Pinky promises don’t court (pun intended) possible felony prosecution, no matter how small the chance.
Maybe for a lot of them that’s true, but certainly not all of them. Here is an interview by Gina Rodriguez* where she asked Obama this question:
Why would she ask about “DREAMers” and “undocumented citizens” voting? Is it possible that some not-insignificant number of them do actually vote? She seemed to think it was an important-enough issue that she wanted to ask the President about it. These are exactly the sort of people that aren’t supposed to be allowed to vote, but I (and apparently Gina Rodriguez) suspect some of them do. Yes, they should be fucking fearful of voting, because they’re committing voter fraud when they do! The reality is most of them will not be punished for it.
- I suspect someone will misunderstand this and think that I’m claiming Obama was encouraging illegals to vote, because that claim is what originally made this video famous. I don’t think that. I think it was a shitty thing for Gina Rodriguez to do, and she put Obama in an awkward position. He certainly didn’t go out of his way to discourage illegals from voting, but he handled the awkward question rather deftly, carefully parsing his words to not explicitly encourage illegals to vote, while also trying not to offend part of his base. He quickly steered the conversation back to legal voters who have illegal immigrant family members.
To the extent that you have, you appear to have conceded that bragging about voting is a really common thing, so I’m happy to leave it there.
You’re missing the point. The rightwing is so desperate to prove the myth of widespread voter fraud that they went with a totally bogus story, a story that was pretty obviously bogus to folks paying attention (waves hand). If there were actual, real evidence, how much happier would they be?
It’s like suggesting that UFO conspiracy theorists would, presented with the glowing severed head of a genuine alien, shrug and say, “Meh, I’d rather find a working spacecraft.”
Non-citizens cannot vote in federal elections.
Local elections are up to the states.
Now, pretty much all the states do not allow non-citizens to vote, but maryland allows localities to allow non-citizens to vote, and there is nothing stopping other states and localities from doing the same.
I didn’t. I suggested if there are such people it’s among those who share very mundane things, and is not comparable to the type of bragging you were comparing to (e.g. robbing liquor stores).
But the point is that once you accept the premise that the story isn’t bogus - which is obviously what they’re expecting their viewers to do - the story is a Big Story, for the reasons I mentioned. Your suggested stories are nothing stories even if they’re accurate.
Wait, what? I know she’s Jane the Virgin, and Majo Tenorio, but only because of Wikipedia. I’m not clear what her expertise on voter fraud issues is. Or do you just implicitly trust her in everything she says about politics, which is why her weird question to Obama is worth bringing up here?
It’s bragging, which is the point. People brag about it. You seem to be suggesting that the sort of people for whom illegal voting woudl be worth doing wouldn’t think it worth bragging about, even though people who vote legally brag, and people who commit other crimes brag.
If I show you other tiny little voter fraud stories that Breitbart and Fox News trumpeted, will you believe me?
And so would remain if not exploited by the Forces of Darkness to advance their agenda. Kinda think that was his point. Just guessing here, could be wrong.
Pretty much, yeah. I’m suggesting that the risk/reward for bragging about something where you’re increasing your minimal risk of being caught by bragging and have nothing to show for it is different than people who have zero risk or people who have bigger rewards.
Comparable to your suggested stories, yes.
(Though I’m taking your word that these outlets don’t actually run stories about one off-incidents of fraud. I’m assuming they don’t but if you’re correct that they run other minor stories of that sort, then you need evidence that they haven’t also run your suggested stories. I myself am not very familiar with either of these outlets.)
So your position is that she was just talking about DREAMers in Maryland, only voting in state elections, and just chose not to clarify that point?
Seems like a stretch, even for you.
You miss the point, or perhaps evade is a better word.
Many places want to extend minor voting privileges as a gesture of inclusion, a recognition that they are members in good standing of a community, and can be afforded respect for their opinion in local matters.
Something wrong with that?
That investigation Dear Misleader tweeted about? Cancelled:
From here.
Remember Conservative friends, you elected him, you own him. Enjoy.
Actually, didn’t watch the vid, don’t watch vids at work. I don’t know who this person is, or why her question is vitally important.
Was just responding to what you said, when you said “These are exactly the sort of people that aren’t supposed to be allowed to vote”
I was pointing out that there are in fact times when non-citizens can vote.
Personally, I feel the whole no taxation without representation ideal that we like to espouse should mean that resident aliens should be able to vote at least in local elections, but it’s up to the states, and that is a debate for a different time and thread.
Probably repeating what some other poster said…I am a liberal Democrat, and I welcome an investigation into massive voter fraud IF it is linked with an investigation into massive voter suppression and gerrymandering.
crucible wrote: “I welcome an investigation into massive voter fraud IF it is linked with an investigation into massive voter suppression and gerrymandering.”
And Russian interference, and Comey. Basically, I’m for a bi-partisan commission on electoral integrity empowered to investigate and recommend legislation at federal and state levels. Bottom line, if non-citizens are voting (in any manner not approved by local law), I’d want that stopped. But that is, I’d bet diamonds to doughnuts, a minor problem compared to actual or possible process tampering by (foreign) state or corporate actors.
Come on, righties. It may have been the Russians this time for your guy. Next time it may be the Chinese for ours. In fact, if trump seeks reelection in 2020 (assuming that free elections are still a thing then), you may see massive foreign interference in the process.
Oh man, I am so fucked. I moved to a different state last year, and registered and voted in the new state. I’m positive I was still on the voter rolls in the old state. Why? Because there in no mechanism for me to notify my previous state election commission that I have moved. Now the president says that is voter fraud. Then to top it off, I went and signed a petition on whitehouse.gov asking Trump to share his tax returns. Now they know my email address! I’ll be off to Gitmo any day now.
I await the police.
If there really and truly was voter fraud, maybe the best thing to do is to have the whole election over again.
I guess I’m in trouble too. My in-laws died in 2012 and 2013, and I was in charge of clearing out their house and dealing with most of the paperwork regarding their estate. At one point I contacted the county registrar of voters by email, asking how to remove them from the voter rolls, but the steps were complicated and I never followed though, I had too much on my plate. For all I know they’re still registered and their ghosts have been showing up and ghostly-voting! And their ghosts would have definitely ghostly-voted Democrat. 
That’s the spirit!
So far, the investigation has turned up several Trump family members, Trump White House staff and appointees.
Good job, Cheeto!