HUGE voter turnout predicted for 2008

[SpeedRacer 1]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/21/early.voting/?iref=mpstoryview

This at least is good news, regardless of who wins!

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[AWL71 0]

Yes it is. Here in GA there are long lines for early voting already. It will be an interesting election for sure and I think it will be closer than most people are predicting.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

[mnealtx 0]

Agreed.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[livendive 8]

Yep, participation is a good thing.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Butters 0]

Quote

This at least is good news, regardless of who wins!

Why?

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Butters 0]

Quote

Yep, informed participation is a good thing.

Fixed it for you.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[DanG 1]

Yep, participation is a good thing.
Yep, Informed participation is a better thing.

Fixed it for YOU.

- Dan G

[Butters 0]

Quote

Yep, participation is a good thing.
Yep, informed participation is a better thing.

Fixed it for YOU.

I don't believe that participation in and of itself is a good thing.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[DanG 1]

I think that it is a good thing as long as it is voluntary and uncoerced.

I think it is impossible to be fully informed in this day and age, there are just too many issues and too much information out there. I also think it is impossible to be fully uninformed, at least in the US.

I assisted with the first national elections in Afghanistan in 2004 (on the security side), and while there was quite a large amount of participation, it is arguable whether it was "informed". In a country where the illiteracy rate is around 75% can you really call the electorate "informed"? Most villages voted for the candidates their local mullah told them to vote for. Their only regular source of information was the mosque. On the other hand, I doubt many people would argue that having elections there is a waste of time.

I stand by my believe that any participation is good, but informed participation even better.

- Dan G

[livendive 8]

Quote

Quote

Yep, informed participation is a good thing.

Fixed it for you.

A basic tenet of democracy is that government is of the people and for the people. If the people don't vote, than it is not of the people and is unlikely to be for the people. More voters will provide a better picture of the will of the people than fewer voters. I also would like people to be more informed, but that's something measured in degrees and I wouldn't want to institute any sort of measuring stick that must be attained in order to vote. If someone wants to vote all (D) or all (R), that's not ideal, but it's still ok. Those informed enough to vote the issues rather than the parties will likely swing the vote except on particularly contentious measures/races in which reasonable minds can disagree.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[DanG 1]

Exactly.

- Dan G

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

This at least is good news, regardless of who wins!

Agreed.

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

Yep, informed participation is a good thing.

Agreed. Even better.

We are all engines of karma

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Quote

Yep, participation is a good thing.
Yep, Informed participation is a better thing.
Informed participation that used multiple sources outside talking points and resources from each side is ideal.

Fixed it for YOU.

A man can dream.....

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[DanG 1]

Informed participation that used multiple sources outside talking points and resources from a multitude of equally viable sides is ideal.

Final fix.

- Dan G

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

The fact that Rovian bullshit didn't work this time around due to the internet could be that we are finally on our way there. I'm sure over the next three years someone will devise some new plan......but I think people want the truth now.

Here is to a more educated nation that holds our leaders responsible and voters that put the corrupt out of work.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[Lucky... 0]

Quote

Yes it is. Here in GA there are long lines for early voting already. It will be an interesting election for sure and I think it will be closer than most people are predicting.

Nah, it may be closer than the 10 point spread some polls have it at now, bit it's not gonna be down to the wire IMO. McCain pretty much needs to win all the swing states from what I understand, so I hope and think it will be a very boring and predictable election.

[Lucky... 0]

Quote

Final fix.

I like cupcakes.

[Jasmin 0]

Quote

I think that it is a good thing as long as it is voluntary and uncoerced.

Voting is compulsory here, but with great literacy and education rates and with free (and unbelievably less politically biased) media, is it really such a bad thing to ensure that every eligible voter does so?

Is there not something good to be said for attempting to consider the votes and wishes of all our citizens, not just those for politicians who can motivate their followers to get out of bed and stand in the rain/snow/wind and wait to vote?

ie Is it really such a bad thing to consider the votes of the majority, rather than just the majority who bothered to turn up?

xj

"I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with the earth...but then I wouldn't recommend picking a fight with a car either, and that's having tried both."