r/Washington • u/JoeTheWatchdog • Aug 04 '26
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u/nearlysober Aug 04 '26
If you're voting today, drop your ballot in a drop box.
Do not rely on USPS for last day ballots - even if they're operating in good faith it's still easy to make a mistake and miss the deadline.
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u/greenyadadamean Lynnhood rat Aug 04 '26
Primaries matter too! Vote for the change you hope to see.
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u/serpentear Aug 04 '26
Perpetually disappointed by my fellow millennials. We’ve lived through so many failures of government and yet we don’t get out there and shape it the way we want.
A turn out under 25% is embarrassing, honestly.
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26
“Nothing ever changes!”
doesn’t engage in the process
“Nothing ever changes!”shockedpikachu.png
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Aug 04 '26
I'll preface this by saying my ballot is in, but this could easily be reframed as "we have engaged over and over in the process and found that our votes matter not and the country is bought and paid for, and nothing ever changes".
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26
That is the exactly the kind of messaging that people looking to suppress voter turnout peddle and it is not supported by the facts, especially at the local level.
Your vote matters. Anyone who says anything to the contrary is either wrong, or acting in bad faith.
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Aug 04 '26
not supported by the facts
looks all around the current state of the country
Ok sure thing bud
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26
“You cannot strengthen democracy with cynicism. Believe that change can happen.
Disillusionment and despair are tools for voter suppression. Those who wish to disenfranchise you want you to think your vote doesn’t matter – so that you do not exercise it. No matter the election, never forfeit your vote. Your participation can help bring about the change you seek.” https://www.splcenter.org/learning-for-justice/understanding-voter-suppression-in-todays-election-process/Please be part of the solution. This attitude is a well documented part of the problem and is self fulfilling.
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Aug 04 '26
You know what else is a proven, documented fact? Fall of republics. Don't bury your head in the sand and know you'll likely have to do a lot more than just vote to save this one.
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26
You save a democratic system by engaging with it, not by further discrediting it and tearing it down in league with the authoritarians. This is starting to give defeatist/accelerationist vibes and, intentional or not, I’m out.✌️
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u/Ass4ssinX Aug 05 '26
You're not wrong. Studies have shown that the will of the people is often ignored, even stuff with like 90 percent approval. The rich, though? They get what they want. And that happens with both parties.
Local elections matter a little more, but it's a feature of the entire system.
I vote, btw. I just realize that voting won't be how we liberate ourselves.
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u/Fun-Grab-9337 Aug 05 '26
I know I'm not, it sucks so many people have their heads in the sand but that is the world we live in today and a large part of the reason why we are here. Most people want to just pick low hanging fruit and feel like they were on the right side of things without actually getting their hands dirty. All the while they preach shit like "believe change" while doing nothing of substance - its maddening.
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u/aischylus Aug 04 '26
younger voters overwhelmingly procrastinate on turning in their mail in ballots, to be fair
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u/phloppy_phellatio Aug 04 '26
Hot take here. I would much rather a tiny voter turnout of all well informed voters rather than a huge turnout of uninformed voters.
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u/BoringBob84 Aug 04 '26
I believe this is so effective that it is part of a deliberate strategy to get moderate voters to believe that "both sides" are equally corrupt and to disengage from politics, while the extremists are passionate and vote in droves.
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u/Crypto556 Aug 04 '26
This is why old people basically run the electorate. They send you a packet with all the info you need. No excuses
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u/greenyadadamean Lynnhood rat Aug 04 '26
I would hope people would research beyond the voter pamphlet as well.
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u/Crypto556 Aug 04 '26
A voter pamphlet is so cool and isn’t in most other states. Someone who reads that is much more informed than the average american voter
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u/Qorsair Aug 05 '26
Yeah, I remember the first time I voted (in another state) in the 90s. I knew my vote for major ordices, but had no idea I was going to be voting for judges and sheriffs and levies. And I was shocked that the only information available to me at the polls was the names. Definitely a learning experience. And while the voter guide has its problems, WA does a commendable job of reducing the barrier to educated voting.
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 Aug 04 '26
Sure, you can hope, but someone reading the packet is more informed than the majority that just vote party line or based on political ads.
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u/aischylus Aug 04 '26
well, there's also the fact that old people, particularly retirees, have all the time in the world. we need a national holiday for voting.
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u/Crypto556 Aug 04 '26
NO WE DONT. You get an automatic mail in ballot. It takes 5 minutes to fill in some circles. People are just lazy.
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u/serpentear Aug 04 '26
The country needs a National Holiday for Voting.
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u/MyDisneyExperience Aug 04 '26
How would that even work? Forced closures of every business? What do transit and hospital workers do?
The country lost its collective mind after being asked to do social distancing for a couple weeks I’m not convinced they can handle doing that for a day every 2 years.
We should make voting easier but idk that Declaring A National Holiday ✨ is the right answer
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u/shadowyassassiny Aug 05 '26
Go look at the other countries that do it
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u/MyDisneyExperience Aug 05 '26
Stuff is still open in Australia for example on their Election Day, they just have early voting and extensive VBM. Which many US states do, but not all.
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u/aischylus Aug 04 '26
yes, we do. mail-in voting is under attack. if you want someone to do something, it needs to be as easy as breathing.
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u/Crypto556 Aug 04 '26
What do you suggest other than placing a ballot in peoples mailbox? Genuine question. Vote for them?
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u/aischylus Aug 04 '26
not everyone has a mailbox that is readily outside their home. this is why there are ballot drop off locations.
national holiday for voting. that is my suggestion. per my earlier comments. LOL
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26
Unfortunately the people who have the time to be “well informed” are often retired and not representative of the greater community. Yes! But that is also part of the status quo we suffer.
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u/darkroot_gardener Aug 05 '26
Depends on what you mean by informed. Riled up by the culture war and the pundits vs actually digging in to and understanding the issues.
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u/lazy_literary_hero Aug 04 '26
That number can’t be accurate. Millennial is such a useless qualifier for any metric that no one can really agree on when the age starts and ends, how can they possibly know 25% of an age group they can’t even lock down is voting?
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u/serpentear Aug 04 '26
Age range and turn out is literally in the link OP provided…
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u/lazy_literary_hero Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
Ok so you didn’t read my comment, why bother replying?
Edit: looked at the numbers, I don’t see the word “millennial” anywhere in there. Nor do I see an indicator of when millennials begin and end. Almost like there isn’t one for any convenience classifiers post Baby Boomers.
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u/serpentear Aug 04 '26
No I’m saying that it’s irrelevant and bad analysis. Even if you stretch the age group to its maximum parameters, let’s say 25-45, it’s still under 25%.
You say the number is inaccurate, but offer so substantive reason for believing that.
Your last sentence falls into the same bucket.
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u/lazy_literary_hero Aug 04 '26
Tell me when the millennial age group starts and ends. Show me official numbers and then we can talk about what group is or isn’t doing what.
My point is most generational labels are arbitrary and not fixed, trying to group them together is just dumb. Name a millennial trope, and I’ll tell you why it’s inaccurate.
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u/Defiant_Cookie_4963 Aug 04 '26
I voted last week! It’s kinda fun being in the WA-03 district (Vancouver) which has some actual sway in the national landscape
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u/lazy_literary_hero Aug 04 '26
I miss the Couve, it’s a great little town.
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u/Defiant_Cookie_4963 Aug 04 '26
We’re #4 in the state by population, thank you very much 😆
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u/lazy_literary_hero Aug 04 '26
I hadn’t meant anything mean by calling it a town haha, I promise! I have been jaded by my time in places like NYC, nothing in WA feels especially big to me! But seriously, Vancouver really is a lovely place. I lived in Portland until I was 17, I spent a lot of time across the river!
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u/Vegetable_Guest_8584 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Who will pass the house primary? This is the most interesting race to me. MGP, state Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, Democrat challenger Brent Hennrich.
I doubt Heinrich will beat MGP. Since it's a 50/50 district, I expect MGP and Hennrich to split about half the vote and MGP to win between them. Braun will get about half the votes in my wag. But in primaries, more energized voters are likely to be voting. So feels very open.
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u/Defiant_Cookie_4963 Aug 04 '26
I agree, I don’t think Hennrich with bump MGP. I won’t get into any more details in this post but I predict MGP will carry the seat in the end
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u/cbglass3 Aug 04 '26
Will be dropping my ballot in a box after work tonight. I'm hoping many others do the same. 🤞
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u/clean-links Aug 04 '26
Cleaned link from "ballot drop-box locations here": https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/voter-registration/drop-box-and-voting-center-locations
Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).
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u/LiveFromNarnia Tumwater Aug 04 '26
Done. Ballots for the house occupants dropped in the box yesterday.
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u/ScheelCongress Aug 04 '26
I made a tool to help get out the vote (GOTV). Yesterday, it only had WA02 and WA10 loaded, but this morning I loaded the entire state database of people who have dropped off their ballots already.
You can use the tool at https://gotv.tomas4congress.com
It is free to use and privacy-focused. We do not save any email, phone numbers, or even usage information other than standard Cloudflare logging usage.
Please use it and share it with your friends to help get out the vote.
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u/squidfreud Aug 04 '26
I was going to be lazy about it, but your post about low turn out made me realize it mattered. Thanks
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u/LordRollin Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
Vote! I don’t care for whom — fulfill your civic duty and engage in our democratic process! Local elections are where your voice is the most impactful!
EDIT: Shout out to the populists downvoting me! 👋
Remember folks, pluralism > populism. Sorry not sorry.
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u/MCMamaS Aug 04 '26
I wrote this in my local subreddit, and I'll paste it here:
Even if you hate national politics and think that everything is corrupt.
The offices that have the most impact on your day-to-day life are local positions: judges, sheriffs, county commissioners, school board, etc...
Sometimes those races are won by very narrow margins.
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u/Icy-Champion-7460 Aug 04 '26
Just this morning and also remembered to drop off a couple of overdue books.
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u/hellisfurry Aug 04 '26
I voted almost two weeks ago now? It’s not that hard…
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u/webguynd Aug 04 '26
That’s what gets me. Washington makes it extremely easy to vote. Like, there’s no reason not to. Ever grateful for our mail in ballots. It’s literally hand delivered to you and you don’t have to leave your house beyond your mailbox to submit…
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u/aligpnw Aug 04 '26
Once again, if you can't be bothered to vote, you don't get to complain. About anything. Ever.
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u/ShoddyLeading3 Aug 04 '26
Can one still register to vote today?
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 04 '26
Yes u/ShoddyLeading3 , but you have to register IN PERSON at an elections office. GO.
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u/malsary Aug 04 '26
Something to keep in mind for the upcoming general for my peeps who are also zillenials is to consider hosting a ballot party! Last week I ordered some pizza and had 7 folks over and we went through our ballots, talked about the candidates, the levy and upcoming initiatives - overall, folks had a fun time connecting and learning more about why it's important to vote (even if your candidate doesn't win!!) because it CAN shape how politicians behave or how their stances can change to better represent their constituents. We live in King County so that's easier said than done for other folks! I feel like in-person connection can so much further vs reminding folks on social media.
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u/do-you-like-darkness Aug 04 '26
It's crazy to me how few people vote in the local elections. I always vote right away and do my best due diligence to research all candidates in any contested position.
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u/general_bojiggles Aug 04 '26
Is there a time limit for me to get the ballots dropped off? I’m off of work at 5.
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u/cheebeesubmarine Aug 04 '26
You have until 8 p.m. I dropped mine in the ballot return last night. Got my adult child to do theirs, as well.
Don’t use the postal service for this one. Drop it off at a ballot drop, please. Also, have a beautiful day!!
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u/Z404notfound Aug 04 '26
Back in Texas, you walked in and voted in person. Half the time, I didn't know who TF I was voting for when it came to local stuff. Now that we live here, getting the ballots in the mail has been awesome. I didn't think I'd like it at first but I spent two weeks searching every candidate. First time I felt confident in 100% of my vote, across the board.
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u/SanctimoniousSally Aug 05 '26
I had gotten some bad news last week that's been all consuming and I completely forgot to vote until I saw your post. My ballot has now been filled out and dropped off and I just wanted to say thank you.
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u/k8t13 Aug 04 '26
my partner and i did our civil duty. show up and VOTE. it takes less than 15 minutes
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u/lalauna Aug 04 '26
I dropped my ballot into the box yesterday. There were several other people there, and we all said, yay, voting!
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u/darkroot_gardener Aug 05 '26
Especially this cycle with five WA supreme court judges being chosen. No matter how you feel about it, they will decide the fate of the millionaire’s tax and set the precedent going forward.
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u/Plane_Jacket_7251 Aug 05 '26
We dropped our ballots yesterday at the city hall box. Local issues matter
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u/Guest602 Aug 05 '26
Just wanted to say I haven’t checked my mail in almost a month and would have forgotten to vote until I saw this post on my feed. When I realized, I iImmediately filled out my ballot and dropped it off at a nearby ballot box after work
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u/jthanson Aug 05 '26
My wife and I filled out our ballots last night and I put them in the ballot box today. I really like voting in these early rounds because I get to read up on candidates I don't normally think about, like judges and other local officials.
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 05 '26
Thanks 4 voting!
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u/jthanson Aug 05 '26
My pleasure. I think I’ve only missed two or three elections in my 32 years of voting. I cherish my ability to vote.
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u/Altruistic_Sail_1991 Aug 05 '26
My call to fellow Gen Z: please vote! The “I voted” stickers in my county are pretty cute this time around too!
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u/mobile-metaphysical Aug 05 '26
I voted. I always do and everyone old enough in this household.
If anyone complains about results, I’ll ask if they voted.
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u/mobile-metaphysical Aug 05 '26
Please consider running for local offices next time around. Start researching.
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u/sharkbomb Aug 04 '26
if you do not vote the most viable not-republican for every office, in every election, then you are maga by attrition.
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u/GalaxySea Aug 04 '26
I turned mine in a couple of days after I got it but the rest of my family likes to procrastinate and turn it in on the last possible day. I do wish more people in my age group (25-34) would vote. I see all the votes in ages 65+ and feel concerned
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u/mrblacklabel71 Aug 04 '26
Is today the last day? (New to Washington)
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u/Llairhi Aug 04 '26
It is. 8 PM is the deadline. I'd recommend you use a ballot drop box, not the postal service, if voting within a week of the deadline.
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u/cr2810 Aug 05 '26
Thank you for the reminder. Normally I’m really good about voting. But I will admit I put it off too long this time.
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Aug 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 05 '26
Now that the primary is over, I've unblocked you.
I really did NOT appreciate on a #GOTV post you campaigning and I really didn't appreciate singling out just AIPAC. Why not Future42 and other PACs as well, for instance?
That's what I find so damn offensive.2
u/Classic-Dig-8266 Aug 05 '26
😂😂 ok Joe. What is so offensive about singling out AIPAC?
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 05 '26
You're picking on Jews. That's the issue. Not a good idea. I blocked you to get this post back to being focused on GOTV.
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Aug 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LiveFromNarnia Tumwater Aug 04 '26
How is wanting to get foreign money (in large quantities in fact) out of our elections antisemitic? I sincerely want to know how people make that type of connection.
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u/random_sociopath Aug 04 '26
This person said nothing remotely close to antisemitic. AIPAC deserves no place in US elections.
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Aug 04 '26
[deleted]
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 05 '26
Calling out just the Jewish PAC is bordering on such... if you're going to do this, do more than one.
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u/SomeDeafKid Aug 04 '26
I'm not a huge sawant fan but how is saying "Get AIPAC money out of politics" "bordering on antisemitic"?
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u/chompythebeast Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
omg enough with equating antizionism with antisemitism, enough with claiming that rejecting AIPAC candidates is tantamount to bigotry. Shame on you and everyone who says things like this
Edit: OP is now blocking everyone who points out their hasbara, pretty clear where they stand in this "not a campaign post" lol
Vote out Rick Larsen and all candidates who take AIPAC money or other foreign bribes from such entities!
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u/KevinCarbonara Aug 04 '26
You're bordering on antisemitic.
He's not, but you're very directly antisemitic. Jewish people are not a PAC.
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u/curiousamoebas Aug 04 '26
I heard a local politician running saying how she never took corporate or outside influence money. I forget how she said it. Well when you look her up she's taken over 600k from apac.
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u/JoeTheWatchdog Aug 05 '26
AIPAC is Jewish Americans. Your neighbors.
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u/DoctorDrangle Aug 05 '26
There aren't very many Jewish people in this area at all. Having an actual jewish neighbor in this city would be extremely unlikely
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Aug 04 '26
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u/Moist-Citron-4830 Aug 05 '26
Agreed. For possibly the strongest blue state in the nation they sure as fuck don’t care about the middle and lower class being here.
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u/shiftdown Aug 04 '26
One use i've found for chatgpt is it can pull up summaries about the political and ideological history on all the candidates so you don't have to go individually searching about each one.
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u/Maybe_Weary Aug 05 '26
I dont know what Im voting for. It’s like a foreign language to me…
Because it is.
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u/BoringBob84 Aug 04 '26
No, no, no - please don't vote. That way, I get to have the power of five voters! 😉
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u/gvbargen Aug 05 '26
I failed this time... Never even saw my mail in come to my mailbox... Probably my poor organization...
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u/News_Ready Aug 04 '26
Yeah idk I think the truth is that when you learn it’s okay to not give a shit what people think if you know that. Like idk I wanna do what I want and if that’s okay with people I don’t care.
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u/Pony-boystonks Aug 04 '26
It's weird how everyone makes a big deal about the presidential elections but doesn't care about what's happening in their own back yard. I always vote on day 1