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Cost savings my as_.

I think it's an establishment vs. insurgent thing.

Imagine someone going to their local polling booth on election day and finding it closed. OK, perhaps that person should have known ahead of time. So that person goes over to the nearest open polling place, and finds long lines.

What type of person doesn't have time to stand in a long line to vote? It's the working poor, the people whom Bernie would help most.

and the election officials are all repugs (it's one of the reddest states going) so I think it was definitely repugs v dems there — rehearsal for dem vote suppression the general election. The Clinton camp nor the DNC had anything to do with AZ.

In R.I. it could be different.

What advantage does that give either dem candidate?

"her voters are disproportionately absentee voters and early voters."

I don't know about that.

Sanders will have no absentee or early voters?

That's been very clear in the other states .

It doesn't mean Sanders will have no early and absentee votes.

because her voters are more likely to have already voted by mail.

If something like this has even a 5 percent effect on the election it could matter.

But primary season will soon be over.

Jobs, kids, people don't have that time to spare. And then when they can't vote we'll talk down about all those who didn't vote and ask ourselves why so few participate pretending that we don't know why.

The smallest state in the nation.

No ones going to be standing in line for hours and hours.

Inconvenient? Yes

Scandalous? IMO No.

had to wait in line to vote in Rhode Island. Not ever. Not one person in front of me, ever.

Everyone knows about the closings - it is a very small state. There are cities that are bigger.

already knew that!

NOT.

... let's just call the whole thing off! If we can't afford an election, then I guess we don't need 'em anymore? If I didn't know any better, I'd say they're tryin' to disenfranchise all of us!

DNC/Hillary people? This is voter suppression regardless of what they call it. Too bad there is not a way of taking them to court NOW.

I can't since I'm from Texas and have no standing.

... who does one call to complain about this? I don't know who to call. Shouldn't there be Federal oversight over our elections? Where the eff did all the money go that we can't afford to have primary and general elections in this country? (I have a theory about that, but too long to get into right now.) You're damn right it's a voter suppression POLICY of the TWO PARTY system we have. Politics. I'm like old George Washington. Who needs it?

He also expected a fair fight. Based on roadblocks at every turn, it is definitely time to run as an Independent. Chances are, the GOP will try to replace Trump so expect the Donald to run as an Indie also. If that happens, Bernie will be our next President, in my opinion.

For all the critics that will say Bernie was never a Democrat anyway, I will say he has tried but the party wouldn't take him. Therefore, the Political Revolution just became a non-partisan one.

Bernie needs to put our donations to work and run his own way without having to jump through the hoops the Dems has placed on him.

... Hillary did. Point the finger at Bernie and say he's not a Democrat. My heart sunk when she did that. He is a Democrat now, since he changed his party affiliation. And we all know he's more of a Democrat than Hillary is, period. Another thing he chose to run as a Democrat for was to assure more of a chance that a Democratic party candidate would win the election. I'm with you, Bernie needs to do his best to ignore his opponent and full speed ahead!

too messy and demand too much and don't give them enough big money. In fact, they believe we work for them, not the other way around.

???

Is anyone seeing a pattern here? This election is so crooked it's pathetic.

are supposed to be glad she is going to be our president. Wonder if the VRA would have covered this?

State provided no-cost transportation to polling locations. And/or a robust easy to use, mail vote system.

The same voting methods, equipment, ratio per population of availability for every state if it's a federal election.

This state by state crap needs to stop.

Oversight is fine, the access to ballots, data and machines, no. I don't trust local government officials to ALL be honest about elections.

this is ridiculous!

Of course, the people who are so glib about it today won't have a leg to stand on.

DO you know anything about Rhode Island?

I have never had to wait to vote in Rhode Island. Not once, not ever.

I will not have to wait in line to vote this time either.

They could close 3/4 of the polling places and I probably still wouldn't have to wait in line.

Rhode Island is a very small place - to the point I don't think people who haven't been here don't realize how small.

My town hall will be open and it will be more than enough to allow everyone to vote in my town. I think it's far more confusing to open six polling places in a town this small for a primary.

My parents already submitted their mail ballots yesterday.

If your first inclination is to think closing over half the polling places in a state is cool (as if the state lost over half of its primary voters), we don't have anything to talk about.

You're not inconvenienced, so nobody else must be. Myopic, to say the least.

Dems have lost elections due to voter caging, poll taxes (voter ID), and closing polling places in traditional Dem voting precincts.

If you wanna be on the side of closing polling places, have at it.

i have lost count

welcome to the third world, kids....

"OMG, I just checked my RI voter information & my party has been changed to republican. Being from Rhode Island, our primary is the 26th. Also, found out RHODE ISLAND IS CLOSING 66% OF POLLING PLACES FOR OUR APRIL 26TH PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY-that's 1 in 3.
I went to my town hall before the cut off date to vote in the primaries & checked what party I was affiliated with. I was registered independant & changed it to Democrat (just to be sure I could vote in the primary)."

This entire election is being rigged.

a hoax. The only thing real about them will be the riots outside on the streets. Sound familiar?

...Citizens, do not wait for them to do it for us. We must act NOW, before election day.

campaign?

Last edited Thu Apr 21, 2016, 02:38 PM - Edit history (1)

This is all so frustrating. Maybe that's the point, for us all to get so frustrated that we just give up.

the youth. They are not going to give up because it is their lives we are dealing with here.

The one where laws were made to be broken

By those tax paid to protect it

RI Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State...all are Democrats.

Something funny is going on here, and for once it doesn't involve Republicans.

I would not be surprise if most of the poll closings are where young university age kids are.

Vote by mail.

No ID, better turnout, better informed, less costly.

The jerk who feels standing in the rain is patriotic can go to the central location and knock on the door and hand it to the security guy.

Lord, this country really clings to outdated nonsense, doesn't it?

we have the election that does not exist. Between the 33 state back door deals, the super-delegates and this kind of shit - the voters are there but the election does not exist because an election implies a choice. That is being denied to us.

November may very well be the election no one comes to.

It takes time to find election workers to train and work the polls.

in Allegheny County in PA, in my City of Pittsburgh Ward I was precinct #29, there were more than 29 in my Ward. Just in the City there were 34 wards, so just say average of 10 districts per ward, that is 340 polling places just in the City. That's more than twice the number in Rhode Island and the population of Pittsburgh is between 300,000 and 400,000 people.

Then go outlying suburbs which brings the metropolitan region to a bout 1.5 million add probably another 200-300 polling places.

Each polling place has a Judge of Elections ($120 pay) & at least 3 board members ($105 each) that's $335 pay per place. If Allegheny County can afford this, why can't Rode Island?

The entire state government is controlled by Democratics

But it's still clear that you're a right wing troll.

democracy.

That's some fucked up shit, no?

Rhode island is a really small state. It takes about an hour to drive through it.

A high turnout for a primary is about 216,000 total for the whole state. They're bringing in hundreds of extra booths and are hiring more poll workers per locale so while there may be lines, it won't look like say Chicago in 2004.

All local television, radio and newspapers are reporting on it so people are hearing about it. It's a real small state and everybody is related to or knows everybody it seems so word gets around quickly there.



And there will be instructions at the closed sites as to the closest open polling place.

There are greater injustices to get riled up about, IMO.


((I have a lot of relatives in Rhode Island, I'm very fond of the place and keep up on it regularly))

The corruption you see, isn't the corruption you are looking for.

I'm just saying it's more likely there's no cabal orchestrating voter suppression going on.

It's a small state that's struggling with budget issues and consolidating polling locations for a primary is not nefarious.

But people see what they expect to see I suppose.

Peace,

Having to walk a few more blocks or drive another mile to another polling place?

Waiting 20 minutes to vote instead of 10 minutes? If that?

What exactly are you rising up against in a very manageable election like the primary for the State of Rhode Island? The folks who set out to vote will vote. It's not like the Polling places will be so far away from each other, so remote and hidden, with mile long lines manufactured to create voter suppression. It's just not...the state's not that big and the population's not that huge to create the situations you picture...

My mom used to say, you pick and choose your battles....

Is this really a battle? Feels like just an opportunity to pile on and complain about stuff...

It is a very small place. I live in the 2nd largest city in the state.

I have never, ever, ever had to wait in a line to vote in Rhode Island. Not once, not ever.

They could close 3/4 of the polling places in the state and I wouldn't have to wait in a line.

There are about a million people in the entire state.

But if corruption is what you see, well that's what it is for you.

Have a pleasant day.

Arizona used the "saving money" excuse too.

However, here's a first hand account of voting from someone who lives in Rhode Island

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1107&pid=111235

No I am a lifelong PROUD democrat who knows Rhode Island.

And for the life of me I don't get why you think this is voter suppression.

Pick and choose your battles. This is not a voting crisis. Even Rhode Islanders say so.

Fight the good fight but fight a real one.

Peace

I would think after 30,000+ posts you would have had a clearer sense of parties, politics and policy differences.

Ok, I'll believe you don't know the difference but it's a curious thing to admit about yourself

And, yes, I can't tell you Hillary supporters from any typical Republican. Ya'll parrot the same precise talking points that they do and typically take the same precise positions (but for our DINO, instead) as they do.

Constantly bashing Democrats and name calling.

But you called me a right wing troll


What's that ditty with rubber....glue

Check DU rules.

Anyone who defends that is an enabler of corruption.

... and now we can't even afford elections! We might as well close shop.

....decide not to OPEN (as opposed to "close&quot all of their polling places because primary turnout is typically 1/3 to 1/2 that of a general election.

It's not a conspiracy, it's a common sense move that has been done frequently in the past.

This is the oligarchy trying to stay in charge.

If you don't have $ for elections, then the first place you should to go get it is from the tax breaks you gave to corporations.

...and you'll understand why we can't have single-payer, why we must work with banks instead of breaking them up, why we can't provide free public college to ALL, etc.

If anybody imagines that Bernie Sanders and his supporters concocted this, you don't know how to read the writing on the wall.

Now figure out why this decision was made this week, why it was so vital to act now. Are the crowds at Sanders rallies scaring some people?

Or maybe we should just wait until AFTER the damned results are a done deal and irreversible.

The SCOTUS started this, and the Democratic party is a willing accomplice.

What exactly ARE the cost savings, btw? Are they so major that the DNC couldn't pick up the cost to leave the polling places open?

and vote early if it's an option. There is some warning this time, don't get caught in the squeeze/

elections no matter the cost. Huh.

And I vote in every election. Not once, in all my years of voting here, have I ever had to stand in a line to vote. Not in presidential years, not in primaries, not in general elections - not in any single election - EVER - has there been a line. I mean, not even having to wait 10 seconds. No line whatsoever. I have voted in the morning, in the middle of the day, at the last second. I never go at the same time.

I live in the 2nd largest city in the state.

Paranoid people who have no clue, I do not think you have to worry about Rhode Islanders having to wait in line.

In many districts. Also 126000 purged in Brooklyn is half the voters. The idiots who say means nothing because Clinton won Brooklyn 60-40 are really excusing voter suppression? They are no different than republican hacks then and are another reason Americans want nothing to do with the two party system anymore. Hey geniuses...voters could've been purged based on specific demographic data like is done in the South. On the South there is a 900% better chance you will be purged if you're Black. In a NY democratic primary that wouldn't help Clinton so I bet it was done primarily to young voters or another group disfavoring Clinton.

According to Wikipedia, there is 1,045 square miles of land in the state of Rhode Island. There are thirteen metropolitan areas in the United States that have more land than the entire state of Rhode Island. And as with most states, the majority of RI's population is bunched up in the cities.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar - and sometimes a cost-cutting move is just a cost-cutting move. They should be fine with 144 polling stations.

We had to stand in line for 5 hours!

This whole thing is a disgrace and we are going to regret the whole mess if we end up electing Clinton or Trump.

Check Rush Limbaugh's website, you'll find much to love there.

Democracy.

See what they have to resort to? If we'd consented to a coronation, no worries!