The Election Weekend Discussion Thread

[Gabu]

Gabu, if you're registered in Washington, are you going to vote?

I would, but my registration was not in time for the August 11 deadline for this current election.

[Platypus]

This is why we need to list every preference. When will the commission be reporting their findings?

[JohnFKennedy]

On a somewhat related note, who the hell is Tomato Soup?

You know your typical member who posts maybe one or two times before an election and you never see them again until voting begins. I can't stand that stuff.

He's been away for a week and much of the summer. He got back yesterday. I know this because he is my neighbor, who like me is intersted in politics. True, he hasn't been very active in the forum recently, but there was a time when he was.

Ha, I knew you guys had to know each other because so convientley for Akno this vote just pops out of no where. Just like last election.

It doesn't pop out of nowhere. He has made 43 posts, only 2 have been votes. That means he has made over 40 non-vote related posts.

No Akno. The point is last time he voted in the special. Before that vote he hadn't posted in a month. Now he votes and he has only posted twice since the special election. It's very obvious that you told him about this election and requested a vote since he just happens to show up everytime you are running for something.

The Special Election started on July 23. TomatoSoup registered on June 23. When you say "Before that he hadn't posted in a month"

He registered June 23rd. The next time he posted was the election on July 25th (he posted a couple times that day. Two or three times and then his vote). That would be about a month. So explain to me how that's a lie?

I'm sorry alittle error. Tomato Soup most recent post before July 25th was June 29th (still a month so I don't see how it's a lie)

June 29th to July 25th is not a month. Close, but not a month. Basically, TomatoSoup had a period of intense activity, that time is gone now. He still participates, however. As I said before, it is possible he has been on vacation.

Oh don't give me that, Akno. It's not a month, I know, but he is absent for the longest time and then just so happens to show up to vote in your elections. Hmmmm you guys are neighbors right? Coincidence that he shows up and votes for you and disappears? So let me get this straight about the vacation theory...he joins, goes on vacation and the vacation happens to end when you are running. Then he goes on another month long vacation and comes back just in time to vote for you and others. Hmmm...am I the only one not believing that?

Keystone Phil, I think you operate under the assumption that everyone who posts here is totally committed to politics, that it consumes their life, and that they stop by here every day to post.  

Na this is what I think, Akno. That your pal stops by, not caring about the forum at all, and gives a vote to you. It annoys other people, too Akno, when they disappear from the forum and happen to stop by just to vote for certain people. You even admitted he was your neighbor so you obviously filled him in on the election and told him to stop by for a vote. This forum is not meant for people to join, vanish, and then come back to help theirs personal pals win elections, Akno.

He cares about the forum. He has made over 40 intelligent posts that demonstrate a knowledge of politics. Since that point, he has not been on the forum very often, but many people stop posting regularly on the forum and then come back. I did not refer the Atlas Forum to TomatoSoup for the purpose of having him vote for me. I refered it to him because since I know him, and since I know he is intersted in politics, I thought he might enjoy it.

Point is: He joins, disappears, then comes back and votes for you. And don't tell us you don't tell him when an election roles around and you need a vote because that's just ridiculous. Anyway, I'm done arguing this. But I do believe it is unfortunate that we have members who just vanish and then want to play a part in deciding who we elect.

Sorry to dig this up, but Phil, can you honestly say that you haven't asked someone to go and vote on aim or e-mailed someone to remind them to vote? If Akno reminded him to vote that is exactly what he did, it is called "getting out the vote".

[minionofmidas]

I only voted for senate. I will wait a bit before voting for Pacific stuff.

Gabu, if you're registered in Washington, are you going to vote? You should vote for Seattle for capital.

Wildcard is winning 8-1...But I haven't voted yet. Neither has Freedomburns or platy-whatever.

Playpean Archcow has not posted since August 3rd.

Indeed. A very worrying fact. I hope he'll come back...

[minionofmidas]

Reignman voted for Platy who hasn't been on for three weeks but against me! What have I done to deserve this?

[Akno21]

NixonNow's vote for Reagan117 will be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER in district 2A.  I think the intent of the voter was clear in this case.  His vote for Keystone Phil will not be counted, however, as he does not reside in that district.

These are the decisions of the Secretary of Forum Affairs on these matters.  Disagreements may be addressed to the Supreme Court.

How do I register a disagreement with the Supreme Court?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

This is why we need to list every preference. When will the commission be reporting their findings?

I have published a short paragraph on the recent elections. Suffice to say the current electoral system is not working well and I will certainly be recommending drastic changes.

[KEmperor]

Reignman voted for Platy who hasn't been on for three weeks but against me! What have I done to deserve this?

Since Reignman knows nothing of fantasy politics, my assumption is that he voted based on avatar color.  He voted for the red avatars.

[KEmperor]

NixonNow's vote for Reagan117 will be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER in district 2A.  I think the intent of the voter was clear in this case.  His vote for Keystone Phil will not be counted, however, as he does not reside in that district.

These are the decisions of the Secretary of Forum Affairs on these matters.  Disagreements may be addressed to the Supreme Court.

How do I register a disagreement with the Supreme Court?

You may send an e-mail to the Chief Justice(me) explaining your issue and giving your reasoning.  I will take the appropriate steps from there.

[Keystone Phil]

On a somewhat related note, who the hell is Tomato Soup?

You know your typical member who posts maybe one or two times before an election and you never see them again until voting begins. I can't stand that stuff.

He's been away for a week and much of the summer. He got back yesterday. I know this because he is my neighbor, who like me is intersted in politics. True, he hasn't been very active in the forum recently, but there was a time when he was.

Ha, I knew you guys had to know each other because so convientley for Akno this vote just pops out of no where. Just like last election.

It doesn't pop out of nowhere. He has made 43 posts, only 2 have been votes. That means he has made over 40 non-vote related posts.

No Akno. The point is last time he voted in the special. Before that vote he hadn't posted in a month. Now he votes and he has only posted twice since the special election. It's very obvious that you told him about this election and requested a vote since he just happens to show up everytime you are running for something.

The Special Election started on July 23. TomatoSoup registered on June 23. When you say "Before that he hadn't posted in a month"

He registered June 23rd. The next time he posted was the election on July 25th (he posted a couple times that day. Two or three times and then his vote). That would be about a month. So explain to me how that's a lie?

I'm sorry alittle error. Tomato Soup most recent post before July 25th was June 29th (still a month so I don't see how it's a lie)

June 29th to July 25th is not a month. Close, but not a month. Basically, TomatoSoup had a period of intense activity, that time is gone now. He still participates, however. As I said before, it is possible he has been on vacation.

Oh don't give me that, Akno. It's not a month, I know, but he is absent for the longest time and then just so happens to show up to vote in your elections. Hmmmm you guys are neighbors right? Coincidence that he shows up and votes for you and disappears? So let me get this straight about the vacation theory...he joins, goes on vacation and the vacation happens to end when you are running. Then he goes on another month long vacation and comes back just in time to vote for you and others. Hmmm...am I the only one not believing that?

Keystone Phil, I think you operate under the assumption that everyone who posts here is totally committed to politics, that it consumes their life, and that they stop by here every day to post.  

Na this is what I think, Akno. That your pal stops by, not caring about the forum at all, and gives a vote to you. It annoys other people, too Akno, when they disappear from the forum and happen to stop by just to vote for certain people. You even admitted he was your neighbor so you obviously filled him in on the election and told him to stop by for a vote. This forum is not meant for people to join, vanish, and then come back to help theirs personal pals win elections, Akno.

He cares about the forum. He has made over 40 intelligent posts that demonstrate a knowledge of politics. Since that point, he has not been on the forum very often, but many people stop posting regularly on the forum and then come back. I did not refer the Atlas Forum to TomatoSoup for the purpose of having him vote for me. I refered it to him because since I know him, and since I know he is intersted in politics, I thought he might enjoy it.

Point is: He joins, disappears, then comes back and votes for you. And don't tell us you don't tell him when an election roles around and you need a vote because that's just ridiculous. Anyway, I'm done arguing this. But I do believe it is unfortunate that we have members who just vanish and then want to play a part in deciding who we elect.

Sorry to dig this up, but Phil, can you honestly say that you haven't asked someone to go and vote on aim or e-mailed someone to remind them to vote? If Akno reminded him to vote that is exactly what he did, it is called "getting out the vote".

Yeah I have asked for votes over AIM and email but I ask for votes from people that are actually active on the forum. I don't play this game were someone vanishes and then I ask them to come back and vote.

[Keystone Phil]

Phil, you can argue this all you like, but TomatoSoup is a valid, registered voter.  

I'm not arguing that the vote is not valid. What I'm saying is that what is happening with these out-of-no-where votes is ridiculous. I don't know about you but I don't like when someone totally disappears and then happens to re-appear to vote for his pal. Sure it's allowed but it's annoying.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Phil, you can argue this all you like, but TomatoSoup is a valid, registered voter.  

I'm not arguing that the vote is not valid. What I'm saying is that what is happening with these out-of-no-where votes is ridiculous. I don't know about you but I don't like when someone totally disappears and then happens to re-appear to vote for his pal. Sure it's allowed but it's annoying.

It's also ridiculous to vote for trolls

[Keystone Phil]

Phil, you can argue this all you like, but TomatoSoup is a valid, registered voter.  

I'm not arguing that the vote is not valid. What I'm saying is that what is happening with these out-of-no-where votes is ridiculous. I don't know about you but I don't like when someone totally disappears and then happens to re-appear to vote for his pal. Sure it's allowed but it's annoying.

It's also ridiculous to vote for trolls

I agree but RReagan4EVER is not a troll.

[Keystone Phil]

At this point, it looks like Governor Htmldon will easily win re-election. The vote is now 6-2 in the Governor's favor.

[Niles Caulder]

Phil, you can argue this all you like, but TomatoSoup is a valid, registered voter.  As Akno pointed out, voter registration does become invalidated after 4 months, if a vote is not cast.  We have a constitution that explicitly spells out all our rules for voting and elections.

Yes, Akno knows the guy, and he asked for his vote.  So what?  You can do the same thing.  Getting registered voters to vote for you is part of the game here.

On another subject, to Andrew's question- the constitution prohibits editing a vote.  The current situation requires some ruling.  The voter edited his vote, then deleted it, and voted again.  If someone deletes a vote, what evidence is there that that happened?  Well, in this case I guess there is the evidence of peoples posts pointing out the fact that he edited his post.  But his post is gone, so that cant be verified.  As SOFA, I have ruled that the vote cast, which has not been edited, is valid.  If someone wants to take this case to the court, they are free to do so, and may even have a valid case.  Its only one vote, though, it may or may not affect the actual result.

Secretary Fritz, I just wanted to say once again your hard work and dedication to this difficult job is unignorable and indispensible.

Though it's not cast for the candidate whom I support, I applaud your working decision to count the controversial vote.  You've chosen well to replicate the situation of a Secretary who in good conscience had not yet evaluated the previous ballot--that's certainly realistic and basing a decision on the luck of whether the vote has been tabulated yet only confuses the basic issue of deletion.  Also, relying on the heresay of a thread to deduce the existance of that invalid ballot is a far worse precedent to set than the presumption of validity that the record shows.

You unerringly lived up to the letter of the law for as long as that letter applied, and when the situation turned to an aread in which the law was nebulous, you fell back to the spirit of the Constitution:  "No member should feel left out of the election process and everyone's ideas must be heard in order to insure that we have a Atlas Forum of the people, by the people, and for the people."  Letting every technicality work to the advantage of the voters' intentions is a wise policy.  And unlike Florida in 2000, there's no question in my mind that this accomodation you've made is one you'd have made [and if necessary will make] to every voter, no matter who they are or for whom they vote.

I don't know whether the best legal decision would favor overruling your decision or letting it stand.  But the the decision you made while the burden of governing was upon you is evidence of the wisdom of placing it upon you.

[Akno21]

NixonNow's vote for Reagan117 will be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER in district 2A.  I think the intent of the voter was clear in this case.  His vote for Keystone Phil will not be counted, however, as he does not reside in that district.

These are the decisions of the Secretary of Forum Affairs on these matters.  Disagreements may be addressed to the Supreme Court.

How do I register a disagreement with the Supreme Court?

You may send an e-mail to the Chief Justice(me) explaining your issue and giving your reasoning.  I will take the appropriate steps from there.

I recently sent you an email explaining my issue and giving my reasoning.

[Fritz]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

In both cases, I did what I thought was right.  Also in both cases, my decision favors a candidate that I oppose.  I'm not Katherine Harris, I do whats right, even if it hurts the candidate I support.

I think both of these remain open to court challenges, however, if the disputed vote ends up deciding the outcome.

[Fritz]

In fact it looks like Akno is taking that to court.

[Akno21]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

In both cases, I did what I thought was right.  Also in both cases, my decision favors a candidate that I oppose.  I'm not Katherine Harris, I do whats right, even if it hurts the candidate I support.

I think both of these remain open to court challenges, however, if the disputed vote ends up deciding the outcome.

What is the other decision? I registered a disagreement about a vote for RReagan117 being counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER, when another candidate in the race has the phrase 117 in his user name.  

[Keystone Phil]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

I'm not going to sit here and accept that as a RReagan4EVER vote. We all know NixonNow likes to play games. Well earlier he said he supported MAS117. Last night he told someone (in a private conversation) that he is supporting RReagan4EVER. So NixonNow probably wanted to play games with the candidates and those following the election by combining two candidates' names and making this into an issue.

[Akno21]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

I'm not going to sit here and accept that as a RReagan4EVER vote. We all know NixonNow likes to play games. Well earlier he said he supported MAS117. Last night he told someone (in a private conversation) that he is supporting RReagan4EVER. So NixonNow probably wanted to play games with the candidates and those following the election by combining two candidates' names and making this into an issue.

So then do you support me, Keystone?

[Keystone Phil]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

I'm not going to sit here and accept that as a RReagan4EVER vote. We all know NixonNow likes to play games. Well earlier he said he supported MAS117. Last night he told someone (in a private conversation) that he is supporting RReagan4EVER. So NixonNow probably wanted to play games with the candidates and those following the election by combining two candidates' names and making this into an issue.

So then do you support me, Keystone?

Absolutley not. I don't support your campaign (as you know) so I don't know why you would ask that question. If you are referring to your court case, I'm not getting involved witht that but I do believe that NixonNow's vote should not be counted as a RReagan4EVER.

[Akno21]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

I'm not going to sit here and accept that as a RReagan4EVER vote. We all know NixonNow likes to play games. Well earlier he said he supported MAS117. Last night he told someone (in a private conversation) that he is supporting RReagan4EVER. So NixonNow probably wanted to play games with the candidates and those following the election by combining two candidates' names and making this into an issue.

So then do you support me, Keystone?

Absolutley not. I don't support your campaign (as you know) so I don't know why you would ask that question. If you are referring to your court case, I'm not getting involved witht that but I do believe that NixonNow's vote should not be counted as a RReagan4EVER.

I meant the court case.

[Keystone Phil]

What did you think of my other decision?  Should a vote for "RReagan117" be counted as a vote for RReagan4EVER?

I'm not going to sit here and accept that as a RReagan4EVER vote. We all know NixonNow likes to play games. Well earlier he said he supported MAS117. Last night he told someone (in a private conversation) that he is supporting RReagan4EVER. So NixonNow probably wanted to play games with the candidates and those following the election by combining two candidates' names and making this into an issue.

So then do you support me, Keystone?

Absolutley not. I don't support your campaign (as you know) so I don't know why you would ask that question. If you are referring to your court case, I'm not getting involved witht that but I do believe that NixonNow's vote should not be counted as a RReagan4EVER.

I meant the court case.

Like I said, I will not get involved in this court case.

[Fritz]

Well, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this decision.  Phil makes a good point.

We'll see if the disputed vote affects the outcome.  If it does, the court will have to rule on this.  If it doesn't, its irrelevant.