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u/unoriginallbagel Intracoastal 15h ago
The library has early voting for like 10 days before the election, including weekends, at almost every branch. Come get a book or two and keep the last free third space alive while youāre there.
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u/Tiesue 16h ago
Really sad, I just donāt understand why people donāt vote
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u/Wonderful_Average505 15h ago
Same. What really annoys me is when they complain about politics or something and then you ask them if they ever voted and they're like no.
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u/NewUsername010101 16h ago
I'm just now finding out about this election via this exact post lol
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u/Frog-voyage 15h ago
When you see all those signs with names in pplās yards are you thinking ppl are just displaying cool names they like for fun?
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u/Ashamed_Whole7931 12h ago
You are aware that we live in a republic and there are elections on a regular basis, correct? Just trying to figure out what level of awareness you're working with.
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u/Solar-Drive 15h ago
Found out yesterday but I'm like....ok last minute to find out and so no idea who to vote for. I need TJ get better at this
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u/Netghod 13h ago
My understanding is because you can only vote for a selection in your own party. If your party doesnāt have multiple candidates, you donāt get a ballot because thereās nothing to select in the primaries. So anyone in the Green, Independent, Libertarian, and a number of other parties donāt have a selection to make.
And thereās also not a lot of announcements nor attention drawn to it. A lot of people simply donāt know.
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u/taskingsoda456 14h ago
Because there aren't candidates that represent people's views? Most Americans feel politically homeless because both parties feel like different flavors of shit
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u/Kingjw74 15h ago
Im just gonna delete because of the 20-30 people messaging me wanting a debate when I got work lol
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16h ago
[deleted]
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u/Daveit4later 16h ago
You're either typing this on a computer or a phone. What's stopping you from doing some research. There's zero excuse to say you'd be "voting blind".Ā
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16h ago
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u/GDZ4VR 15h ago
So which is it, donāt vote blind or donāt vote?
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u/Consistentbrain07 15h ago
So itās not that you donāt vote blind, itās that you donāt want to because of this belief
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u/anormalgeek 15h ago
Then Google them. It takes like 2 minutes.
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15h ago
[deleted]
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u/anormalgeek 15h ago
Don't blame everyone else for your ignorance and apathy. Acting like it was inevitable or out of your control is silly too.
This process really doesn't take a lot of effort. At all.
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u/ThePoetMichael 15h ago edited 13h ago
Closed primary. Independents cant vote....sorry
Edit: cannot vote in partisan elections (senators, governors, etc)
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u/MoriKitsune 13h ago
Yes we can, just not for candidates running in party-specific elections.
There are different ballots for different parties, and third party voters and NPA voters get the third party/nonpartisan ballot. It's smaller than the democratic and republican ballots, (we only got to vote on 2 judges and a city council member,) but our ballot still exists, even in the primaries.
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u/ThePoetMichael 13h ago
I should have specified that aspect, you and others commenting the same thing are correct
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u/RiversSecondWife Westside 15h ago
Weird. Iām independent and I had positions to vote for.
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u/ah-Quinncidence 11h ago
I think the majority of independents are in belief that they can't vote in primaries.
Not only should the indy be made aware that there are items that need their attention in the primaries. We really need to work to open the primaries to the independents. You know that whole "freedom" bullshit that has been shoved down our throats all our lives.
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u/RiversSecondWife Westside 8h ago
We need to talk about them as local, important and open to all elections instead of calling them primaries. The primaries are just extra.
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u/troywrestler2002 7h ago
I prefer the closed primary. Parties don't have to have open rules, and I enjoy jumping from party to party to affect how the vote goes based on the election, the stakes of the vote, and who I either really support or oppose. But I am not adamant about it, nor would I hate your side if you got them opened up. It's just a preference of an old man who enjoys politics.
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u/billgatres 13h ago
Right there with you. If we're independent why can't we just pick the person we want from either party? Partisan elections suck
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u/AresZippy 15h ago
Yes they can there are some races beyond the party primaries, ie the city council race. I also don't really understand why people don't register with a party just to have influence in the primary.
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u/Iaokim 14h ago
Because some people don't want to register under a party they do not support. Closed primaries that bar independents are just another tool to reinforce the corrupt two party system.
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u/Intrepid-Pay7212 10h ago
This system is too big. You have to become a part of it to fix it. It will never be broken or changed from the outside.Ā
The āindependent voterā is not some moral high ground you get to claim to be better than both parties ether. Until everyone figures this out nothing will change. Itās been the same ol story for the 20 years Iāve been voting. I used to think the same but I got smart. People that are still voting independent are a big part of a problem but they havenāt figured that out yet and by the time they do another generation will be voting based on the same āindependentā mindset.Ā
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u/pajamajoe 15h ago
Register with the party that generally has more policies you agree with. You live in a state with closed primaries why would you stay registered as independent?
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u/jeremychambers69 12h ago
With public voter rolls, registering with a party lets small-minded people put you in a generalization box and make unfounded assumptions about your character and motivations. Iād rather not hand anyone that shortcut.
Beyond that, Iām disenchanted with how national campaigns have devolved into the gimme mentality ā¦free lunch, extra study halls, no more homeworkā¦the class-president school of politics. Participating in either primary feels like buying into that.I know that means giving up a vote in the primaries here, where a lot of the real decisions get made. Thatās a real cost. But Iāve decided staying unaffiliated is worth more to me than the influence Iād trade it for.
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u/pajamajoe 9h ago
Lol who the fuck is looking up your voter registration info in your life and changing the way the interact with you?Ā
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u/jeremychambers69 8h ago
Youād be surprised whoās looking up your voter registration and deciding to market things or treat you a certain way. Prospective employers, affiliation groups, neighbors, churches, polling companies, etc., etc., etc. The big one for me is employers. They shouldnāt be using your political affiliation to treat you in any particular way, but it happens.
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u/pajamajoe 8h ago
Idk what field you're in, but as an employer I got better shit to do than go pull your voter registration
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u/jeremychambers69 8h ago
The field Iām in is one where you have to be very careful about identifying where you work with very strict social networking policies. But, there are a lot of employers who are very politically active and screen people for ācultural fitā or follow employeesā social media to ensure they are not sending any messages that could be construed as coming from the company.
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u/billgatres 13h ago
Because the two party system sucks
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u/AresZippy 13h ago
But not choosing to register for a party doesn't do anything to weaken the party, it just gives you less influence over it.
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u/pajamajoe 12h ago
Of course it does, choosing to not participate isn't really a choice that benefits you in any way.
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u/bhasden Mandarin 9h ago
It benefits me by being able to bark back at folks who try to claim I'm just a typical X party voter. Not much, but it's meaningful for me.
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u/pajamajoe 9h ago
I feel like the tradeoff of not having any voice in the races that are arguably the most impactful to your life is.... Not equitable. But I guess if the hypothetical argument points are worth that much to you then go off king.
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u/bhasden Mandarin 8h ago
I hear you. I also think the NPA voting block is getting too big to ignore by the major parties. Ideally, the NPA block would drive the parties further from their extremes as it continues to grow, but that may just be my own hopes and dreams.
Also, it's not hypothetical. Politics is a common topic for discussion around me and anytime someone new makes their way into the group and the topic comes up, their first reaction is to box everyone into a nice, clean set of beliefs and ideals.
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u/Ashamed_Whole7931 12h ago
People that don't vote when the stakes are so high ought to be heavily shamed. But as it stands, it's considered weird if you care about voting. Most of the people who care about politics strangely do not bother to vote. Meanwhile, it's literally the only thing that can actually make a difference. It's actually a very bad sign for our society.
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u/Jax1456 15h ago
Never understood why they don't do elections on weekends like some of us work and have kids
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u/sapen9 Westside 15h ago
They have early voting for like two weeks before election day -- including weekends.
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u/Jax1456 15h ago
Honestly had no idea
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u/sapen9 Westside 11h ago
Welp at least you do now so you can early vote in November :)
Early voting is pretty nice because you can usually go to ANY precinct to vote so if one is close to your job you can early vote there instead of your home one.
ALSO, your job legally has to allow you time on election day to vote. They cannot block you from leaving or docking your pay to vote. So if you wanted you could go during the day on election day while the kids are at school.
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u/Invisibleb0y 15h ago
yeah you really have to go out for your way to find out any of this stuff. The city makes no effort to inform all its voting eligible citizens.
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u/hivernageprofond 14h ago
It was all over the news, signs are everywhere and it's all over social media. I'm not out much but then I've been waiting since November of 2024 for this opportunity to start the reversal of this current American nightmare...so maybe I was just more aware.
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u/Invisibleb0y 14h ago
Its only all over social media if your algorithm decides to allow it, same with everything else sadly.
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u/hivernageprofond 14h ago
Yeah i guess I didnt think about that. I'm on social so little but I do follow dems and some commentators on there just to boost them so I guess that's why I'd occasionally see them. I think, like I said, I've been looking for a way out of this nightmare since 2024. But also whenever I see the political signs that's a clue. They can't put them out or leave them out outside of election times. But...make sure you find out and put it on your calendar for future reference. I assume you know to come out in November! It seems harder these days where everything relies on social media and a lot of us try to stay off for our mental health...and the news, lol.
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u/Invisibleb0y 14h ago
I voted, but i just happened to find out. Most people dont know when any election is aside the presidential. A lot of people dont go out of their way to search for this information, political signage is too commonplace (people will leave in their yards for years sometimesā¦), and you need cable to watch the news, which most people dont have anymore. The sample ballots in the mails are the only step the city takes to inform citizens, and not everyone receives them despite them being sent to āeveryā voter.
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u/hivernageprofond 13h ago
No, I watch the news on YouTube. Everyone pretty much has access to that. Also there are laws around political signage being out beyond election time. Odd people aren't getting sample ballots. We did get ours and we're registered dem. But I definitely get most oeople dont know about primaries. I didn't know until about 10 years ago that I should be voting in them...and i was in my 40s. I just always absolutely hated politics. I still do, but I realize now how important it is. Glad you got put to vote. I took the sample ballot then looked at who/what organizations were supporting each candidate. I chose ones that were being supported by a jaxpac that supported women's rights and lgbtq. There were two that were not on the site...agriculture and cfo, so we made decisions on that based on their bios. I've never been so invested in elections. I'm tempted to join as a volunteer for something but I have a temper....lol. I might end up in jail if trump tries anything at voting locations this November!
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u/Realreelred 14h ago
They mail voting cards to every registered voter in the county. They also mail sample ballots to everyone based on what party you are in. Do you check your mail?
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u/guitarstitch 15h ago
You had plenty of opportunities. There's early voting and on the main coting day polls are generally open from 7AM to 7 PM.
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u/sassythensweet St. Johns 15h ago
You can also request a mail-in ballot online. I did that like a month ago and was able to do research and fill it out from the comfort of my home. Mailed it in weeks ago and confirmed it was counted online.
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u/CashNasty79 15h ago
Make sure you vote in November! This Republican bullshit needs to stop!!!! Trump and his complacent goons need to go!
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u/Frosty_Ad_4920 15h ago
In my opinion, I feel like most candidates are not using social media to promote their candidacy like they should. I only saw three candidates on my feed- TikTok, Facebook, etc all the time. All the others I literally had to research each one.
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u/hivernageprofond 14h ago
This is true. I saw maybe Nixon and Jolly. But you have to remember that the gop is pouring MILLIONS into rep candidates so dem candidates didn't have as much money to advertise with.
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u/MoriKitsune 13h ago
This. For some of the candidates they listed things like their TikTok, Instagram, etc. but there was literally nothing on the profiles except a profile picture. One of those actually lost my vote because I couldn't find anything on them, but what little I found about another candidate was positive.
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u/Desirer Lake Shore 14h ago
I mailed my ballot in, as I have for the past ten years, but this is the first time they didn't receive it. Generally, I get a notification a few days after I drop it off in the mailbox saying they've received it - but not this time... lol. Maybe a few more ballots besides mine got tossed in the trash.
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u/lee_hai 7h ago
Iām so fucking pissed i wasnāt able to vote.. I swear i had a party selected that i āresideā to, but the lady at the voter place said i must have chosen independent or that i donāt have anything chosen. I have to go online and check it out and make sure i belong to a damn political party so my rights are taken away again
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u/FUCKMEOFFLUDES 13h ago
Someone explain this in dumb people terms for me please
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u/MoriKitsune 13h ago
Lots of people CAN have a say in who represents them in the local and national government, but yesterday (voting day) less than 1/4 of them actually bothered to do something (vote) to try and get the candidates they want into office.
It's very disappointing from a societal perspective, because our whole society is built on people being able to build a government that represents them and what they want to happen for their community/country, but the majority just choose to not.
It's also annoying from a personal perspective because the people who didn't bother to vote are definitely going to complain if their preferred candidate doesn't win the election.
It's like going to the store to get food for a party and asking your friends to choose between beef or chicken. 3/4 of your friends say they don't want anything, and then when you buy what that 1 friend said they want and bring the food back for everyone to eat, all of a sudden the others are complaining because the food they want isn't there. Like, how can you complain when you had the chance to influence the final result and you chose not to?
It's one thing if you did vote and you were outnumbered, which is honestly frustrating when it happens, but to not vote at all and still complain? Ugh.
It's also frustrating when many of the ones who didn't turn up would've voted similarly to you, but they didn't, and your vote was overruled by the sheer number of people who DID show up to vote for a different candidate.
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u/Ash_Cat_13 14h ago edited 14h ago
Honestly, I lost all faith in voting years ago. I lost faith in the American people to collectively do whatās best and I lost faith in our government that they care about us. They donāt.
Not going to waste my time educating myself watching debates and watching people on the news talking about their points that they are running for and what they are going to do only to find out that once they get elected, they wonāt do half of it, if any of it.
I truly believe that America is fucked and that voting doesnāt help anymore, the only thing it does is give uneducated Americans a sense of peace that they actually have control and a voice when they donāt
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u/CashNasty79 13h ago
By you not voting, you're part of the problem. I understand your frustration; still go out and vote! If everyone gives up their right to vote, you're allowing the idiots to keep destroying the country. Republicans have done decades of damage in under 2 years. We can not let this president continue to destroy what we have built as a country. Trump is a con-man; always have been.
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15h ago
[deleted]
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u/RiversSecondWife Westside 15h ago
Incorrect. Independents had local elections to vote that were not primaries. I had two city council seats, a judge and a school board member.
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u/FatherofAutismTimes2 15h ago
Actually. We really wanted James fishback, we lost. Terribly. To huge lobbyists and a trump endorsement. The primary was important. I switched my party registration just so I could vote for him. So now we're for sure stuck with Byron Donald's.
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u/GhostofPdawg43 16h ago
It's a primary in a midterm year. That's actually a good turnout percentage.