General Discussion

Last edited Mon Jun 8, 2026, 11:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Fascists don't need a pretext to be provided by us for their malevolence. They'll use anything, and if there isn't anything to use, they'll make something up. Enough already with the running scared from the right wingers. "Oh, we'd better not do that! Just imagine what the Republicans might say or might do!" I'm tired of the politics of perpetual accommodation. I think most Democrats are.

At some point, a democracy has to stop organizing itself around the anticipated reactions of its opponents. Defend what you believe to be right. Don't live in fear of the next manufactured outrage. People who are determined to undermine democratic institutions do not require genuine reasons or provocations; therefore, organizing public policy around avoiding their bad-faith criticism is futile.

Next, you are cavalierly dismissing the needs of vulnerable people. Many elderly, disabled, immune-compromised, or chronically ill people depend on alternatives to standing in line at a polling place. In many precincts, people have to stand in line for hours, often in inclement weather, in order to vote. You can't ask seniors and handicapped people to endure that. It effectively denies many people the practical ability to exercise their franchise. Whether or not one agrees with every COVID-era policy, reducing their concerns to "irrational fears" is utterly contemptuous.

Democracy is strengthened by broad participation. Here, we support that. (Checking to make sure I am on Democratic Underground). The franchise has generally expanded over the history of the country. People have made great sacrifices to advance that noble cause. People have given their lives in the struggle for voting rights. Absentee voting, early voting, and mail voting are all mechanisms that help people participate who otherwise might not be able to. The burden should be on those who would restrict access to explain why. Care to explain to us why you favor restricting access to the ballot?

Elections are not horse races or football games. The goal is not to produce a ready-for-television (or ready-for-social media) result by any certain time. The goal is to determine the will of the electorate correctly. Who cares how long it takes to count the votes? Accuracy is what's important, not expediency.

The purpose of an election is not to reassure people who are acting in bad faith, which cannot be done in any case. It is to count every legitimate vote accurately while making it possible for every eligible citizen—including the elderly, disabled, and ill—to participate.