Re: OT Politics Re: Three Body Problem

On Sat, 31 Aug 2024 23:36:50 -0700, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
wrote:

On Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:50:10 -0400, William Hyde
<wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
>

Once I realized that in some states people can vote in the primary of
the other party (Nixon encouraged republicans to vote in democratic
primaries for McGovern), I lost all confidence in the primary system.
>
Mind you, our method of selecting potential members of parliament is
even worse.

>
How so? In Canada you actually have to join the party of your choice
in order to vote in what in the US would be a primary.
>
In my own case while a party member I voted for a candidate I will not
be voting for in the general election.
>
This may sound strange but the party I support is busy choosing
candidates for the next federal election since we have a minority
government in parliament and that creates an incentive for parties to
nominate their local candidates early. Unfortunately for me Canada
redistributes its seat boundaries every 10 years and in our area I
live 3 blocks east of the new riding boundary - so when the election
comes, I'll be voting in the neighboring boundary.
>
I expect a Canadian to understand how this could happen (but
realistically many Americans may be confused as hell). I'm annoyed (as
my neighborhood has been in the same riding since before I was born
but that's how the redistribution process (which happens every 10
years 2 or 3 years after the decennial census) works.

We do much the same in the USA.

The effects of the 2020 Census on elections are still being felt --
nay, in some cases, still being /litigated/. Which may not change
things this year, but which means that the /next/ election may, in
some States, use different boundaries. Since that will be in 2026,
more than half-way to the next Census, this is getting embarassing.

And there's already been at least one instance of the newest new
change not making it down far enough to prevent some voters from
voting in the /wrong/ district (Congressional or Legislative,
depending on the level).

Imagine if you found yourself voting for the same person anyway
because the change hadn't filtered down far enough to affect your
ballot.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"