Mailboxes are also "randomly out on the road" and can "easily be tampered with or set on fire".

People can blow up a mailbox if they're really sufficiently motivated to do so. People can break open an ATM machine and steal money if they're really sufficiently motivated to do so. People can get a weapon and shoot you in the head if they're really sufficiently motivated to do so. If a crazy person is sufficiently motivated to do a crazy thing, then they can do so. That's not really a sufficient argument against civilization existing.

    Some very comparable examples you list there. Considering how divided the country is, talk of foreign interference and how the election could potentially be settled by tens of thousands of votes I would think they should be looking to make elections as secure as possible? Those are not general post boxes holding things like birthday cards and parcels are they? They only hold ballots

    DiabyKungFu That's not really a sufficient argument against civilization existing.

    So you are equating these mailboxes with civilisation?

        JazzG Considering how divided the country is, talk of foreign interference and how the election could potentially be settled by tens of thousands of votes I would think they should be looking to make elections as secure as possible?

        If the legislatures around the country worked to "make the elections as secure as possible", then those invested in the "America is bad" cottage industry would turn around and say "'Securing the election' is clearly a dog whistle for voter suppression. This is proof that America is a dystopian hellscape". Instead, the general direction of travel has been to bend over backwards to make voting as easy as possible and those in the "America is bad" cottage industry seem to want to say "Making voting easy enables bad actors to flourish. This is proof that America is a dystopian hellscape".

        Sometimes being restrictive is good. Sometimes being restrictive is bad. Each situation needs to be analyzed on its own merits. However, you're not going to get me to believe that "having mailboxes" is some crazy, radical, democracy destabilizing concept. You've clearly worked backwards from "America is bad" to reach that conclusion.

            JazzG we don't have those in AU either. electoral drop boxes still seem to be a point of contention over there as well, i don't think all states have them. on the flipside, from reading about USPS, they don't play around wirh this stuff. if you're caught tampering with standard mail - let alone ballot boxes - they have a highly responsive and well resourced security arm that will wreck your shit expeditiously. the republican who set fire to the ballot box in washington was caught within like 24-48 hours, and remedial measures put in place for the damaged ballots.

                Dunno about the real impact of having postal votes made by public mailbox labelled in such a manner, but I do think the way the US does elections is procedurally stupid.

                The variable use among states of ballot-marking devices and voting machines is one example of this.

                That the powers of the Federal Election Commission don't extend to consistent nationwide electoral administration and that this is managed by officials and agencies in each state is another.

                These things hardly determine the presence or absence of civilisation but, as with many aspects of US parliamentary democracy—some more of which we're quite likely to see if this poll results in further constitutional shenanigans—it's pretty far from perfect.

                Even though for every US presidential election since 2000 there's been non-stop hand-wringing about irregularities both during the primaries and in November, pundits across the spectrum will still turn out to shed a single tear and expatiate about the United States' glorious democracy …

                DiabyKungFu However, you're not going to get me to believe that "having mailboxes" is some crazy, radical, democracy destabilizing concept. You've clearly worked backwards from "America is bad" to reach that conclusion.

                Again where did say that democracy destabilizing concept, I just think it is a bad idea. I agree voting should be made as easy as possible, you could have online voting and make it even easier but there is a reason that isn't allowed.

                Not sure what makes you think I clearly think America is bad? I'm just talking about these ballot boxes...

                Gazza M we don't have those in AU either. electoral drop boxes still seem to be a point of contention over there as well, i don't think all states have them. on the flipside, from reading about USPS, they don't play around wirh this stuff. if you're caught tampering with standard mail - let alone ballot boxes - they have a highly responsive and well resourced security arm that will wreck your shit expeditiously. the republican who set fire to the ballot box in washington was caught within like 24-48 hours, and remedial measures put in place for the damaged ballots.

                Interesting and good they clamp down hard if someone does try to fuck around with them.

                    From what I've seen Trump/Musk are trying to tell everyone how terrible mail-in ballots are because they know that many eligible voters don't have ID and wouldn't vote if the rules were changed (which would benefit Trump). All this despite the evidence of voting fraud being entirely insignificant. They're basically telling their supporters that any person could just put their name in there a million times when it obviously doesn't work that way.

                    Note that they're not at all focused on providing free IDs for all eligible voters. because the entire point is voter suppression.

                      Qwiss makes for better selfies.

                      Are you trying to suggest we don't we all go dressed up in our best clothes to vote? 😉

                      QuincyAbeyie Note that they're not at all focused on providing free IDs for all eligible voters. because the entire point is voter suppression.

                      I agree with the providing free ID point, there are pros and cons if you want to mandate ID for voting but you need to then add that if you don't have a valid form of ID then the government should be providing it for free.

                          plouffe is the guy that helped obama win, and is a senior adviser to the harris campaign. quiet confidence seems to building on the dem side based on the early vote data in the swing states. that MSG stunt may have actually been an inflection point.

                          those fugazi betting odds on polymarket have also swung drastically in the last 48 hours, which has caused an amusing meltdown on X.

                          this is a horror poll for trump. this is a very highly regarded pollster that works specifically in Iowa. kamala should not be ahead in this poll. the fact she is indicates the sentiment across the midwest has heavily shifted towards democrats. the demographics in Iowa are fairly reflective in places like PA, MI and WI

                          I hope it's a historic ass whooping tbh.

                            kamala telling them MAGAts "respect my mind or get your brains knocked out."

                            Gazza M I hope it's a historic ass whooping tbh

                            Honestly it needs to be to put this era behind us

                              I’m still scared he might win. The era won’t be behind us even if he loses though. Trump is not the cause, he is a symptom. If you have a country divided by two groups of extremists while the centre keeps churning out average candidates, this is what you will continue to get.

                                Probably more than two, but yes. Unless you're one of those people who believes that as long as you're left wing, you can never be extreme enough. The forum has a couple of those.

                                  Gurgen do you think the Democrats are left wing extremists, or am I misunderstanding? The way I see it, their only options are a right wing extremist and a centre, maybe centre-left candidate. That's the two groups.