The truth is the truth with regards to them not caring about voters. Not at all. But I think that most people in the US don’t really understand how parties work. Like large amounts of people register to vote under a party and may think of themselves as being under that banner. But they never actually join the parties in any official manner outside of voter registration. To my knowledge both main parties did used to do their primaries based on actual membership beyond just simple voter registration, or at least only people that represented various locations as party members. So most regular people really only got to vote in the main elections.
I think the main misunderstanding comes from the two main options allowing for “open primaries” in order to at least seem like these primaries matter. At any time both of the parties can just throw out the public results and re-do them closed and in private with just real members. Of course along with managing to be super bipartisan in making random rules/laws that set very high bars for being a recognized party at all for any level of ballot access. The average Democratic or Republican voters haven’t ever signed a membership card or pays dues (and not simply random donations). Which might also be one of the many reasons that these parties are just able to do whatever they want. As it isn’t like most people will ever attend meetings and vote at said meetings. The only voting that people think matters is the major elections. Hell, I think that people like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy did more actual shit for their local chapters. All because they actually joined at those levels. That should be massively embarrassing to anyone that vote shames third party voters, but never try to materially do anything about their claimed party.
If most people really cared about doing literally anything other than vote shame people for bothering to vote for shit they care about. Then they would first actually go out and officially join their registered party. Attend actual meetings and actively participate in that district’s/county/town level’s shit including speaking up with concerns, asking real questions, build up blocs/solidarity with others on specific demands (and be ready to withhold support of said local level party as a group), and voting at said meetings. We just let these bought and paid for elites that will never care about anything other than those that bought them if the actual base/members aren’t ever going to do anything. And why would they? They just get to rule from the top-down and keep doing everything but care about real fucking people.
Like large amounts of people register to vote under a party and may think of themselves as being under that banner. But they never actually join the parties in any official manner outside of voter registration.
This is one of the weirdest things about US elections I don’t think I’ll ever understand. You register that you’re going to vote for a particular party before you actually vote??!!
In the UK, it’s noones business who you vote, or intend to vote for, before or after an election.
Some organisations might carry out exit polls but no-ones under any obligation to provide any information, or even if they do, whether it’s truthful information.
You don’t have to register how you’ll vote, but in most states you have to register to say that you will vote. Depending on the state the rules are different. Sometimes you only have to register once per residence, sometimes you have to register for each election. And then there’s the whole “purging the voter rolls” silliness which some states use to try to exclude certain demographics from voting at all.
You have to be a registered Democrat/Republican to vote in their respective primaries, though, which is a little like registering how you’ll vote. It’s a pretty bizarre system, to say the least.
The truth is the truth with regards to them not caring about voters. Not at all. But I think that most people in the US don’t really understand how parties work. Like large amounts of people register to vote under a party and may think of themselves as being under that banner. But they never actually join the parties in any official manner outside of voter registration. To my knowledge both main parties did used to do their primaries based on actual membership beyond just simple voter registration, or at least only people that represented various locations as party members. So most regular people really only got to vote in the main elections.
I think the main misunderstanding comes from the two main options allowing for “open primaries” in order to at least seem like these primaries matter. At any time both of the parties can just throw out the public results and re-do them closed and in private with just real members. Of course along with managing to be super bipartisan in making random rules/laws that set very high bars for being a recognized party at all for any level of ballot access. The average Democratic or Republican voters haven’t ever signed a membership card or pays dues (and not simply random donations). Which might also be one of the many reasons that these parties are just able to do whatever they want. As it isn’t like most people will ever attend meetings and vote at said meetings. The only voting that people think matters is the major elections. Hell, I think that people like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy did more actual shit for their local chapters. All because they actually joined at those levels. That should be massively embarrassing to anyone that vote shames third party voters, but never try to materially do anything about their claimed party.
If most people really cared about doing literally anything other than vote shame people for bothering to vote for shit they care about. Then they would first actually go out and officially join their registered party. Attend actual meetings and actively participate in that district’s/county/town level’s shit including speaking up with concerns, asking real questions, build up blocs/solidarity with others on specific demands (and be ready to withhold support of said local level party as a group), and voting at said meetings. We just let these bought and paid for elites that will never care about anything other than those that bought them if the actual base/members aren’t ever going to do anything. And why would they? They just get to rule from the top-down and keep doing everything but care about real fucking people.
This is one of the weirdest things about US elections I don’t think I’ll ever understand. You register that you’re going to vote for a particular party before you actually vote??!!
In the UK, it’s noones business who you vote, or intend to vote for, before or after an election.
Some organisations might carry out exit polls but no-ones under any obligation to provide any information, or even if they do, whether it’s truthful information.
You don’t have to register how you’ll vote, but in most states you have to register to say that you will vote. Depending on the state the rules are different. Sometimes you only have to register once per residence, sometimes you have to register for each election. And then there’s the whole “purging the voter rolls” silliness which some states use to try to exclude certain demographics from voting at all.
You have to be a registered Democrat/Republican to vote in their respective primaries, though, which is a little like registering how you’ll vote. It’s a pretty bizarre system, to say the least.