Scott M. Stolz

Entrepreneur & Author

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Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:23:45 -0600

scott@authorship.studio

We had a DJ at my polling station! He was playing some R&B, some rap, and some pop. It made the wait in the line better. Before I left, I had to thank the guy. #election

show all 7 comments

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:41:03 -0600

Ema エマ

ema@utasansh.in

Good.
I wonder why you have waiting lines. I‘ve never heard about waiting lines for Swiss ballots. But I vote or elect by post since I‘m allowed to vote/elect (sine 26 years), so I don‘t know how an on spot ballot looks like in CH.

The Swiss post claims that often more than 90% choose the postal way for ballots.

In this article, they summarize the history of postal ballot in CH:

https://post-medien.ch/zum-internationalen-tag-der-demokratie-wie-die-schweiz-zur-briefwahl-nation-wurde/

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:48:54 -0600

Ema エマ

ema@utasansh.in

Btw I just realized that you Americans (maybe also other english speaking countries?) use one word, „to vote“, for what we have two words: abstimmen, which means to vote about a law, and wählen, which means to elect politicians.

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:53:35 -0600

Ema エマ

ema@utasansh.in

Or you don‘t have the possibility for citizens to vota about a law? 🤔

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:08:20 -0600

Bill Statler

billstatler@forum.statler.ws

In the US, it is different in every state. In my state (Washington), we have two ways to vote on laws:

Initiative: "The electorate can either place a proposition directly on the ballot or it can submit the proposed law to the Legislature at the regular legislative session allowing the elected representatives an opportunity to enact the proposed legislation themselves instead of placing the matter on the ballot."

Referendum: "allows citizens, through the petition process, to refer acts of the Legislature to the ballot before they become law. The referendum also permits the Legislature itself to refer proposed legislation to the electorate for approval or rejection."

Also in Washington state, we never have to stand in line. For many years, all of our elections have used a paper ballot which we fill out at home and return by mail or at a drop box.

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:19:00 -0600

Scott M. Stolz

scott@authorship.studio

It depends on the state. In my state, Texas, we don't have statewide initiatives, referendums, or recalls. However, amendments to the Texas Constitution must be approved by voters. There are local referendums though.

In my case, there were two local referendums on the ballot, and both of them were asking to approve a tax increase. Both the Flood Control District and the Independent School District wanted more money from taxpayers.

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:26:01 -0600

Scott M. Stolz

scott@authorship.studio

It should be noted that the founders of Texas did not like big government, so Texas has some unique features, like the Texas Legislature only meeting every two years, and sunset laws that require agencies and programs to be renewed every 12 years or else they are automatically abolished.

This allows constant improvement because every 12 years or less, the legislature reviews the performance of each government agency or department and decides whether to keep it the same, change it, or abolish it. Most of the time it gets changed in some way, usually for the better.

The review is mandatory, because if the legislature takes no action, the agency or program automatically ends. It makes these agencies and programs accountable because their very jobs are on the line.

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 19:39:28 -0600

Scott M. Stolz

scott@authorship.studio

@Ema エマ

I wonder why you have waiting lines.

In previous elections, there was no voting line, at least in my area. But this election is so polarizing, more people are voting.

After all, Harris is claiming that democracy will end if you vote for Trump, and Trump is claiming that democracy will end if Harris is elected. And a lot of people are fearful that is true, so they are turning out in record numbers... from both parties.

Also, there has been a lot of shenanigans with mail-in votes, and the post office is not as reliable as it used to be. Personally, because of this, I don't trust mail in voting and prefer to vote in person.

There is also concerns that the vote will be rigged somehow, even if those fears are unfounded. So some people figure if they show up in large numbers, it will be harder to cheat.

Combine all of that, and you have a much bigger turnout.