Turning online popularity into real world votes: how Dennis Kucinich can win

The importance of primary elections may be obvious to the politically savvy, but many people do not even know what primary elections are. Many who know about primaries don't care enough to participate in them. Voter turnout in primary elections is, sadly, consistently low. In 2004, only 11.4 percent of Democrat voters participated in the primary elections. Consequently, the worst possible Democratic candidate was chosen to go up against Bush. Ask you friends and family members about primary elections, and you'll be surprised at how many of them don't really know what primaries are. For some reason, primary elections are the best kept open secret in American politics, even though they're even more important than the general elections. This is why I'm worried. Powerful people make sure to vote in primaries. Normal people don't. It won't be a shock to me if only half of the internet's rabid Paul and Kucinich supporters bother to participate in the primaries – but this can't be allowed to happen.

If the most ardent Paul and Kucinich supporters don't go to the primaries, all their successful grassroots fund raisers and internet poll victories mean squat. Unfortunately, getting someone to send money through Paypal or click a link to a poll might prove far easier than persuading them to actually get up off their asses and get to a polling station, much less go through the trouble of registering to vote. But this, ultimately, is all that matters. So if you're involved in a grassroots movement, the primary election is your ultimate battle and requires you to redouble your efforts. Start getting out the message now, whether it's through your blog, email list, or message board: register to vote now, if you haven't already. Find out where your polling station is, when your primary takes place, and then, be damned sure to vote.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_daniel_n_071221_turning_online_popul.htm

I might add that I believe the caucus states are the most important as it is more trouble to attend and therefore very few actually show up. If you assemble a group of friends to attend, you WILL make a difference. Do not allow 'leaders' to make you sit through endless unimportant speeches of local candidates. DEMAND time to discuss your candidate and bring flyers to pass around. When you are supporting a real winner like Kucinich, you only need to present the facts as he is the only one with the credibility and intelligence to be our next president.

and even if a state has a primary, the results do not always mean that the state 's delegate votes at the convention will be voted in reflection of the primary results. I believe all states this year will have a primary vote, many will be non-binding.

I'm voting for Kucinich in the Arkansas Primary, and am trying to convince others to do the same.

Actually we are going to need a team of caring citzens to watch the vote count as well, perhaps do exit polling outside their polling station.

It would be great if DUers took it upon themselves to do this, and Skinner created a place where everyone could record their findings. I am just a nobody but if someone like William Pitt led this effort, people would listen.

and absentee, which is allowed in Arkansas. That way it is done with paper ballots at the court house. My county, especially my precinct, has a rep for fiddling with votes.

:hug:

and welcome to DU :hi: I'm going to make sure I call everyone from my Kucinich House party list the night before the primary to make sure they all vote! We have a late primary in Virginia, Feb 12, but it still shows power in DK's message if you have as many voters as possible.

I am voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Wisconsin primary February 19.

:hi:

Everyone registered to vote gets a ballot, and just has to mail it back.

I'd love to see the rest of the nation do it this way.

If primaries were done this way, the votes could be left in sealed envelopes until all primaries were done, and the count could begin on the same day across the nation.

Caucusi?

Democracy at the grass roots level.

Nothing else like it.

I might feel differently if I had. From the outside, it seems like people's choices are narrowed way too soon. In an election, it's the total number of votes that will decide the outcome (within other limitations, of course.) I don't have to worry that my voice is silenced before I ever leave the caucus building.

with "it seems like people's choices are narrowed way too soon."

How does that connect???

If I go to a caucus, while I'm in the room, if enough people IN THAT ROOM do not choose the same candidate, then my support for that candidate effectively ends then. I can choose to throw my support to a lesser candidate, or I can go home.

In any case, whatever the outcome, the results that are sent on will not give my support to my candidate.

When I vote in a primary, the total votes from all over my state will decide on the delegates sent to the convention. It won't be narrowed If enough people from the rest of the state cast a vote for my candidate, there is still a chance.

"Support" for candidates are apportioned according to how many people are in attendance. SO..... if you get enough support for your candidate (say 10%, or so), you still get a representative (who could be you!) to go to the next level, where again you can speak FOR that candidate, and try to sway people.

I don't see how that is any different from voting. If only 4% vote for your candidate, it is effectively lost, anyway. PLUS, you don't have the opportunity to speak to your neighbors at the time of voting, and enter into that give and take.

"It won't be narrowed If enough people from the rest of the state cast a vote for my candidate, there is still a chance."

That's the way it is in a caucus, too. Really, the only difference is to be able to speak instead of just submit a ballot, and also to present resolutions that, if you are persuasive, go on then to the county and can become part of the platform.

There are other reasons to not like caucus, but not as you've presented. It's too bad you haven't had the opportunity to experience it. You might see it differently.

Democracy at a grass-roots level is hardly even existing anymore. The caucus is about all we have left of it!

My candidate could pull in significantly more support from other areas in my state that my vote can be added to. That's the difference.

You have a good point about the spoken part of the caucus. If people don't get together to talk before a primary, that part is silenced.

Can you tell me, relatively, which draws in more participants? Votes or caucuses?

and I believe we lose these at our own peril. Group decisions are what democracy is based on.

I disagree with you about your objection to caucus, but, to be honest, I'm too tired to pursue it further. I also don't think it's a significant enough reason to forgo the real advantages of caucus. I was just reading the Newsweek article about Edwards, and it mentioned that the Iowa caucuses (caucusi?) give just as much weight to the rural areas as to the large cities. I think that should answer your objection.

"Can you tell me, relatively, which draws in more participants? Votes or caucuses? "

As I said earlier, there are some reasonable objections to caucus, and this is the one. Clearly, I don't have statistics, but I would be willing to bet that caucus states have lower turnout than primary states. Why? Well, primarily (pardon the pun) because people DON'T want to discuss and reason and decide with each other. That is a sad comment on our dedication to democracy.

Also, and here is a REAL problem..... shift workers, and people who can't make it to that one meeting, are left out. I've pondered that over and over and don't have an answer. I'm sure it could be worked out, as most things can, if we were determined to do so. As you can see, I think the REAL problem is our collective lack of determination.


"If people don't get together to talk before a primary, that part is silenced."

Do you have meetings with your neighbors for discussion such as this? If so, I salute you and your neighbors. That would be rare, indeed, but very beneficial.

However, I suspect that is not the case. And, that is exactly what a caucus does.

TN primary is in February, but early voting starts January 16.