Normally open July 4th only---the one day a year when partisan politics, religion, etc. are acceptable topics on this Board. (The 2012 window is now closed; thanks for playing.)
The first two words would have been sufficient, gm. The rest of it demonstrates why we are normally not permitted to discuss politics here. Some people apparently cannot do that without becoming intemperate.
tandfman wrote:The first two words would have been sufficient, gm. The rest of it demonstrates why we are normally not permitted to discuss politics here. Some people apparently cannot do that without becoming intemperate.
Don't tell me you actually think polls are a good idea? Seriously?
I know that professional politicians of every stripe commission their own polls and also pay attention to the ones sponsored by various media. Perhaps they're all wrong. But in any event, saying the pollsters should burn in hell does not contribute to a civilized discourse.
Don't misquote me. I said burn in PROFESSIONAL hell. You know, end the biz, get a different job, that kind of thing. Polls only serve to muddy the waters.
couldn't agree more; and the political process is further mutilated by reporting of results from the east before west gets a chance to do act independently (doesn't affect outcome of the prez race, probably, but can have significant effect on local issues thare are also on the ballot)
In our modern world of instant communications, all the polls in all 50 states should close at the same time, and "exit polling" by the media should be outlawed.
Polls close at 10 in eastern zone, 9 in central, 8 in mountain, 7 in pacific, and 5 or whatever in Hawaii and Alaska. Or even jog it another hour later. Simple.
"Despite the Bush Administration's current unpopularity, Hamburger and Wallsten contend, the Republican domination of American politics is unlikely to end anytime soon."
dukehjsteve wrote:In our modern world of instant communications, all the polls in all 50 states should close at the same time, and "exit polling" by the media should be outlawed.
Polls close at 10 in eastern zone, 9 in central, 8 in mountain, 7 in pacific, and 5 or whatever in Hawaii and Alaska. Or even jog it another hour later. Simple.
simultaneous closing would never sell; too many people have no choice but to vote after work.
dukehjsteve wrote:In our modern world of instant communications, all the polls in all 50 states should close at the same time, and "exit polling" by the media should be outlawed.
Polls close at 10 in eastern zone, 9 in central, 8 in mountain, 7 in pacific, and 5 or whatever in Hawaii and Alaska. Or even jog it another hour later. Simple.
simultaneous closing would never sell; too many people have no choice but to vote after work.
This is why early voting is such a wonderful thing. Illinois had the polls open for a couple of weeks. I voted last week.
dukehjsteve wrote:In our modern world of instant communications, all the polls in all 50 states should close at the same time, and "exit polling" by the media should be outlawed.
Polls close at 10 in eastern zone, 9 in central, 8 in mountain, 7 in pacific, and 5 or whatever in Hawaii and Alaska. Or even jog it another hour later. Simple.
simultaneous closing would never sell; too many people have no choice but to vote after work.
Polls here in Indiana have always closed at 6, without any apparent unrest or problems. A 7 pm closing on the west coast would not be unreasonable, coupled with 10 on the east coast. And if you made it 8 and 11, what's the problem ?
dukehjsteve wrote:In our modern world of instant communications, all the polls in all 50 states should close at the same time, and "exit polling" by the media should be outlawed.
Polls close at 10 in eastern zone, 9 in central, 8 in mountain, 7 in pacific, and 5 or whatever in Hawaii and Alaska. Or even jog it another hour later. Simple.
simultaneous closing would never sell; too many people have no choice but to vote after work.
Polls here in Indiana have always closed at 6, without any apparent unrest or problems. A 7 pm closing on the west coast would not be unreasonable, coupled with 10 on the east coast. And if you made it 8 and 11, what's the problem ?
How about voting on the weekend -- or making Election Day a national holiday. It is kind of important, after all...
We've had early voting here for the last two weeks also. The only people who don't vote now are the ones who really don't care, and I don't want them to vote anyway!
According to relatives in Oregon, everyone votes by mail. Don't know if that is gospel, but that would solve the can't get off work problem. The kicker there, apparantly the ballot envelope is not post free. I know that is true in CA. But if the entire electorate of OR is required to mail their ballots, bit of a boon for USPS, eh?
dukehjsteve wrote:Polls here in Indiana have always closed at 6, without any apparent unrest or problems. A 7 pm closing on the west coast would not be unreasonable, coupled with 10 on the east coast. And if you made it 8 and 11, what's the problem ?
An observation to your comment: Try driving down Hwy 237 at 17.00 (or at 15.00, for that matter, when the carpool lane is activated), the 101 or I-580 any considerable distance during the same time frame. Then consider what time it would be before you got to the poll station in your voting district. You:d be pushing it if you didn:t get out of the office at 17.00.
A cascading poll closing time would also not be feasible, because of the amount of work that simply would not be performed during that time; it would be more than a slight hiccup for companies with multiple locations throughout the USA, each inter-dependant.
Personally I get the absentee (mail in) ballot, fill it out and then drop it off at the local polling place on election day. (Not to save money, but I like the feeling of actually being in the polling place - democracy in action - without having to wait in lines.)
