Category Archives: Voting Rights

Pirate Party, Politics, Voting Rights

Vote Today

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I posted this over at the Massachusetts Pirate Party blog.

Election day is today. Polling places are open until 8pm. You can find your polling place at WhereDoIVoteMA.com.

If you believe you are registered, but you aren’t listed on the voter rolls, don’t walk away. The law says you can demand a provisional ballot and get a receipt. Follow up after the election to make sure they count it, but your vote cannot be counted if you didn’t cast it.

When you vote, we ask you to vote yes on Questions 1 and 3 and support any third-party candidate you agree with. You can find out more about the ballot questions below.

As always, we are looking for candidates for the 2019 town and city elections. If you are interested in running, fill out our supporter/candidate form.

More on the ballot questions

Question 1 would set the maximum number of patients per registered nurse which would vary by type of unit and level of care. Our increasingly corporate-controlled health care providers are against it as it would harm their profits. Send them a message that people deserve decent healthcare and vote yes.

Question 3 prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation. The legislature already approved it, but some anti-trans bigots believe that our fellow trans citizens and residents do not deserve equality and are using lies and fear mongering to try to get their way. Don’t let them win; vote yes.

On Question 2, we have not decided. Question 2 would create a citizens commission to advance an amendment to the United States Constitution to limit the influence of money in elections and establish that corporations do not have the same rights as human beings. We do not believe that corporations should have the same rights as individuals and I agree that we need to remove the corrupting influence of money in politics. Considering the influence of the rich and corporations on both major parties and on politics, it is pretty clear that once we open up any citizens process to amend the US Constitution, the rich will do their best to rewrite it in ways that enshrine their power and ideas. What is your opinion? Tell us in a comment below.

The Massachusetts Elections Division has more information on the ballot questions.

Government, Voting Rights

The fraud of voter id laws

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John Oliver has a supremely funny take down of voter id laws as a solution to a problem that does not exist. In one study there were 31 incidents out of over one billion votes cast.

Voter id laws are a Republican tool to limit the number of votes by people of color, the poor and the young. It is gerrymandering the electorate on a wide scale and will lead to disenfranchising millions of voters. Or as Brecht said:

Stating that the people
Had forfeited the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

Politics, Voting Rights

Mass. US Senate Election: Debates will be open

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Voters cannot make an educated choice if they don't have information about the candidates.  Thankfully, according to MassLive, all candidates on the general election ballot for the special election for Massachusetts' US Senate seat will be allowed to participate in all debates.

According to the MassLive article:

"Brown, Coakley and Kennedy will face off in the first televised debate on Tuesday. The debate will be taped, and is scheduled to be aired on WBZ-TV Channel 4 in Boston from 8 to 9 a.m. on Dec. 27 and on WSBK-TV Channel 38 in Boston from 7 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 28.

Brown and Kennedy also have confirmed they will attend a debate on Jan. 8 in Springfield sponsored by WGBY-TV Channel 57. Coakley, who grew up in North Adams, is also expected to attend.
The debate in Springfield is scheduled to be taped and then aired from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 8."

Democracy takes one small step further.

Voting Rights

Why Can’t the Left Face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008?

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Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman have an interesting article entitled Why Can’t the Left Face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008? They talk about how various "left" pundits and magazines (The Nation and Mother Jones being the ones they mention) are trying to convince us that the Republicans did not steal the 2004 election (with the Democrats acquiescence).

Thankfully, the David Cobb, the Green Party presidential candidate, the Libertarian Party presidential candidate and hundreds of volunteers attempted to get to the truth.  You can find what they found at the Vote Cobb website.