Tennessee congressional candidate Adam Heimerman was arrested for shooting four Flock Safety ALPR cameras, facing felony vandalism charges in the same district debating the tech.
Did you guys know that when you vote for state primaries you have to choose which political party to get the choices for and you don’t see any other choices?
So this guy being independent, you would only ever get to vote for him if you picked the independent ballot and then you couldn’t vote for any of the democrats who are the only real chances to actually win against republicans and unseat them.
You get, Democratic, Republican, Independent, Green Party or Issues Only. That’s it.
My state has a jungle primary, you see all candidates irrespective of their or your party affiliation, and you vote for the ONE candidate you want to see on the ballot.
We also have ranked choice voting, which they are trying reallllly hard to take away.
Well, yeah, that’s kind of obvious. In primary elections you are deciding which candidate in a given party is going to be their candidate in the general election. It would make no sense for them to have independent candidates on their primary ballot. Since independent candidates, by definition, will not be a party’s candidate.
Yeah but this pretty much reinforces a two party system with virtually no hope of it ever changing.
What if I wanted to vote for a Democratic treasurer or whatever but wanted an independent state legislature that can’t happen unless I ONLY vote for ALL the independent options.
That’s a horrible, rigged system that needs thrown away and changed.
Why not an R or a D or an I next to all the runners names? Why am I locked in on one party or NOTHING? It’s crazy man
Because primary elections are about party candidates that will be supported by the particular party in the general election. If you want an independent state legislature, that needs to happen in the general election where you are choosing from all the candidates.
Yes, but what if I would like to have a say in more than one party’s candidate?
Its all or nothing. All democratic, or nothing. All independent or third party whatever they say on the ballot, or nothing. All republican, or nothing.
Sure I get you can’t pick like a democratic AND republican candidate for the same position but what if I really like the independent treasurer running but also recognize the importance of unseating the republicans in current power and want democratic nominees for everything else?
Well, I’d have to go with democratic because I know that’s the only snowball chance in hell to get rid of the republicans and I’m screwed out of the opportunity to vote for the independent treasurer running because now I can choose only the democratic ones running.
It is not a good or fair system and it is the reason we will forever have a two party system. Its junk. Rigged, to a certain degree.
Ranked choice voting or something similar is the way it should be done.
but what if I really like the independent treasurer running but also recognize the importance of unseating the republicans in current power and want democratic nominees for everything else?
Well, I’d suggest voting in the democratic primary and selecting a bad candidate for the treasurer and the good candidates for the other offices. If you’re lucky, others will vote the same way in the primary and the bad treasurer candidate you voted for will appear on the general election ballot along with the good democratic candidates for all the other offices.
This means that your preferred independent candidate would have a better chance of winning the office when the general election rolls around as will your preferred candidates for the other offices.
Yeah… if the strategy ends up giving people you don’t want in office extra votes, that just seems completely backwards. It just increases the chances that the worst candidate gets elected, which to me sounds worse than just having the wrong party win.
I mean that’s kind of how it works. A primary is simply a primary between that particular party’s candidates. So you’re not going to be choosing this guy for Democrat ballot if you’re an independent. I’m an independent and I’m not voting in the Democrat or Republican primaries. However in the general election I can then choose whatever candidate I want to select. I’ve never heard of an independent primary but then again most Independence are not listed as a specific political party. Because independent is not a political party it is a non-affiliation.
Fyi, if your state (like Tennessee) has open primaries, you could choose to vote in one to support their worst candidate. Both major parties ask their voters do this sometimes to improve their odds in the general election.
That’s interesting I didn’t even know that any states actually had open primaries like this. I’ve only got experience voting in two different states and neither one of them have open primaries.
And since you didn’t immediately follow that with “and that’s why the entire worthless system needs to be dismantled with prejudice” I stopped reading.
That being “how it works” is a part of the problem.
What an idiotic statement. Yeah the system sucks it needs to be fixed it’s fucking broken. We need more than two actual parties in this system. However it’s the system we have and it’s the system we have to work in so immediately stopping reading is the stupidest fucking thing you can do. Get registered fucking vote quit bitching and whining unless you’re part of the system and trying to change it.
The system can’t be fixed, it’s working exactly as intended. All of what you’ve said in multiple comments now seems to be repeating platitudes created to obfuscate that fact. I’ve been “part of the system”. I spent a decade as first a volunteer then a paid campaign staffer, I know whereof I speak when I say that voting will never change anything that matters, because the choices you get to vote for are filtered for loyalty to the ruling class before you ever get to hear their names.
The system must be completely torn down, and the people who the current system serves will absolutely unleash all the violence the Empire can muster to prevent that. Any milquetoast “solution” that depends on voting for the candidates put forward by either of the parties that serve that ruling class is not a solution, it’s a trap to get you to waste your time and energy while ensuring you keep enough faith in the system to prevent you from revolting or doing anything that might actually affect the status quo.
Very persuasive. You’ve convinced me. Doing more of what got into this point over the last 40 years will definitely fix it. Just vote Blue No Matter Who! Surely one of these times Lucy won’t snatch the football away, right?
Far better than voting any fucking Republican in at this point in time. And way fucking better than not voting at all and being apathetic and complaining about the system being broken. While I may not like floating Democratic only typically it’s the only choice to try to fight against the system. You do a lot of people do which is join the Republican party vote in their primary is just try to sabotage them. Or you could run for your own party and try to start an actual party that may make a difference. But we’ve seen how most of the independence work in most of the states. Hell Utah was the first place the pirate party tried to go into and we actively signed all of the paperwork to try to get it up and running. However in the end what they did was they move the goal post. As I’m sure you already stated in our well aware of them changing to try to keep power at any point. However that doesn’t mean that we give up and that doesn’t mean that we stop that means that we just keep fighting as much as possible and bringing the doctor see as much as possible to an end. Look at all the votes and all the races that have been won lately by actual progressives and my actual people that are in positions to make changes happen. Look at New York look at Michigan look at Bernie for so long in vermont. Change can happen but it’s going to take the convincing a whole hell of a lot of people to make it happen.
Change can happen but it’s going to take the convincing a whole hell of a lot of people to make it happen.
Change can happen, but the people who have all the wealth and power will absolutely not ever allow you to vote it away. Change will require sacrifice, and nobody who believes that they can vote their way out of the mess their grandparents voted them into will be willing to do what’s necessary.
I say again: I have been a party insider. I can tell you authoritatively that the DNC exists to suppress revolt by giving people like you faith in the system, and by capturing and neutering any social movement that might build enough momentum to get people to be willing to resist in any meaningful ways. You have no reason to believe that, of course, but it’s true nevertheless. So I encourage you: be the change you think you can make in the world. Start volunteer for complains. Bust your ass for a decade trying to move the party left. It’s the thing that finally made me see how worthless the Democrats actually are, so.i now encourage everyone making the arguments you’re making to try it themselves. It’ll be the only way you’ll ever learn the truth in a way you’ll believe.
“Quit complaining about how rigged the voting system is and just vote! Its the only system we have, can’t change it so stop complaining”
Is that right?
How can we change it if not telling everyone we know what a steaming pile of shit it all is and that it is clearly rigged and needs change? The voting part is the part not working because of how it is set up to be rigged.
Ranked choice is the answer. Not whatever farce this is that they are doing.
Nope not what I said. The current way they are doing the voting is a steaming pile of shit that needs changed.
Ranked choice is pretty much the only answer. So I’m going to advocate for that strongly and make sure I point out how fucked and broken this current system is to anyone who will listen because that is how you change it. Not by saying “shut up and vote the way it is right now” like you said.
Also, I DID vote yesterday. But I’m certainly not going to be quiet about how unfair and rigged the process is. No one I voted for won, by the way. I still feel good for doing it anyway though it is all I can do other than complain loud enough that maybe it changes something.
Did you guys know that when you vote for state primaries you have to choose which political party to get the choices for and you don’t see any other choices?
So this guy being independent, you would only ever get to vote for him if you picked the independent ballot and then you couldn’t vote for any of the democrats who are the only real chances to actually win against republicans and unseat them.
You get, Democratic, Republican, Independent, Green Party or Issues Only. That’s it.
Whole thing’s fucking rigged man.
Did you know that varies state by state?
My state has a jungle primary, you see all candidates irrespective of their or your party affiliation, and you vote for the ONE candidate you want to see on the ballot.
We also have ranked choice voting, which they are trying reallllly hard to take away.
I did not know this I really wish it was that way where I live.
Ranked choice is the answer
this is only true for the states without open primaries
Well, yeah, that’s kind of obvious. In primary elections you are deciding which candidate in a given party is going to be their candidate in the general election. It would make no sense for them to have independent candidates on their primary ballot. Since independent candidates, by definition, will not be a party’s candidate.
Yeah but this pretty much reinforces a two party system with virtually no hope of it ever changing.
What if I wanted to vote for a Democratic treasurer or whatever but wanted an independent state legislature that can’t happen unless I ONLY vote for ALL the independent options.
That’s a horrible, rigged system that needs thrown away and changed.
Why not an R or a D or an I next to all the runners names? Why am I locked in on one party or NOTHING? It’s crazy man
Because primary elections are about party candidates that will be supported by the particular party in the general election. If you want an independent state legislature, that needs to happen in the general election where you are choosing from all the candidates.
Yes, but what if I would like to have a say in more than one party’s candidate?
Its all or nothing. All democratic, or nothing. All independent or third party whatever they say on the ballot, or nothing. All republican, or nothing.
Sure I get you can’t pick like a democratic AND republican candidate for the same position but what if I really like the independent treasurer running but also recognize the importance of unseating the republicans in current power and want democratic nominees for everything else?
Well, I’d have to go with democratic because I know that’s the only snowball chance in hell to get rid of the republicans and I’m screwed out of the opportunity to vote for the independent treasurer running because now I can choose only the democratic ones running.
It is not a good or fair system and it is the reason we will forever have a two party system. Its junk. Rigged, to a certain degree.
Ranked choice voting or something similar is the way it should be done.
Well, I’d suggest voting in the democratic primary and selecting a bad candidate for the treasurer and the good candidates for the other offices. If you’re lucky, others will vote the same way in the primary and the bad treasurer candidate you voted for will appear on the general election ballot along with the good democratic candidates for all the other offices.
This means that your preferred independent candidate would have a better chance of winning the office when the general election rolls around as will your preferred candidates for the other offices.
“Well I’d suggest voting in the democratic primary and selecting a bad candidate for the treasurer and the good candidates for the other offices”
You don’t understand how this is ridiculous and not at all the way it should be? Come on now…
We need ranked choice anything else is complete corruption.
Yeah… if the strategy ends up giving people you don’t want in office extra votes, that just seems completely backwards. It just increases the chances that the worst candidate gets elected, which to me sounds worse than just having the wrong party win.
A party of one?
This is why STAR voting is better
I vote for the sun
I mean that’s kind of how it works. A primary is simply a primary between that particular party’s candidates. So you’re not going to be choosing this guy for Democrat ballot if you’re an independent. I’m an independent and I’m not voting in the Democrat or Republican primaries. However in the general election I can then choose whatever candidate I want to select. I’ve never heard of an independent primary but then again most Independence are not listed as a specific political party. Because independent is not a political party it is a non-affiliation.
Fyi, if your state (like Tennessee) has open primaries, you could choose to vote in one to support their worst candidate. Both major parties ask their voters do this sometimes to improve their odds in the general election.
That’s interesting I didn’t even know that any states actually had open primaries like this. I’ve only got experience voting in two different states and neither one of them have open primaries.
And since you didn’t immediately follow that with “and that’s why the entire worthless system needs to be dismantled with prejudice” I stopped reading.
That being “how it works” is a part of the problem.
What an idiotic statement. Yeah the system sucks it needs to be fixed it’s fucking broken. We need more than two actual parties in this system. However it’s the system we have and it’s the system we have to work in so immediately stopping reading is the stupidest fucking thing you can do. Get registered fucking vote quit bitching and whining unless you’re part of the system and trying to change it.
The system can’t be fixed, it’s working exactly as intended. All of what you’ve said in multiple comments now seems to be repeating platitudes created to obfuscate that fact. I’ve been “part of the system”. I spent a decade as first a volunteer then a paid campaign staffer, I know whereof I speak when I say that voting will never change anything that matters, because the choices you get to vote for are filtered for loyalty to the ruling class before you ever get to hear their names.
The system must be completely torn down, and the people who the current system serves will absolutely unleash all the violence the Empire can muster to prevent that. Any milquetoast “solution” that depends on voting for the candidates put forward by either of the parties that serve that ruling class is not a solution, it’s a trap to get you to waste your time and energy while ensuring you keep enough faith in the system to prevent you from revolting or doing anything that might actually affect the status quo.
Oh no the system can’t be fixed everything’s going to waste! oh no what are we going to do! fucking complain some more Jesus Christ you little bitch
Very persuasive. You’ve convinced me. Doing more of what got into this point over the last 40 years will definitely fix it. Just vote Blue No Matter Who! Surely one of these times Lucy won’t snatch the football away, right?
Far better than voting any fucking Republican in at this point in time. And way fucking better than not voting at all and being apathetic and complaining about the system being broken. While I may not like floating Democratic only typically it’s the only choice to try to fight against the system. You do a lot of people do which is join the Republican party vote in their primary is just try to sabotage them. Or you could run for your own party and try to start an actual party that may make a difference. But we’ve seen how most of the independence work in most of the states. Hell Utah was the first place the pirate party tried to go into and we actively signed all of the paperwork to try to get it up and running. However in the end what they did was they move the goal post. As I’m sure you already stated in our well aware of them changing to try to keep power at any point. However that doesn’t mean that we give up and that doesn’t mean that we stop that means that we just keep fighting as much as possible and bringing the doctor see as much as possible to an end. Look at all the votes and all the races that have been won lately by actual progressives and my actual people that are in positions to make changes happen. Look at New York look at Michigan look at Bernie for so long in vermont. Change can happen but it’s going to take the convincing a whole hell of a lot of people to make it happen.
Change can happen, but the people who have all the wealth and power will absolutely not ever allow you to vote it away. Change will require sacrifice, and nobody who believes that they can vote their way out of the mess their grandparents voted them into will be willing to do what’s necessary.
I say again: I have been a party insider. I can tell you authoritatively that the DNC exists to suppress revolt by giving people like you faith in the system, and by capturing and neutering any social movement that might build enough momentum to get people to be willing to resist in any meaningful ways. You have no reason to believe that, of course, but it’s true nevertheless. So I encourage you: be the change you think you can make in the world. Start volunteer for complains. Bust your ass for a decade trying to move the party left. It’s the thing that finally made me see how worthless the Democrats actually are, so.i now encourage everyone making the arguments you’re making to try it themselves. It’ll be the only way you’ll ever learn the truth in a way you’ll believe.
“Quit complaining about how rigged the voting system is and just vote! Its the only system we have, can’t change it so stop complaining”
Is that right?
How can we change it if not telling everyone we know what a steaming pile of shit it all is and that it is clearly rigged and needs change? The voting part is the part not working because of how it is set up to be rigged.
Ranked choice is the answer. Not whatever farce this is that they are doing.
That’s right. Complain and do nothing. Voting never works. Your correct. I apologize.
Nope not what I said. The current way they are doing the voting is a steaming pile of shit that needs changed.
Ranked choice is pretty much the only answer. So I’m going to advocate for that strongly and make sure I point out how fucked and broken this current system is to anyone who will listen because that is how you change it. Not by saying “shut up and vote the way it is right now” like you said.
Also, I DID vote yesterday. But I’m certainly not going to be quiet about how unfair and rigged the process is. No one I voted for won, by the way. I still feel good for doing it anyway though it is all I can do other than complain loud enough that maybe it changes something.