President Obama to Introduce Radical Voting Initiative with the ‘Obama phone’

[Turlington]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/22/president-obama-to-introduce-obamaphone-voting/

Making good on his promise to use the “pen and phone” strategy to circumvent Republican stonewalling of his agenda, President Obama’s next move via executive order may be the most radical change to the election system since women and minorities were allowed to vote. In the next few weeks, the president is expected to issue an executive order to circumvent the massive, coordinated assault on voting rights in many swing states which have included reducing voting precincts and voting hours, which disproportionately affects the working poor and the elderly. Ohio Governor Kasich signed legislation in February which eliminated same day voter registration, 6 days of early voting, and the mailing of absentee ballots to all registered voters.

Obama will sign an executive order introducing a new voting system in which all Lifeline (also known in the conservative media as “Obama phone”) subscribers will be able to vote via text messaging on their government-issued cell phones. Not a registered voter? Now when you sign up for an Obama phone, you’ll automatically be registered to vote. Can’t get to a polling place because you’re disabled or you can’t find a babysitter? No problem. Now with your Obama phone, you can easily text your vote to an 800 number without leaving the comfort of your home.

Hmm...

[Stavros]

Since voting in person is fundamental to the democratic process, and because alternative distant voting methods -postal votes for example- are open to fraud- I would be wary of introducing this kind of voting. There must also be a case for not allowing same-day registration as this too could be open to fraud -you vote in one constituency in the morning and then arrive at another in the afternoon to register and vote (having fixed the ID issue with addressees and so on) and so it goes on. At the same time, I am suspicious of limits to voting which in some US states seem to me to target specific social groups on the grounds that they 'tend' to vote for one party rather than another. I think having a criminal record also bars many US voters from the process, and this is clearly wrong. The US has to deal with this at the state level.

In the UK, we have a problem with the EU and the 'right' of prisoners to vote, currently illegal in the UK. It is also illegal for people detained in psychiatric institutions to vote, and people who have broken electoral law are banned from voting for 5 years following their conviction. It used to be the case that hereditary peers in the House of Lords were barred from voting -I am not sure if this is still true, as non-hereditary peers can vote-, but the Queen and members of the Royal Family can vote, but do not do so as a matter of courtesy.

[trish]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/22/president-obama-to-introduce-obamaphone-voting/

Making good on his promise to use the “pen and phone” strategy to circumvent Republican stonewalling of his agenda, President Obama’s next move via executive order may be the most radical change to the election system since women and minorities were allowed to vote. In the next few weeks, the president is expected to issue an executive order to circumvent the massive, coordinated assault on voting rights in many swing states which have included reducing voting precincts and voting hours, which disproportionately affects the working poor and the elderly. Ohio Governor Kasich signed legislation in February which eliminated same day voter registration, 6 days of early voting, and the mailing of absentee ballots to all registered voters.

Obama will sign an executive order introducing a new voting system in which all Lifeline (also known in the conservative media as “Obama phone”) subscribers will be able to vote via text messaging on their government-issued cell phones. Not a registered voter? Now when you sign up for an Obama phone, you’ll automatically be registered to vote. Can’t get to a polling place because you’re disabled or you can’t find a babysitter? No problem. Now with your Obama phone, you can easily text your vote to an 800 number without leaving the comfort of your home.

Hmm...

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!!. I told you Obama was a "radical Kenyan socialist communist Nazi Muslim intent on allowing" welfare freeloaders "to vote for Democrats."

[buttslinger]

Voting laws, Taxes, Healthcare, my Mom could come in on a weekend and change the system to something better than we have now.

I have heard that Americans should vote their own interests, and I've heard that people should vote for what is best for the Country.

James Carville is saying that no matter what the subject, always respond with "THE ONE PERCENT"

1% this, 1% that.

So what if it's ridiculous.....it makes a long story short.
The way to Pennsylvania Ave is through Madison Ave.

In other words, the ObamaPhone levels the playing field from the one percent and their unlimited resources.

[ohiodick]

Of course, if you’ve read past the headline, you’d know that this is satire. But far too many people will read the headline alone and pass it along as proof in conservative circles that President Obama is a “radical Kenyan socialist communist Nazi Muslim” intent on allowing lazy black people on welfare to vote for Democrats. However, let’s go ahead and debunk some of the conservative talking points surrounding the “Obama phone.” From the FCC’s page: Since 1985, the Lifeline program has provided a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers to ensure that all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services. In 2005, Lifeline discounts were made available to qualifying low-income consumers on pre-paid wireless service plans in addition to traditional landline service. Lifeline is part of the Universal Service Fund. (Source) Guess who was in the Oval Office in 1985? Reagan. Guess who was in the Oval Office in 2005? George W. Bush. So let’s go ahead and call it the “Bush phone” because that’s the president it was introduced under. While there was an increase in people using the program in 2008 to 2010, that was as a result of many Americans being out of work during the Bush recession.

See more: President Obama to Introduce Radical Voting Initiative with the ‘Obama phone’ http://www.forwardprogressives.com/obamaphone/

[Stavros]

Laziness on my part as I did not read the story in the original link and have never heard of Lifeline before. Nevertheless, my basic points about voting stand. If it encourages debate on voting that can't be a bad thing...

[Turlington]

That's why I specifically changed the displayed link so that it would say Fox News. I KNEW someone would comment without reading the link.

[buttslinger]

That's why I specifically changed the displayed link so that it would say Fox News. I KNEW someone would comment without reading the link.

More dirty mind-trix from the ONE PERCENT!!

[kittyKaiti]

What is the point of this thread? It's like you are baiting for responses to troll people with Onion articles and stir up senseless debate and controversy. Oh.. wait.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201...utations.shtml

http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/02/2...-media-online/

http://www.occupycorporatism.com/cia...l-information/

Hello, NSA.

[Turlington]

The point was to see if anyone would comment on the article BEFORE actually READING the article...and I was correct. That was the point of the "article" in the first place.

Next I'll get ridden if I post an article about Obama considering more clemency requests from nonviolent drug offenders...whatever...