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Why do we not vote on Sunday like the rest of the world? Since 1848 this has been standard so the ultra pious Americans don't have to defile the Christian Sabbath! The date has something to do with the harvest but the day reflects religious practices. Funny thing is, in all European countries, including Catholic Spain, France and Italy, they don't seem to be bothered by that issue! Virtually everything we do is governed by our overly zealous religious conditioning. Why else would our national motto be "In God we Trust"? It should say "Of God We Live in Fear".

fishline79 7 Mar 18
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I just don't like the idea of ballots floating around in the post and going from one office to another weeks or months before elections. I think voting should be done in person on election day and counted immediately and the result should be held in a safe place until counted.

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I think we shoudl either declare election day a holiday, or else do all voting by mail as we do In Oregon and Washington States. I think botign by mail is actually better. You have time to look up ballot initiatives or candidates which you are not familiar with before casting your vote. It makes for better informed voting.

To me that sounds almost as vulnerable to theft and mail fraud and duplication and other such interference as voting on computers. The old mechanical voting machines I grew up with worked great and were virtually tamper-proof. Either use them or a box with a slot. Furthermore, people say the new electronic voting machines are a closed circuit, and maybe so, but the results have to be sent out to be tabulated and can be intercepted at that juncture. Computer technology is destroying our lives and institutions.

@fishline79 They have the vot eby mail down to prevent fraud and tampering. Everyone gets a ballot envelope to sign, and on that envelope is a bar code which gets scanned to compare signature on file. Bar codes keep track of voter registration rolls, wher ballots are mailed out to and so on.

The only fraud detected so far was a volunteer at the ballot center who was filling in ballots in sections left blank, but sh ewas caught and prosecuted for ballot tampering. it is hard not to get caught in a room full of people where the ballots are opened. It also leave a pape4r trail which can be counted by hand if needed

@snytiger6 Yeah, just so, but how about in Georgia where the guy running was the X registrar of votes (or some such post) many votes were not recorded so the black lady lost!

@fishline79 Yeah, I do think that a sctary of stae shoudl not be able to oversee the results of his own election.

Georgia has had election irregularities since the 2000 Gubernatorial election. The politics of that state is pretty crooked.

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It's not only that outdated religious excuse. Many in control keep the Tuesday voting because they know most working middle and lower income class people can't get off work and it makes it harder for them to vote. Those are the largest groups most likely to vote for anti-capitalist policies and against pro-rich candidates! The same backroom control methods that created gerrymandering in the first place!

Not to mention the polling places themselves. I've never waited more than 10 minutes in my rural district. Poll workers are always very friendly. I went with a friend to cast her vote in Lansing a few years ago and she was in line for many hours. Lots of unfriendly (overwhelmed) workers making sure everyone was in line. And the rural vote counts for more. Doesn't seem right at all..

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Voting in Europe quite often was done either in the churches or a nearby building. It also means nobody is at work, and thus are free to vote. Of course this has changed over the years.

My point, exactly. Some people have to take off work to vote.

@fishline79 Perhaps in democracies there should be a voting holiday where only emergency and essential services have to work.

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In the UK we vote on Thursdays

Figures. We were probably trying to be as kooky as the Brits! Thanks for the note. I wasn't aware of that fact.

@fishline79 Don't forget the US system is based on the British model. It's what they had when the USA started.

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Because Sunday belongs to the NFL. Get your priorities straight, fer gawds sake.

1of5 Level 8 Mar 18, 2019

Not my Sundays.

@fishline79 I'm originally from Washington State, and there the ballot gets sent to you by mail so it arrives 2 weeks before election day. Can mail it back or drop it off at collection sites when it's convenient, as long as it's postmarked before election day is over.

It's way to good of a system to be used nationwide, though, and your idea of moving the day to Sunday doesn't look like it'd solve much of anything, to me.

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