Maybe it is maybe it isn't....Sounds like it is but...

I'm not big on the "The election was stolen" stuff regarding Bernie.

But I also don't think allegations of problems should be brushed off either.

Are you going to say the same thing if there is election rigging and fraud and dirty tricks by the GOP in November?

that's been around for decades. You can either accept that or believe that Sanders was actually left off the ballots handed out to voters in Philadelphia and no one reported on what would be a major news story except for this dude on Facebook.

is that this is an actual ballot.

If it was a flyer from an outside group, no problem. If the flyer was from the local DNC then it shows that the DNC is undermining Sanders campaign. It being from the local DNC would destroy the argument that Sanders is not raising money down ticket. You don't raise money for an organization trying to thwart your efforts. Additional, it would show that this primary is not a fair process.

right on the flier. Why is a Sanders surrogate outright claiming this is an actual ballot?

like this before?

I'm worried about the people who could be confused by it and should be protected. Also, it looks like it was paid for by the local DNC.

[link:
http://imgur.com/JeIhdQn|

The confusion would end as soon as the voter brought the flier to the precinct and was told it's a campaign flier. As I said,there's nothing new about this and the problem isn't the flier,it's Sanders people pretending that these are actual ballots,they tried to make the same claim in Chicage. Making that mistake once might be excused as naivete,twice is a plan to frighten and anger people.

...a surrogate is an OFFICIAL spokesman for the campaign.

Hey! I used "official" without it referring to the Government!!!

....campaigns and elections knows that there are mailers sent out to potential voters the weekend before an election. I've seen it countless times.

We send out mailers with the names of OUR candidates in ballot format, asking people to vote for us.

It's been done year after year, but many candidates.

Now, did the person who did that video actually show us what he was talking about? Hmmmm? Or is he just trying to come up with some illogical excuse as to why Sanders lost?

Not everyone is familiar with campaigns and election. Those that aren't could be confused by it. Here is the flier in question.

[link:
[IMG]http://imgur.com/JeIhdQn[/IMG]

....don't point at every little thing and complain "we wuz robbed".

Back in 2010 there were 1,128,152 votes for Governor in Connecticut. Dan Malloy won by 6,404, votes (0.56%). There was no big hue and cry about "fraud", "corruption", no one complained about the literature that the other side handed out. There were some comments about some irregularities in different parts of the state, but Tom Foley didn't contest the election or complain to the media. He took his loss and accepted it.

Welcome to the political major leagues, folks. Sanders lost, big time - he had his clock cleaned by more than 200,000 votes (not a mere 6,404). Get over it, move on.

"Malloy received the Democratic Party's endorsement for Governor on May 22, 2010 in a 68-32 vote over 2006 Democratic senatorial candidate Ned Lamont"

Not given.

....(didn't catch the first name), "and he showed me a ballot"!!

Make sense?

I don't see anything online that corroborates this accusation.

Some group in Philly passed out a recommended slate of candidates. It had the words "Official Ballot" at the top, so of course it set the internet warriors ablaze.

If you are going to put out a recommended slate of candidates it should NOT have the words "official ballot". I totally agree with that. It's deceptive. We saw that happen in Chicago too.

we all know why that word was used.

it's the real ballot. Is that true or not?

...considering he hasn't complained about anything else?

According to people on DU this happens all the time in Chicago. It's wrong and it needs to be exposed and addressed by ethical people within our Party.

in Chicago and Philadelphia? Is that the claim you're making?

Maybe you should read again or maybe you posted this to the wrong person. I never said anything like that.

I have mine. I think it's dishonest.

not interested in participating in your narrative.

for your help. I actually saw this and made a comment in that very thread you've posted. I thought this OP was about actual ballots on election day not having his name on it. My fault - I only watched the first part of the video. It probably gave me the information later in the video. I should have watched the whole thing.

That people who hold their noses in the air about "not watching TV" watch for their "news."

advantage of first time voters who may not know the difference between a campaign flier and a ballot. It's incredibly cynical.

That the average CNN, MSNBC, hell even Fox News viewer is 10x more informed then the crowd that gets their information from randomassnews.com

It's actually a big problem that's going to get even worse, everyone is getting the perspective that confirms their beliefs.

I still watch TV network news just so I can see what the establishment is pushing. I never take anything they say at face value nor do I believe only one source on the Internet. I get my news from many sources. If I only relied on TV news or one internet source I would be very ill informed.

And I don't care who the voter supports....Hillary, Bernie, Trump, Cruz....the process has to be respected.

If you think the words "Official" and "Ballot" should be outlawed on campaign literature, contact Pennsylvania about that. That would at least be something I think we could all get behind.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

I was really referring to the other forms it has taken this season. I do seriously think it is the greatest threat to our democracy. Voting should be the easiest thing we do.

We stand to gain control of the Senate this year. It would be a good time to put some much-needed reforms into place and watch the GOP squirm as they try to obstruct again.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

And I hope the Dems would do something about election reform. I am somewhat cynical right now and wonder if they would even try. So much of it is local and people have their turf wars. It is discouraging.

That can sound discouraging, too, I know, but we are seeing the GOP fall to pieces now and the white, male power structure -coincidentally? I think not!- is doing the same. Things will get better, I believe that.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You have to play the game to find out why you're playing the game. -Existenz[/center][/font][hr]

I don't really give a shit who your candidate is, Bernie, Hillary, whatever. This sort of thing is completely dishonest and speaks of dirty politics. This is how people become very disenfranchised quickly and it looks incredibly bad on the face of the Democratic party.

This is something all of us should be outraged about.

Why didn't his campaign organize to help handicapped voters in Wyoming.

In the end, his campaign was so poorly run and organized it's close to criminal.

to deceive voters with a flyer that has Official ballot written on it?

political advertisement.

If they don't realize that, when they get to the polls, it becomes evident when the poll worker hands the voter the blank ballot

Also, listed on that ballot will be wording to the effect that this is a sample ballot sponsored by a specific organization or group, with recommendations who to vote for.

This is no more to deceive voters than newspaper endorsements, which lists the candidates and issues the newspaper recommends people should vote.

claiming that this was an actual ballot in Philadelphia and fundraising off of that obvious lie.

You really have to ask? The answer is obvious: Because they're not dishonest scumbags.

How sad is it that we have a system of choosing presidential candidates which allows the most loathsome corrupt scum to rise to the top, and the honest and good to sink.

much I can say to change you're mind. I hope you're happy with the products that it produces.

This is just bizarre.

Do you?

Sending out campaign literature? Is this your first election? I've seen these ballot suggestion fliers in every election I can remember.Let's not pretend these were actual ballots handed out by precinct workers. It's sickening that people who obviously know what these really are,are pretending to be outraged. Jesus.

You think it's ok that something like this is allowed?
Tell us, why should something that is only supposed campaign literature marked "OFFICIAL BALLOT"
My first election? Sorry toots but I'm more than likely older than you are and smart enough to know the only reason shit like this is done is to sway voters into voting for someone by very underhanded tactics.

Know, what's sickening is watching you and your ilk thinking this sort of crap is ok but considering who the fuck you support, we aren't at all shocked.

It's obviously not real. I can't believe how low some Sanders supporters are willing to go. The bottom line,this guy is asking for donations based on a lie that he knows is a lie. Good luck with that.

decades in all states

When the voter gets to the polls, and they are given a BLANK ballot, it should be pretty obvious that advertisement wasn't an official ballot.

Also, on those advertisements they indicate the group or organization responsible for it

I get Sample ballot advertisements at election time from unions and other organizations in the mail all the time. I am in California, and it has been done as long as I can remember

I get a dozen of those on my windshield every election.

sponsoring those endorsements, because that is exactly what those flyers are, not that much different that newspaper ballot endorsements

It has to be their first rodeo. You would have thought after all the multiple threads there have been about sample ballots and flyers they wouldn't be freaking out over normal stuff.

Passing them out inside the polling places as the Hillary supporters have done?

Sad to see Republican-style gutter techniques infest the Party. It's how they be but not how we should be.

given the real ballot. This happens all the time. I get mail like this all the time during elections, sponsored by specific groups recommending who or what to vote for.

When they get to the polls they will get an official blank ballot

It is hard for me to believe people are so naive

They're fundraising using an obvious lie. This guy is a surrogate for the Sanders campaign.

Why didn't Sanders? He's outspent Clinton consistently but getting little bang for his buck.

about down ticket races. Mr. and Mrs. Grifter only care about themselves.

He said:

as people are trying to claim it is.

Is it slightly misleading? Maybe, for a very low information voter. I'm having a hard time seeing a problem with it, because it's such a common thing. Yet people are trying to paint it as some kind of newly discovered "dirty trick." Either way, your complaints should be directed at "Caring Philadelphia," not the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Seriously, this sort of crap is completely disingenuous.
If Bernie was doing this, you'd hear the exact same thing from me. It's dirty politics defined.

I'm really amazed that there are so many ethically challenged people here. It's very discouraging.

handed out by precinct workers and attempting to fundraise off that lie.

But Hillary's supporters are suddenly ok with these kind of shenanigans.

It's a campaign flyer, suggesting how people should vote. You've never seen one of these before? How odd.

This is very shady and dishonest, especially for first time voters. This kind of thing isn't right and is downright dirty.

printing it. The name of the organization is right there at the top. Folks need to read stuff. Regular voters are used to seeing these ballot recommendation sheets for every election. They don't mistake them for real ballots. You get those from the poll workers at the polling place after signing in.

People who rarely vote, though, are sometimes confused by this sort of campaign literature, out of lack of experience. They need to read stuff that is handed to them. Then, they'd discover the nature of these ballot recommendations and understand that they're how some organization wants them to vote. A guy would have to be pretty naive to accept such a thing as the actual ballot.

Then, when they get their real ballot from the poll worker or step up to the voting machine, they'll see all the candidates in any case on the actual ballot.

These "informational" ballots are unregulated, really. You can put the word "Official" on them, if you like, as long as you name the organization they come from. It's like those junk mail things you get in the mail that have words like "Official Notice" or "Final Notice" on them. People need to read stuff.

And some can't find anything wrong with that?

Are their standards really. that. low?

And people wonder why there's a Bernie or Bust movement?

and it's easy to win when it's rigged for you.

And yes, I said RIGGED and I don't care if people think I'm wearing a

There have been so many instances of voter suppression and election fraud that ONLY seems to happen against Bernie. Not against Hillary nor the Repubs. Funny how that works...

It's gotta be one or the other.

the name of fundraising.

I agree with you on that one! Us that have been around for a bit and did not just registers to jump on a bandwagon can attest to that.

... Requiring specific language at a set font size across the top of these political advertisements that makes it clear what they are.

I don't think many people are confused, but I'd still rather it be more straightforward for voters.

When was young, I was a Ward Committeeman in Philadelphia. My precinct was on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. 100% of the voters were Ivy League students. So they knew the issues, studied the candidates and made informed choices about their candidates, right?

Nope. Most of them couldn't be bothered or didn't have time. Most of them were Democrats and wanted to know who the Party recommended. So we handed out sample ballots, AUTHORIZED (and hence "official&quot from the Ward Committee.

No wonder they are making changes around here.

I remember in 2012 when we would laugh at the GOPers as they tried to unskew polls and put forward conspiracy theories.

Now it seems like so many Bernie supporters on DU are doing that.

What the hell happened since 2012?

Inserted with a bunch of democratic state wide candidates and he gets reelected every year he's shady as hell

...when things don't work out the way you wanted, "THEY" cheated.

When did you lose your ethics?

As I previously stated, the definition of "official" isn't as narrow as you believe it is.

Bottom line - you're saying people in Philadelphia (or at least, Sanders voters) are too stupid to understand the difference. As a former Philadelphia Party official, I have a higher level of respect for them.

...because the man in the clip is insinuating that democracy is unhinged because people in Philli didn't have the option to vote for Bernie.

He's strongly hinting, no, he came right out and said that Bernie wasn't on the ballot Tuesday. That's untrue.

Total BS, methinks.

This is a wonderful example why I will never take citizen journalism any more serious than I do a preteen's hope-diary. It's simply a reflection of personal bias and wish-fulfillment rather than an objective, fact-based story. This is to journalism what "good vibes" are to medicine.

"We want this to be true to validate our unsupported allegation that candidate A is losing only because of dirty tricks, because the alternative (reality) illustrates that we're not as great/clever/momentous as we pretend to be."

SLATE cards. These are sent out by the state party as recommendations for voters to use at the ballot box. At least get the smear straight.

as the gospel truth?

Sid

some people.

"even if it's not true" phase now.

This is a blatantly FALSE OP. Have some integrity and at least fix the title. It's a lie.

Since they included Hillary but omitted her opponent, it certainly looks like the perps were Hillary supporters.

I wish I could say it surprises me.

... And their voters aren't dim-witted enough to think this is a ballot from he City or State.

Maybe if the Sanders brigade hadn't foresworn politics before now, this wouldn't be so surprising.

They've been Philadelphia's independent political watchdog group since 1904.

And they'll enjoy a laugh over your smoking gun...