

Hell naw! Those people without cars? They should pick themselves up by their bootstraps and GET IT DONE!

/s - of course, the USA is so fundamentally broken on so many levels.

[xgebi@hachyderm.io]

@Strandjunker or you could vote on Saturday or Sunday like the rest of the civilised world

[chrisp@cyberplace.social]

@Lats @benroyce @nuintari @Strandjunker And mail in voting too. And you can't pester/advertise too close to the venue. And you can get a democracy sausage afterwards! And as you say, the popular parties are centre right and centre left. On the downside we aren't getting a full on socialist party government any time soon, on the plus side we won't get full on MAGA, if they aren't close to the centre they aren't getting in. And our centre is to the left of the US Democrats anyway.

[cameron_bosch@floss.social]

@nuintari @Lats @benroyce @Strandjunker Not really.

It only really became that way because of a certain president ruining it im the 1980s. Basically undoing what could have been progress.

[christofbg@mstdn.plus]

@Strandjunker How about both?

[daveburb@mastodon.au]

@Lats @benroyce @nuintari @Strandjunker

Worth adding that here in Australia, if you expect to not be able to vote on the day (overseas / working / volunteering), you can vote in advance at set locations. I think embassies will also take votes. On the day, if in an urban area you can walk to your local polling booth. There is NO excuse here for not voting. By memory the informal vote is around 10%

[rupert@mastodon.nz]

@twobiscuits @Lats @benroyce @nuintari @Strandjunker Last three general elections in NZ I've voted at:
offical voting station, in my district;
pop-up voting station in a train station concourse, outside my district, on my way to work;
pop-up voting station in a shopping mall, outside my district, on my lunch break.
All of these stations had the full hardcopy voter roll for the entire metropolitan area of >1.5 million people. If you were from further away you could still submit your vote, but it would go in an outer envelope to your home town where it would be counted.

[steve@social.coop]

@SpaceLifeForm @Strandjunker Let's make it week off!