Harris v Trump: the American presidential election (05 November 2024)

[Retro]

This is the most critically important presidential election in living memory and then some. The outcome will determine whether America remains the world's biggest and greatest democracy, or turns into an authoritarian banana republic / oppressive dictatorship, ruining the lives of millions and making the world a much more dangerous place for everyone. Sounds crazy, but unfortunately it's literally true so please vote for democracy.

Kamala Harris: democracy
Donald Trump: dictatorship




Where to watch TV coverage: everywhere
Where to vote: at your local election venue

Polling station times for each state:

State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2024)

Ballotpedia: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

ballotpedia.org

This thread overlaps with this long-running one about Trump. Feel free to post in either thread.

The Trump downfall thread

It's been a long time coming, far too long in fact; a whole lifetime, but it looks like the game will soon be up for Donald Trump. I think there's a decent chance that he'll go to prison and thus be out of the presidential race and the threat of actually becoming president again. I think there...

nerdzone.uk

 

[Retro]

This video is so apt for this coming election.

Why do major democracies like America and the UK still vote with paper ballots rather than online which would be so much quicker, easier and more efficient? After all, what could be simpler, easier and more secure than voting online? Find out in this entertaining video and you'll see that it's not such a simple problem to solve.

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[Astro What]

Why do major democracies like America and the UK still vote with paper ballots rather than online which would be so much quicker, easier and more efficient?

Two words.
Paper trail.

We all know that there is no such thing as a publicly accessible secure system. If it is open to public access, it is open to being hacked. It is why you find, here in the US, the electronic voting machines are not hooked to any network access. The vote tally machine may have a connection, but it is simply running a paper ballot through it and that paper ballot allows verification since it is maintained and associated with an electronic count record.

 

[Retro]

I don't know if you've actually seen the video yet, but yes, in a word it's all down to security and all the different ways that it can be compromised. I just didn't wanna give the punchline away in the post.

For example, one way to compromise it that the video described would be to unlock your iPhone with your face and then lend it to @Geffers to browse the internet for a bit who would surreptitiously vote Trump under your identity and then hand it back with his best innocent face on.

 

[Tiffany]

I'd prefer paper ballots rather than voting machines, however, even paper ballots have their issues unless the complete chain of protection secures those ballots at all times.

An interesting quote from Joseph Stalin.

Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything~ Joseph Stalin

In Texas, I've heard this past week, that there are different means of voting from paper to machines. I was surprised to hear that a Dallas voting center was using paper ballots and a box for the ballots.

 

[Astro What]

In Texas, I've heard this past week, that there are different means of voting from paper to machines. I was surprised to hear that a Dallas voting center was using paper ballots and a box for the ballots.

Our county uses machines.
But those machines generate a paper ballot that you can check. You then deposit that paper ballot in a scanner that counts those votes and then deposits that paper ballot into a locked box. As I mentioned, those generated paper ballots have your identifying information on them and can easily be cross-checked against the scanner generated results.
It is a proven fact that pure paper ballot and hand counts are less accurate than scanner generated totals. And of all the accusations of "fixing" there has been zero evidence of that occurring. In fact, it is EASIER to rig an election when using paper ballots.

 

[Tiffany]

Our county uses machines.

Our county uses machines too. I still double checked my ballot a number of times before I inserted in the machine.

 

[Retro]

Darn it people, wish I could vote and I'd love to vote Democrat. As it is, I have to settle for making noises on this forum lol.

 

[Retro]

I've updated the first post with info on polling station times for each state.

Here's some more general news about how the election works:

When is the US election and when will we know the result?

Yahoo News breaks down when the US election is happening, and when we're likely to know whether Harris or Trump has won.

uk.yahoo.com

 

[Astro What]

Our county uses machines too. I still double checked my ballot a number of times before I inserted in the machine.

As you should... and as the signs in our voting area advised voters to do.
We have used Dominion machines for years and I have never heard of votes being "suddenly" changed.
Even the one that the nut-case Greene was touting ended up being the voter making a mistake and not the machine.

The suddenly changing votes and such were just another fairy tale created by Trump and his sycophants to try to explain why he lost. We all know that Trump can never be a loser, his narcissism tells him he's the best at everything, and he can't be wrong.

 

[Retro]

heard of votes being "suddenly" changed.

If you remember, they sued someone for lying about this - and won.

 

[Tiffany]

Four more days to go! I'm ready for the news to change from polling data back to the news. Nah, that won't happen for a while. Tuesday nights outcome (or when there's a final decision) will dominate the news for a while. I'm just hoping there won't be anarchy.

 

[Astro What]

If you remember, they sued someone for lying about this - and won.

Dominion sued several folks/businesses about it and have usually ended up settling out of court because they realized that they had no ground to stand on. In fact, Dominion's lawsuit drove one right wing media company into bankruptcy.
Not only that, the lies have cost several attorneys representing Trump and his position their law licenses.
I love where Trump recently filed a 10 billion dollar suit against CBS. It won't go anywhere, and I think he filed it here in Texas. We have a SLAPP program in place (Texas Citizens Participation Act). I think that CBS would be covered under it and if so, it will be just one more expense that Trumpty Dumpty will have to be paying for letting his ego write the checks.

 

[Retro]

We know how the result of this election actually has a dual outcome in that it means lots of criminal court cases for Trump and likely jail time if he loses, but this refresher article is worth reading to remind us of the specifics.

Losing an election for the highest office is a crushing blow that no candidate forgets. But when the American electorate delivers its verdict next week, the personal stakes for Donald Trump will be uniquely high. His fate will hover between the presidency and the threat of prison.

If he claims victory, Trump will be the first convicted criminal to win the White House and gain access to the nuclear codes. If he falls short, the 78-year-old faces more humiliating courtroom trials and potentially even time behind bars. It would be the end of a charmed life in which he has somehow always managed to outrun the law and duck accountability.

For Trump, Tuesday is judgment day.

‘He could go to jail’: for Donald Trump, election day is also judgment day

Republican has thrown sand in the gears of the legal system and avoided his reckoning. If he fails on Tuesday, he faces more time in court – and even possibly behind bars

www.theguardian.com

 

[Retro]

This video is so apt for this coming election.

Why do major democracies like America and the UK still vote with paper ballots rather than online which would be so much quicker, easier and more efficient? After all, what could be simpler, easier and more secure than voting online? Find out in this entertaining video and you'll see that it's not such a simple problem to solve.

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@Geffers you'll like this one as it's informative on the technical details and has no party politics in it.

 

[Retro]

Been watching CNN for hours and while it's still neck and neck and no results have yet come in, the general consensus seems to be that Harris might just edge it. Fingers crossed.

 

[Retro]

CNN hasn't called it yet, but at 165 for Harris and 230 for Trump, it's looking very much like he's gonna win, especially as there aren't that many mail-in ballots to come in and it was such a large turnout. Absolutely horrible.

How this guy always beats the odds and gets away with everything especially with all the gaffs and bad things he promises, is beyond frustrating. There's going to be no justice with those criminal cases being dismissed and Ukraine is going to be done for among so many other bad things, especially with America getting turned into a fascist dictatorship. Just you watch NATO get seriously weakened and the Russia threat to Europe grow and grow.

Even the CNN presenters sound downbeat about it.

 

[Astro What]

We should all realize that the odds are Trump won't last the 4 years and will be forced out due to issues beyond his control. So you will have President Vance.

 

[Retro]

Yes, that mental decline is becoming quite pronounced already, so I think time might well nail him sooner than later. He can still do an awful lot of damage in the meantime and I reckon Ukraine has had it when he pulls support for it among all the other awful things.

Do you think Vance will be any better?

It's depressing how the result wasn't even close, nothing like how the polls suggested it would be. Right from the off he started pulling away and just kept running away with it.

I'll be blunt about it: regardless of how good Harris was and she was very good in my opinion, I think she faced an unbreakable glass ceiling here. I just don't think the electorate would have voted for a woman of colour, especially a mixed race one. Yes, it boils down to sexism and racism. Fucking ridiculous. I think she would have made a great president and the Trump nightmare would have finally been over, but now we'll never know. Instead, we've got a criminal and serial liar with bad intentions who will never face justice for his crimes.

 

[data66]

Vance will bring handmaid's tale to reality. He sucks. We now have a convicted felon as president. joy.

 

[Retro]

After the insanity of Americans voting for a second Trump term to ruin your day, what better than this new Kurzgesagt video about plans for the most insane atom bomb ever that was thankfully never built? Called Sundial, it would have been absolutely huge and would kill everything on earth no matter where it was located.

Enjoy your animated apocalypse here:

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[Retro]

So you will have President Vance.

Do you think Vance is better or worse than Trump?

I think he might actually be more dangerous as he's much more crafty and doesn't give away his intentions as much. He might be even more ruthless than Trump, too.

Notice how there's no more videos from BTC since his live feed ended. It was really clear to see just how upset he was about it. Can totally relate.

EDIT: scratch that, he's just finished another live feed.

 

[Astro What]

Do you think Vance is better or worse than Trump?

He has very little real world experience, so I am going to lean towards worse.
He is very easily guided by that ring in his nose.

 

[Retro]

Kamala's beautiful, uplifting concession speech showing us what could have been, which is so heartbreaking. It should be Trump making it, with all his hateful rhetoric for the last time, then fade into oblivion and ending up in prison for his crimes.

So, so dumb voting for him. Now we're all screwed and now the long fight, the long pushback against Trump's authoritarian tyranny begins. Never give up.

Bryan Tyler Cohen's version of it along with his commentary. Kamala's speech starts after about an hour.

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Just Kamala's speech.

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[Retro]

I shudder at the thought. Thankfully, it's very unlikely, but one can never say never with him, can they?

Can Donald Trump run for US president again in 2028?

Donald Trump has been re-elected but can he serve just one more term in the White House or two?

uk.news.yahoo.com