Forum Post: Occupy The Voting Booths
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 3, 2011, 11:13 a.m. EST by WeUsAll
(200)
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No one votes, the machine grinds to a halt. End of story. Billions of campaign contributions will be wasted and it'll never happen again. We can stop the corruption of buying government employees now - the next election. OCCUPY THE VOTE!!
I think the voting machines working aginst us
Yes!
We could do it with the help of the black panthers!
Great idea. Go for it
Thanks. Seriously though, a non vote is a way of voting too. Until we have a national option for Neither, we're stuck with Them or Them.
No....just vote for the right people. If we don't vote guess who picks and controls who's in charge? The 1%
I disagree. As has been noted by others voter apathy is a problem not a solution. I believe that the booth is, in fact, fundamental to the change that OWS seeks to bring and that simply jamming elections will only make it hard for the peoples' voices to be heard.
And what's the reason for voter apathy? Bingo, it's because their voices aren't being heard, because it's always the same industry giants pulling the strings.
http://zelea.com/project/votorola/home.xht
Here is you voting machine
show support by leaving your front porch light on.
Yeah, bring a giant rat too. Picket the booths like a union idiot. This is a terrible idea.
No, not picket, Occupy! You can hang around in a tent or you can mobilize. Your choice.
Since this organization tends to lean to the left a little bit, it won't stop right wingers from voting. It's just a bad idea overall. And illegal.
The real bad idea is that elections every four years are nothing more than heroin for the masses. Americans get scammed into thinking that if one party or another (and there are really only two) takes control, then something's going to change, but it never does, because the same influences of giant corporations are entrenched in both parties. Small things get changed, but then they get watered down and eventually washed out. Rinse and repeat.
Essentially, there is only one party...
Exactly!
Which is why I am for a third party candidate. People need to stop voting status quo.
Exactly. How do we stop people from voting for the status quo?
At this point, you can't... Ron Lawl is the only one with a chance of changing the status quo, but even he will run under the GOP I think, essentially bringing him back into the status quo. The Republicans know that if Ron Lawl runs independent, he will steal away their votes...
This is just dumb. No offense but this is the worst idea ever. Someone is going to vote and someone will win the election. Voter apathy is the problem, not the solution.
No offense taken. Right now you can only vote for sponsored candidates, you have no choice. So go ahead and feed the machine, they'll love it.
So if only 2% of the population votes they get to decide the outcome. No one in washington will care the slightest bit. If fact, they may be even more out of control.
If only 2% voted, it wouldn't count - no one would win if the majority abstained.
That is patently absurd. You have to win a majority of the ballots cast. The majority abstain almost every election
Yes it is patently absurd, so what's your point? Just keep voting for the candidates of the 1%, who contribute billions of dollars to keep things the same? That's always been patently absurd. Do you think you have a choice or that a vote either way lets your voice be heard? Patently absurd, to all but the herd of sheep.
Or we could run our own candidates, instead of throwing our hands in the air and doing nothing.
OK, so where's the money going to come from to run our candidates and who are our candidates. Let's go!
You don't need money to run a campaign. Find out how to get on the ballot in your district and run independant. Who are our candiates? How about you?
Sorry but politicians only care about those who vote. Millions of Americans don't vote...more than half...it would be far more effect to occupy the vote by helping get people to the polls. You do recall all of those new laws enacted by Republicans that enforce new restrictions right? I call BS, you have to be a plant/troll to suggest this...
right, so Occupy is sending a warning shot across the bow of The Powers That Be (TPTB). OWS is saying "don't rely on voter apathy any longer. Deal with our list of grievances or we will field OUR candidates and hit the campaign trails until the 99% have removed every corrupt member of congress by the power of the ballot box"
Don't be sorry. You want things to continue the way they are and care about what politicians care about? Well then, you will be sorry. You're clearly not part of the movement.
I'm not part of the movement because I want a government that represents the people? That sounds pretty ridiculous. It is talk like that that will keep many many more people, you know the people who are still asleep, the ones that act like sheep and don't think for themselves...away from actively joining the movement.
NYC is far more progressive than many parts of the country. I don't speak for all but I do know what the opposition looks like as well as how the people on the fence are feeling in Flint Michigan are feeling. I do not claim to speak for all: I am only 1 of the 99%.
Seems to me that you are doing a bit of gate keeping in who is in and who is out. I thought everyone's opinions are appreciated and welcomed or is that only when they match exactly with your own?
99er candidates in every congressional district backed by the 70% of very fed up American voters? Time to leave the camps and hit the campaign trail. It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel lol
Hell yeah...they have left too much rope on their old campaign trails and the mess they have now. They practically tar/feather and hang themselves! I say every occupy site should rent a bus and just start taking people to get registered and invite those people to teach ins or go to nursing homes, community centers, and the like to get the word out.
yeah, and check this out: http://thedeclarationofdesperation.wordpress.com/ and this Declaration: https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
We shouldn't get mixed up in the existing machine. Stop it cold first. After the 1% pick their jaws off the floor and realize their wallets don't control us anymore, America can regroup.
I'm a farmer. I know a good machine from a crappy one (read Egypt). But a good machine in the hands of a lousy operator leads to damaged equipment and loss of crop leading to hunger and debts. we're coming out with better machines all the time but keeping the machine i have running productively means i can aquire a state-of-the-art machine sooner. So let's fix the machine we have (the ballot box is your tool box) and then discuss the new machine. How do you intend to "stop it cold"?
Occupy the voting booth. The ballot box is their tool, their rigged tool. Redistricting, need I say more?
Yes you do, but first you need to learn more. Have you STUDIED the 99% Declaration friend? https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1
Good stuff. Once we can get the population to turn away from what's controlling out country, maybe we can get them to accept something as reasonable as that.
Time is short. OWS has served not to get the population to turn away from what's controlling our country as to turn them ON to how the people can take back control... for the people. We are the 99% sends chills down every REP and DEM spine. Good! you know we say, "We shouldn't be afraid of the government, it should be afraid of us"
My goodness, why can't everyone here be as smart as you? Nailed it! My hat off to you, that is the best analogy I have heard in a while.
wow, thanks! please read and share the 99% Declaration and be sure to click the "Committees Of Correspondence" link https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1
Well I hope you at least have the sense to wear black face and blame it on the Panthers.
I think boycotting voting is a great idea to bring Republicans back to absolute power.
Vote for a scientist---I think the worlds best scientist need our votes to get them in charge of the planet. Let them make the decisions that are best for the planet.
No - we have to select the candidates in either party that support the OWS goals in the primaries and punish any who betray those goals with our votes. The power of the 99% is that we have the Voting Majority to retake our country for the People and remake it by the People!
There is quite a long list of third parties in the USA. They're the 99% too. If OWS could elect a National General Assembly, it could get busy bringing the small third parties together to establish one independant third party, a credible threat to R's & D's. The bonus is that some of the technical aspects of party politics would already be in place (though i'm no expert on that)
I like the idea though - we do need a multi-party system - I just fear how long that path takes for reforms versus working withing the current existing structure - though we need to influence the right and the left -- neither can do this alone and I believe the majority of right leaning and left leaning American People are both fed up with the money in politics, the corruption and the kowtowing to Wall Street Investment Bankers that takes place!
We need real election reform before 3rd parties are viable --> Like completely open primaries nationwide on the same day (a national holiday) with instand run-off voting and the top two candidates for any office have an election run-off one month later ending the perpetual election season.
Who might those candidates be? The ones who aren't taking giant donations from the giant corporations?
good point. would changing it to "the one who isn't taking..." be stretching it? lol
Might be stretching it - who is that one?
"select the candidates in either party that support the OWS goals in the primaries and punish any who betray those goals with our votes"
No one said it would be easy but they spend millions to brain wash the voters -- not voting is just as good in their eyes.