And yet the people who live here keep re-electing these idiots.
Governor, AG, Lt Governor, and Senator Ted are “at large” positions and have nothing to do with gerrymandering.
That’s not entirely true. Gerrymandering can affect statewide elections in two ways.
The first is turnout suppression. If voters feel that their votes do not matter (for instance, if they constantly end up voting for local/district positions that they “lose”), they’re less likely to vote. That’s why people interested in vote suppression make such frequent use of the “both sides” memes. This is part of a larger effort that includes ID laws, registration restrictions, and disallowing vote by mail.
Second is resource restrictions based on districts. I know that in both TX and AZ there have been around-the-block lines with multi-hour waits to vote in some districts, while others were basically walk in and walk out. Yes, high density populations will require more resources than low density ones, but you generally don’t see state legislatures passing bills to remove polling places from low density areas so that rural voters are required to drive for hours to get to the closest urban polling place.
I had this exact same conversation with someone the other day that just refused to understand and thought gerrymandered districts should be super simple to flip. I’m not as good with words as you are. Do you mind if I just outright steal this and paste it every time I have to have that argument?
I live in Harris county. In my middle class suburb it’s pretty easy to go vote during lunch. But many of my friends who are actually in Houston proper absolutely deal with multi hour lines and voter despair because they don’t feel like it matters because we’re “red”. If you are in despair because it doesn’t seem to make a difference and you have to take time off to go vote then of course you’re not going to go vote.
Yeah, they should vote. No argument here. But even if I get all my dozen or so friends to stick with the line (and I can’t, I’m not their daddy and don’t tell them what to do) there are literally tens of thousands of others who won’t.
Edit: I don’t know why I can’t see the reply comment here but I can in my replies, but let me go ahead and address it. Yes, we have early voting. It opens at 7am and closes at 7pm. If you’ve got kids and don’t work near your home then you’re busy during those hours and can’t get by there. With fewer polling places in Harris, odds are a lot of people literally can’t get by the polling place until they extend the hours for voting day.
People that keep claiming that it’s easy to vote have never talked to someone who is disenfranchised.
You want to fix it and never have this conversation again? Allow mail in voting for everyone. You want to tell everyone how easy it is to vote? You’re part of the problem.
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Not the majority
What do you have all those guns for then?
I thought the reason to have guns is to militarily challenge a corrupt or fascist government.
Hmmmm, maybe 2nd amendment dumbfucks are just that: dumb.
Maybe people other than 2nd amendment dumbfucks should take advantage of the right that everyone has.
And too many people don’t care enough to vote
Abbot is an oil and gas puppet and every policy further proves that.
Fucking finally! After that, let’s fund Texas using our entire arsenal to redirect Earth into the sun!
Hey fellow Texans: don’t forget to vote!
Is there anything Texas isn’t at war with?
Oil, hate, and corruption
Big hats
Hey, you leave my fucking hat out of this!
No! Your fucking hat and I are in love and we’re gonna get married!
You forgot living children.
Sometimes I don’t know if they’re ignorant of the climate crisis happening around them or if they’re ignoring it or even accelerating it because they get some perverse satisfaction from earth’s destruction.
Neither. They don’t care.
Some of them truly believe there’s climate change but it’s not caused by people. Some think it’s in god’s hands. Others think it’s liberal propaganda. Still others don’t care because they’ll be gone by the time it hurts them.
There are a lot of opinions about this fact.
Ignoring it. Texas is an oil and gas state. People who don’t work in the industry usually know someone or is related to someone who is. It’s about money, as most things in the US are.
Wait, is money free speech or not?
Only if being spent to benefit billionaries and large corporations. /s
It’s not when it isn’t and it is when it is
Because fuck those kids getting updated facilities. Typical Texas.
