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Republicans are eyeing major election changes. Trump’s mail voting crackdown isn’t one of them.

President Donald Trump is pushing Congress to end mail voting as Americans have come to know it. So far, Republican lawmakers aren’t heeding his calls.

Trump has long railed against the expansion of vote-by-mail, arguing despite scant evidence that it is rife with fraud and suggesting it was responsible in part for his 2020 election loss. Since retaking office, he has repeatedly called for action — most recently Monday night to reporters on Air Force One.

But other Republicans don’t see it that way — many of their own voters have voted by mail consistently for decades. So far, the type of blanket ban on mail voting Trump wants has not gained traction on Capitol Hill as GOP lawmakers counsel for a more targeted approach.

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/articles/repu...

The rule of thumb, for decades, has been that Republicans are more militant about voting than Dems.

from the net sifter, re impact of weather on voting:

Research suggests bad weather on Election Day tends to favor Republican candidates by reducing voter turnout, particularly among demographics that lean Democratic. Studies indicate that rain or snow disproportionately deters, or acts as a barrier for, Democratic-leaning voters, while Republican supporters are often more resilient or reliable in navigating poor conditions, according to The Journalist's Resource and this Dartmouth study.

Key points on this topic include:

Impact on Voter Turnout: Studies show that for every inch of rain, Republican candidates receive roughly 2.5% more of the vote, notes The Journalist's Resource. For every inch of snow, the Republican vote share increases by about 0.6%.

Voter Behavior: Lower-income and minority voters, who are more likely to support Democrats, are more sensitive to the increased "cost" of voting in bad weather, according to Politico.

The takeaway would be, rather than depending on fickle weather, make it harder for people to vote, generally. Make them provide documentation, even better if they need to pay for that documentation, as that increases the cost of voting and suppresses the votes of the less motivated. Ban the convenience of voting by mail. Forcing everyone to take hours out of their day to line up at the polls, will suppress more votes of the less motivated. Republicans are more likely to push through obstacles to vote, so the more obstacles that can be created, the more it favors the GOP.

Of course, making everyone line up, in public, at the polls, also enables making a big show of dragging brown people out of line, and "holding for questioning" until after the polls close.

Steve

"Research suggests bad weather on Election Day tends to favor Republican candidates by reducing voter turnout, particularly among demographics that lean Democratic. Studies indicate that rain or snow disproportionately deters, or acts as a barrier for, Democratic-leaning voters, while Republican supporters are often more resilient or reliable in navigating poor conditions, according to The Journalist's Resource and this Dartmouth study.

Key points on this topic include:

Impact on Voter Turnout: Studies show that for every inch of rain, Republican candidates receive roughly 2.5% more of the vote, notes The Journalist's Resource. For every inch of snow, the Republican vote share increases by about 0.6%.

Voter Behavior: Lower-income and minority voters, who are more likely to support Democrats, are more sensitive to the increased "cost" of voting in bad weather, according to Politico."

It looks like Trump is going to announce a cloud seeding program for early November for key districts in the country.

I think I say that in jest, but then I realize what happens when he hears of the cited report.........

I think I say that in jest, but then I realize what happens when he hears of the cited report.........

I take it as a given he has the best political advice money can buy. I first heard that narrative that bad weather/obstacles to voting, disproportionately suppress Dem votes over 50 years ago. Trump the God was complaining about voting by mail in his first term.

Absentee voting used to be very restricted in Michigan, and there was no early voting. The vast majority of people had to line up at the polls on election day. Recall, the GOP had a lock on control of the legislature for 40 years, thanks the gerrymandering. The GOP knew what helped them, so nothing changed, for a long time. I liked to take the afternoon off of work, so I didn't need to deal with huge lines in the evening.

We The People passed "Proposal 3" in 2018, which expanded eligibility for absentee voting.

UPDATE (11/06/2018): Proposal 3 passes, modernizing the state’s voting system for the first time since 1975. The ballot initiative amends the state constitution to automatically register voters; allow voters to register at any time, up to and including on Election Day; expand access to absentee ballots; allow for straight-ticket party voting; and ensure those in the military get their ballots with enough time to ensure their vote is counted.

https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/michigan-r...

What was the last reform to Michigan voting? Allowing people to register to vote when they renew their driver's license, enacted in 1975. In Michigan, the Secretary of State manages both driver's licenses and voter registration.

Recall, Trump the Most Perfect and Brilliant has also been barking about registration being linked to license renewal. He knows exactly what he is doing: making it harder to vote, to disproportionately suppress Dem votes.

Steve

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