Obama Says Mandatory Voting Would 'Completely Change' U.S. Political Map

[yota691]

Obama Says Mandatory Voting Would 'Completely Change' U.S. Political Map

Mar 18, 2015 6:48 PM EDT

At a town hall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, the president gave support to the idea of compulsory voting.

  

 

 

 

 David Knowlest writerknowles

Talk about a change election. 

At a town hall meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, Wednesday, President Obama discussed the idea of mandatory voting, and said “that may end up being a better strategy in the short term" in helping to diminish the influence that money has on politics in the post-Citizens United era. 

“It would be transformative if everybody voted,” Obama said during the event. “That would counteract [campaign] money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country.”

“It would be transformative if everybody voted.”

President Obama

Compulsory voting is the official law of the land in 22 countries, though only 11 actively enforce penalties to citizens who do not. A woeful percentage of Americans who are eligible to vote, actually do so—just 36.4 percent did during the 2014 midterms, the lowest number since World War II. 

“The people who tend not to vote are young, they’re lower income, they’re skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups,” Obama, who had never publicly commented on the subject, said. “And they’re the folks who are scratching and climbing to get into the middle class and they’re working hard. There’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls. We should want to get them into the polls.”

Of course, mandatory voting might well be a self-serving argument for Democrats. In August of 2012, for instance, a USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that, by a two to one margin,unregistered voters would have cast a ballot for Obama over Romney, if they were eligible to do so. 

Why don't more people take the time to register and show up on election day? It's fair to say there's no single reason. Oregon is poised to find out whether automatic voter registration will increase actual turnout, having become the first state to pass a law that will use Department of Motor Vehicle information to register state residents to vote without them having to fill out a form. 

That's still a long way from passing a nationwide mandatory voting law and enforcing fines on those who skip out on casting a ballot come election day, and Obama gave no indication that he would try and pursue such a plan. 

 

[64jaguar]

GOOD GRIEF!.... Maybe like when Saddam Hussein held an election and got 99% of the vote. Vote for me or die.... Actually, when this former Republic was founded, you had to be a land owner to vote. I've often said this guy was going to run for a third term, Just watch, Bloomburg in NY did it without a hitch.

 

[yota691]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEBAQpjTcpQ

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

Did you notice he said  those who tend not to turn out are the low-information folks... the ignorant....

 

those who love his kommie hand-outs and are overly dependent leeches, illegals....

 

his ilk depend heavily on that type.... the same ones he targeted in order to get in....

 

the 'easily bamboozled' base....

 

no wonder he said we now HAVE to issue driver licenses to illegals...

Edited March 19, 2015 by SgtFuryUSCZ

[Deb45]

I knew he was going to try to tamper with the voting process before he left office........besides all the voter fraud that his party rely on....of course. I wouldn't be surprised if he decides he can run for a third term... Just watch.

[Shabibilicious]

I've actually had people tell me they don't register to vote because they don't want to get jury duty.....and the 3 dollars a day per diem that comes with it.    

 

GO RV, then BV

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

You're clearly on to him and his slave masters' agenda, DEB45....

 

We thought the same thing when valerie jarret decided to axe not-so-Hillarious' bid for the seat by

implementing operation  "Server-Gate"...

 

he'll whip out the E.O. Pen and crown himself king -- again.   

[Saint]

Shabs you hit the nail on the head, you register to vote you're liable to be called to jury duty. Imagine that, having to serve on a jury and actually have to do your civic duty as a US citizen. Oh my. 

[Shabibilicious]

Shabs you hit the nail on the head, you register to vote you're liable to be called to jury duty. Imagine that, having to serve on a jury and actually have to do your civic duty as a US citizen. Oh my. 

 

I've heard it many times from a very diverse group of people......some are the "lazy hand out" types and some are the "gov't ain't gonna tell me what to do" types.  Interestingly enough.....they all want to complain about the state of our country as non-voters.    

 

GO RV, then BV 

[ckriebs]

A lot of state's now use the drivers license database for their jury selection that is how the jury duty roster is create.

[yota691]

Shabs you hit the nail on the head, you register to vote you're liable to be called to jury duty. Imagine that, having to serve on a jury and actually have to do your civic duty as a US citizen. Oh my. 

http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/JuryService/about-jury-service.aspx Selection of Jurors

Potential jurors are chosen from a jury pool generated by random selection of citizens' names from lists of registered voters, or combined lists of voters and people with drivers licenses, in the judicial district. The potential jurors complete questionnaires to help determine whether they are qualified to serve on a jury. After reviewing the questionnaires, the court randomly selects individuals to be summoned to appear for jury duty. These selection methods help ensure that jurors represent a cross section of the community, without regard to race, gender, national origin, age or political affiliation.

[Shabibilicious]

A lot of state's now use the drivers license database for their jury selection that is how the jury duty roster is create.

 

I wish they would do that here.  Driving, voting, jury......one stop shopping.    

 

GO RV, then BV

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

now that illegals get to vote AND have driver licenses,

 

juries will truly be comprised of their peers...

 

ain't nobody goin' to jail no more....

[Shabibilicious]

***///

 

now that illegals get to vote AND have driver licenses,

 

juries will truly be comprised of their peers...

 

ain't nobody goin' to jail no more....

 

Our undocumented Canadian brethren are not to be trusted.    

 

GO RV, then BV

[dog53]

So you let them get their foot in the door.

What does it take or perhaps people just dont care anymore.

Another law mandated by the GOVT as to what and how you will live your life.

 

You WILL have insurance

You WILL have to vote

You WILL bail out failing banks

You WILL not burn wood

You WILL not barbecue

You WILL not drill for oil.

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL

You WILL 

You WILL 

You WILL 

 

 

 

No I wont

I WILL die first

Edited March 19, 2015 by dog53

[nstoolman1]

A lot of state's now use the drivers license database for their jury selection that is how the jury duty roster is create.

They have to prove you got it. If they did not use a professional service or a marshal, they can't say you got it. 

[Xtaxguy]

Idea is worth consideration, but ONLY if bundled with a few other provisions:

 

"None of the Above" will be a valid vote for every office; and,

 

If "None of the Above" wins, the losers cannot run for ANY other office for 10 years; and,

 

To win, you MUST have more than 50% of the votes cast; and,

 

If there is no winner, the seat is vacant until the next regularly scheduled election.

 

I predict a 99% unemployment rate among professional politicians, and a GNP growth rate of 10+%.  Or maybe civil war.  Or as the Dingleberry would say, "whatever...."

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///    

 

 

       What DOG53 said !  

[SgtFuryUSCZ]

***///

 

Look at what OREGON has gone and done... automatic voter registration....

 

...and hobummer said we HAVE to give DL's to illegals !

 

 

NO way they can make certain VOTER FRAUD will not prevail now....

 

THEY'VE GONE OVER TO THE VERY, VERY DARK SIDE in service to hobummer and his slave masters !

[Whatshername]

Idea is worth consideration, but ONLY if bundled with a few other provisions:

 

"None of the Above" will be a valid vote for every office; and,

 

If "None of the Above" wins, the losers cannot run for ANY other office for 10 years; and,

 

To win, you MUST have more than 50% of the votes cast; and,

 

If there is no winner, the seat is vacant until the next regularly scheduled election.

 

I predict a 99% unemployment rate among professional politicians, and a GNP growth rate of 10+%.  Or maybe civil war.  Or as the Dingleberry would say, "whatever...."

I like it!  And I would add that every citizen must pass a civics test in English before casting their ballot.  I would not object to putting my fingertip in a bottle of ink either if it cuts down on voter fraud. 

[Muleslayer]

I like it! And I would add that every citizen must pass a civics test in English before casting their ballot. I would not object to putting my fingertip in a bottle of ink either if it cuts down on voter fraud.

What a frickin mess!

Now we are willing to vote the Iraq way to stop the voter fraud.

What happened to integrity?

Scotty will you PLEASE BEAM ME UP!!!

there is no intelligent life here.

P.s. Nothin personal ma'am

Edited March 20, 2015 by Muleslayer

[Whatshername]

What a frickin mess!

Now we are willing to vote the Iraq way to stop the voter fraud.

What happened to integrity?

Scotty will you PLEASE BEAM ME UP!!!

there is no intelligent life here.

P.s. Nothin personal ma'am

Purple finger vs disenfranchisement... Seems like a small price to pay.  Don't worry... It'll never happen.  obama was just describing one of his commie dreams!  

Edited March 21, 2015 by Markinsa

[10 YEARS LATER]

This should not be a shock to anyone. You open the door to the oh so grateful 10 to 20 million Illegals that will be eternally grateful to the Democratic Party who will in turn vote Democrats into absolute control of the USA for DECADES to come.

 

The greater majority of the GOP are a bunch of lily livered polecats with no spine.

 

Both sides of the aisle have been in cahoots, stripping away every vestige of Freedom, Right to Bear Arms, putting just about every gun owner & every Vet on a Terrorism Watch List, telling us what to eat: they use the Constitution as a door mat now and it goes on & on.

 

The voice of dissention is not LOUD enuff . . . YET

[ocdude]

I knew he was going to try to tamper with the voting process before he left office........besides all the voter fraud that his party rely on....of course. I wouldn't be surprised if he decides he can run for a third term... Just watch.

Did you READ the article?? In particular, the last line??

 

Here...this might be easier for you....

 

In Australia, and some other countries, there’s mandatory voting.  It would be transformative if everybody voted.  That would counteract money more than anything.  If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country, because the people who tend not to vote are young; they're lower income; they're skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups; and they're often the folks who are -- they're scratching and climbing to get into the middle class.  And they're working hard, and there’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls.  We should want to get them into the polls.  So that may end up being a better strategy in the short term.

 

Nowhere in his discussion of mandatory voting does he suggest that we should adopt Australia's policy (which, by the way, is that you are fined around $20 - about $15.75 in U.S. dollars - for not voting.) He saying (a) it would be "transformative" if everybody voted, ( if everybody voted, it would change our political map, and © the best way in the short term to get money out of politics isn't to pass laws changing campaign finance rules but to make it easier for people to vote instead of harder. That's what he meant when he said, "So that may end up being a better strategy in the short term."

[Jaxinjersey]

I like it!  And I would add that every citizen must pass a civics test in English before casting their ballot.  I would not object to putting my fingertip in a bottle of ink either if it cuts down on voter fraud. 

Yep... ya beat me too to it Slug... not surprised from my team leader! 

Mandatory voting "privilege"... pass a test on the Constitution!  Simple.

 

Don't wanna vote?   Fail the test.  Simple.

 

Educated and informed voters... priceless.