BREAKING!!!!!!!
The straight party line vote in my home State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is an important tool of Democratic Party control — just check one box at the top and you’re done. That box almost always will be Democratic in the most Democratic state in the country.
It’s one of the reasons people like Congressman David Cicilline get elected and reelected even thought the state’s largest (and liberal) paper called him “untruthful” about Providence’s finances when he was Mayor.
Now Gov. Linc Chafee is seeking to do away with the party line vote, via ProJo:
Gov. Chafee supports efforts to eliminate the so-called “master lever” or straight party ticket voting option in Rhode Island.
In a statement Tuesday, he said the time has come for Rhode Island to join the majority of states that do not have the option, which allows voters to select all candidates from a political party with a single mark on the ballot.
“Any mechanism that contributes to voter confusion — and worse, voter disenfranchisement — should not be on the ballot,” said Chafee, an independent up for re-election in 2014.
Moderate Party founder Ken Block, one of Chafee’s rivals for governor in 2010, has been an outspoken advocate for ending the option.
In a statement, he said he was “thrilled” Chafee supports the cause. “This is an important electoral reform and the governor’s support is a crucial component to helping to end this harmful ballot device,” Block said.
I’m not holding my breath on this one, though. Democrats control the state, there’s no way they’re about to give up the “master lever.”
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
We had this in Illinois some years back. Eliminating it didn’t seem to change much in terms of party control.
Maybe the more intelligent parasites in RI realize something has to be done before the host dies. Whether they’ll convince the others is a separate question.
Democrats control the state, there’s no way they’re about to give up the “master lever.”
—————————————
Should that be “massa lever”…??? (Can I say that…???)
Doesn’t that “master” lever appear on all elections nationwide?
I cannot say for sure but it does here in Texas although I never use it.
If the public were not so dumbed down, it wouldn’t matter. That’s why I think that everyone who wishes to register to vote should have to provide valid ID and pass a basic civics test.
As for Chafee, he’s still a moron…
As a poll watcher in south Dallas, I’ve watched illiterate voters struggle to check that one “Straight D” box. And outside the polling place are paid Dems chanting “Vote straight D, all the way!”
Some of our voters are so uniformed, that I’d like to see not only straight party voting eliminated, but the removal of the “D” or “R” next to candidates names. At least then, a voter would have to work a little to familiarize themselves with the names of the actual candidates, and maybe learn something in the process.
I believe that there are only 16 states that have straight party voting, and it appears to benefit the Dems, but in Texas, Republicans are starting to close the gap. Repubs in Dallas, so as not to offend, encourage voters to “vote the whole ballot”, or “vote every race”, as they are notorious for cherry picking their way down a ballot and skipping races when they are unfamiliar with the candidate. I saw flyers that said “NOT voting for a Republican you don’t know, will get you a Democrat you don’t want.”
I’m all for anything that forces voters to become more informed, (or at least makes it harder for them to cheat.) A simple civics test before voting is fine by me. If you don’t know who our nation’s vice president is, you probably don’t need to be voting for sheriff.
If residents of RI had to THINK ABOUT and CHOOSE each person for whom they voted, their heads would explode.
How many fictional people are on the voter rolls, and who counts the votes? These are Democrats we are dealing with, and they abhor the concept of an honest vote, despite the Maskirova they use to cover it up.
Subotai Bahadur
Could it be that Hillary wasn’t the only one to suffer a concussion recently? Someone had better get this man a football helmet – you certainly don’t want him regaining his senselessness…
It’s things like this, at the state and local level, that are going to be the most helpful in pushing back big government abuses. I will cross my fingers and hope there is enough bipartisan support to carry the day.
Rhode Island is losing thinking adults at an alarming rate. Many appear to be heading west towards ‘flyover country’. Soon, only Unionist Democrats and professional politicians/criminals will be left to fight over the carcass. One can lobby for higher wages and the other can raise taxes to pay for the increased wages.
I wouldn’t get your britches in a bunch up over Gov. Chafee’s Support… Fact is this is purely self-serving. Chafee Ran as an Independent last go around, since then he’s found his progressive roots. If not offered a future post in the Obama Admin as Minister of “Can’t we all Just Git ALong” he may have another Party Epiphany and run as a Democrat. in 2014.. That’s when you’ll see his Buck-Eighty turnaround on the “Master-Lever”
The Dems love the straight party line vote, because it’s easier to train the homeless, the insane and the drunk to vote.
Straight ticket is a huge problem for our community, with it’s ability to create a great deal of mischief down ballot. In our community, this past election we had REPUBLICAN 29159 and DEMOCRAT 76642 straight ticket votes recorded. That played a significant role in our State Rep election: BARBARA CARRASCO REP 51043 and BETO OROURKE DEM 101403. While that was the race that got the attention, we had another race down ticket where the sitting judge was a Republican (well respected and highly thought of) who was opposed by a Democrat (an individual with significant and well known legal and ethics problems) – HICKS REP 57763 and AGUILAR DEM 105801. With a 3 to 1 disadvantage out of the starting block, it’s difficult to persuade good Republican candidates to even enter a race with the financial support and level of work required to make it a close race.