#Assembly Elections News

[chiekodivine]

new york city is a shit show right now and not because of the students peacefully protesting. i’m so sick of fucking cops. research the history of the police force in america. tear-gassing students and snipers on rooftops. we all know this will escalate. it’s just when. it’s ironic, when you grow up with school shootings and no gun laws you become pretty desensitized. if the government thinks a shooting will scare people then they’re just plain stupid. ivy league students being shot at on the grounds of campus. all i can think about is the kent state massacre. everyone attending protests please be safe and mask up!!! those not attending, if you can, drop off food and water to protestors fighting for our rights. you don’t need to be palestinian to care about the genocide in gaza, you just need to be human. they don’t just want to ban tiktok because of the mass spread of unregulated information. they want to ban tiktok because of the mass spread of empathy. billions of videos depicting the human experience. i have cried so many tears and laughed until my stomach hurt all for strangers i’ll never meet. when we care about each other more than we care about the dollars in our pockets it scares them. it scares them because they feed and live off of human suffering and exploitation. they’ve manipulated our minds so much we believe we are dependent on them when really they are dependent on us. they’ve divided us so much we’ve forgotten what it’s like to love each other. they’ve allowed so much violence and so much hatred that it’s become all we know. but a heart full of empathy and love will always want to share that love. that’s what they fear. capitalism is just a circle jerk of who has the deepest pockets and billionaires can’t exist without the exploitation of the working class. calculate how many hours you’d need to work earning minimum wage in order to be a billionaire. look up the recent layoffs of thousands of hiring recruiters across the country. research the nationwide implementation of AI that accepts your résumé based on buzzwords and not actual experience. did i mention homelessness is illegal and i’m pretty sure social security is like gone now? How many hours would it take to be billionaire?

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

Personally, I think if you describe yourself as a socialist and also have a bust of Vladimir Lenin's head in your house, I should be allowed to smash that bust over your head with no consequences.

[afniel]

Maaaaaaaaaaaan, come on.

(the post has ended up in the tags btw. I am not changing this and I need you to understand that it is just me talking to myself semi-publicly)

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

When voters cast their ballots in the upcoming April election, they will, in nearly all Illinois communities, select one candidate per race. That could change under legislation proposed in the Illinois General Assembly.

At a House Ethics and Elections Committee hearing this week, two bills were discussed that would bring ranked choice voting to the state. The format, where voters select a first, second, third, and so forth candidate, has gained traction recently in states such as Alaska.

Evanston, home to Northwestern University, became the first city in the state to adopt RCV. A November referendum passed overwhelmingly and would apply to municipal races.

The bills - House Bill 2807 from state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, and House Bill 3749 from state Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago - focus on presidential primaries, and municipal and township office races respectively.

Former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll, now a senior fellow at FairVote, a national nonprofit promoting RCV and election reform, told lawmakers the system would benefit voters in Illinois and nationwide.

Carroll promoted RCV as a way to move past personal attacks commonplace in political campaigns and instead focus on the issues. He said assertions that the elderly and people of color would not understand the process were false and offensive.

"For someone who has been involved in party politics, probably far longer than I should have been in my life, it also helps promote more viable candidates who are running for office," he said, serving as the first Black House Speaker in Colorado from 2003 through 2011. "So, it tends to mitigate against the most extreme candidates in both parties."

Opponents have submitted more witness slips than proponents on both bills as of Wednesday. Among them is Andy Bakker, representing the Illinois Opportunity Project and Stop Rank Choice Voting Coalition in Illinois, who spoke to the committee on Tuesday.

RCV would be a "radical change" to the way Illinoisans vote, and he questioned the benefits Carroll mentioned.

"At the end of the day, rank choice voting is a scheme to disconnect elections from issues and allows candidates with marginal support to win," Bakker said. "It obscures true debate and issue-driven dialogues among candidates and eliminates genuine, true binary choices."

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Instead of one choice, voters in a ranked-choice system select their first choice among a list of candidates and then choose their subsequent second, third, and potentially fourth options.

Under RCV, a candidate automatically wins if they receive a plurality of votes as a first choice. However, in cases such as the recent Chicago mayoral race where no candidate secured a majority, an elimination process would begin.

The candidate with the lowest number of votes would be eliminated and each of their votes reallocated to their supporters’ second choice candidate. The process would repeat until one candidate secured more than 50% of the votes.

Amber McReynolds, a senior political strategist with Issue One, said that based on RCV data from states such as Alaska, New York, and California that already use RCV, voter turnout has improved while helping to manage a large field of candidates.

"This is a better voting model to ensure all voices and choices are reflected in the election results," she said, an Illinois native also visiting from Colorado.

WHAT COUNTIES ARE PREPARED TO IMPLEMENT?

Neither HB 2807 nor HB 3749 have effective dates nor have been moved out of committee, but McReynolds thinks if passed, the legislation could be quickly implemented.

More than 80% of Illinois voters live within a jurisdiction that has the systems and software to use RCV, she said. But more than a third of counties would require updates.

State Rep. Dennis Tipsword Jr., R-Metamora, raised concern about the expense of updating election systems for rural counties.

Julie Bliss, county clerk in Boone County, told committee members part of the increased expense is that ballots will be larger. It also depends on what voting software is used. Bliss added every Illinois county has a separate contract with voting companies.

States such as Vermont, Georgia and Rhode Island that have statewide contracts reduce costs and give voters a more uniform experience regardless of county, she said.

The expense estimated for Boone County, home to about 53,000 residents, ranges from $35,000 to $45,000 to purchase the needed software upgrade, she said.

Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray confirmed an upgrade to the county's Election Systems and Software would cost about $1.8 million. However, a system upgrade only would be part of the expenses, he said. Sangamon County also would need to account for increased printing costs due to larger ballots, certification with state and federal election authorities, a software update, and educating the public on what RCV means.

Aggregating election software at the state level could help with costs, but Gray said he would like to know what that means for security measures. He also noted that counties such as Cook which uses Dominion Voting Services for its tabulation, have different needs and financial abilities when it comes to elections.

"The decentralized factor of how we operate today is a great security feature, especially in the age of cybersecurity."

"Our opponents that would like to be nefarious to the system ... have to access multiple points instead of a single, universal centralized system."

With limited data on the expense, state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, urged more research be conducted before the legislature moves forward with RCV statewide. Like Bliss, she also supported a statewide voting system.

"I understand the idea, I understand it works in other places, but I understand our process does not collect the proper data for us to analyze," she said.

[quillsand]

just hit the part where elend gets deposed, time to put the king has lost his crown by abba on repeat <3

[booasaur]

Something really amazing happened in France, and I think it'd help us in the US to learn about it. Forgive the long read, but I think this is genuinely great both because of what happened and how.

So as some of you might have seen, in a decision historians will debate for years (mostly to figure out just WTF he was thinking, even though he is alive right now and can be asked), the French president, Emmanuel Macron, currently in power and THREE YEARS before the scheduled election, seeing the far right rise in popularity decided to dissolve the assembly and hold snap elections.

577 seats were up for grabs. Remember that number. Since half of that is 288.5, 289 seats are needed for a majority.

The first round happened last week and boy, was it bad. The far right made HUGE gains. It won or was in first place in so many races. And Macron's party ended up third!

Overall, this is how things ended up after the first round:

Far right bloc: 33%

Left bloc: 28%

Macron's centrist party: 20%

Conservatives: 7%

The way the French system works is that if a candidate gets over 50% of the vote, they win outright, and some of the far right did manage that. But, many races went to a runoff.

Immediate projections after were that the far right bloc might win anywhere from 240 to 310 seats, a catastrophe.

A shameful swing to the far right leading to the first time they'll be in power since the 1940s? Yes, but maybe not??

This is where things get interesting.

Unusually, a lot of these runoffs are 3-way, instead of a simpler 2-way choice. And in pretty much every case, that helps the far right.

So on June 30th, the night of the first round, this is how things went down:

Immediately, the left parties put out the call: anywhere they were third, they withdrew and their voters would go over to whoever was running against the far right candidate. Their goal: form a "republican front" to block the far right. The far right cannot get 289 seats.

Macron's bloc was not so...motivated. Different people put out different instructions: in some places, if they were third, they should drop out, but only to help the center left, not far left, in other places, see how far you are, only then drop out, that kind of thing.

The conservative party simply said they won't drop out and won't give their voters instruction either way in races they're not involved in.

Late night developments:

More people in Macron's party are now beginning to realize the situation and starting to coalesce around whichever candidate can beat the far right one. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, from Macron's party, says clearly the priority is to block the far right. BUT, some Macron spokespeople on TV say they'll form a coalition only with the center left and conservatives, splitting the left bloc if needed. Some individual Macronists still saying they won't drop out, even if there's no hope of winning.

Lol.

So, now July 1st:

Only half so far. In one race, where the sister of Marine Le Pen (the far right leader and the face of their movement) was leading, the third place Macronist refused to bow out.

Excellent quote from another Macronist:

Perhaps realizing the same thing, that Macronist in the race against the Le Pen sister now drops out.

In some places, third place Macronists are dropping out DESPITE Macron bewilderingly telling them NOT to?

Halfway through the day:

Of the 311 3-way or 4-way runoffs, the number is down to 135 because of these candidates dropping out: 121 Left, 56 Macronists, 1 conservative.

Oh, there was this, in case people had any doubts about how terrible the far right are:

And to show the selflessness of the left:

July 2:

The deadline to decide if they want to stay in a runoff is today.

A dozen new third place Macronists who said they'd stay in have now dropped out. One got a call from both the PM Attal AND Macron to drop out, signalling the dawning understanding of the importance of this moment.

Even some conservative party members are now backing the left candidate who faces the far right.

A Macronist who had 30.55% of the vote in the first round and came in third to the far right's 33.11% and left's 32.73% and who would have been tempted to stay has dropped out.

The deadline to stay in or not has now passed.

Look at these far right shenanigans!

Macron still being a freaking loser:

July 3rd:

In the end, of the 311 3- or 4-way run offs, only 91 left. Some polls come out that have the far right getting between 190 to 220 seats.

July 4th:

New polls say the balance of the voting itself isn't transferring between the left and center and predictions have risen for the far right, now predicted to get between 210 and 250 seats.

July 5th:

New polls again, left voters now predicted to do better transferring vote to the centrists, decreasing the far right projections again.

However, scandalous reporting emerges: while Attal was trying to fend off the far right, Macron was not only NOT taking the far right seriously, he was undermining efforts to defeat them. His team shrugged off the first round results and celebrated a BIRTHDAY as the results were still coming in?

July 6th:

A few runoffs happened yesterday, nothing much unexpected, some left and center wins.

July 7th:

The day of reckoning. At this point, the expectations are that the far right won't come close to that 289 number but could still easily have the most seats.

GUYS.

It's over and the left are in the lead!

A LOT of cases where a leftist or centrist was 2nd in the first round and now won.

Amazing:

SO many lessons to take from this.

First, you have to vote! You have to. You can't do anything without voting. The freaking French, who'll protest for anything, are showing up to vote. If you're trying to achieve any kind of result and it's not going to happen by January 2025, you have to vote now.

But just as importantly, the left and center (and even conservative) parties made very key decisions. They were all lucky that Attal, who Macron chose, saw the big picture, bigger than indeed Macron could. A stupid selfish centrist leader could have still ruined everything if it were up to him.

TL;DR: After a disastrous first round in the national French elections where the far right was on the cusp of taking power, the left and center formed a strong coalition and through the power of voting and unity, overcame the far right AND their selfish centrist president to win.

[5thpiillar]

Stay Informed with the Latest Vidhan Sabha Election News - 5th Pillar

As the Vidhan Sabha elections approach, staying updated with accurate and timely information is crucial. At 5th Pillar, we bring you the most reliable Vidhan Sabha election news, covering every major development from political campaigns, candidate announcements, and party manifestos to voting trends and election results. Our in-depth articles, analyses, and live updates ensure that you are well-informed about the political landscape in your state. Whether you are following key candidates, hotly contested constituencies, or overall election strategies, our platform is your go-to source for comprehensive election coverage. Stay connected with 5th Pillar to know the pulse of the Vidhan Sabha elections and make informed decisions as a voter.

[5thpillar1]

Stay Ahead with the Latest Politics News and Analysis - 5th Pillar

In the ever-evolving world of politics, staying updated is crucial for understanding the implications of recent developments. At 5th Pillar, we offer comprehensive coverage of the latest politics news, providing in-depth analysis and commentary on significant political events and decisions. Our platform ensures you are well-informed about legislative changes, electoral processes, and political controversies. From breaking news to detailed reports, our content is designed to give you a clear understanding of how current political dynamics affect both national and global landscapes. Whether you're a political enthusiast or just seeking to stay informed, 5th Pillar is your go-to source for the most relevant and insightful political news.

[jannetranews]

हरियाणा चुनाव से पहले अनिल विज ने CM पद पर ठोका दावा

Haryana Assembly Election 2024 : हरियाणा के वरिष्ठ भाजपा नेता और पूर्व गृह मंत्री अनिल विज ने मुख्यमंत्री पद के लिए अपनी वरिष्ठता के आधार पर दावा ठोकने का फैसला किया है। उन्होंने नामांकन पत्र भरने के बाद यह दावा किया है, जिससे भाजपा हाई कमान को भी संदेश देने का प्रयास किया है।अनिल विज ने कहा है कि वह 6 बार के विधायक रह चुके हैं और अब 7वीं बार चुनाव लड़ रहे हैं। हरियाणा की तकदीर और तस्वीर बदल…

[5th-pillar]

Bihar Politics News You Can Trust: Timely Updates and Detailed Reports

For those who follow the political landscape of Bihar, 5th Pillar offers a wealth of information through our Bihar politics news section. We cover all aspects of the state’s political environment, from elections and party campaigns to government policies and reforms. Our platform provides in-depth articles and analyses that help you stay ahead of the latest political trends. Whether it's understanding the dynamics of political alliances or keeping track of legislative changes, we ensure that you have access to timely and accurate information. Trust 5th Pillar to keep you updated with all the important political events in Bihar, backed by thorough research and expert insight.

[rightnewshindi]

बिना राज्य का दर्जा दिए क्यों करवा रहे हो चुनाव, आपकी न नीयत स्पष्ट है, न ही नीति; कांग्रेस का बीजेपी पर बड़ा हमला

बिना राज्य का दर्जा दिए क्यों करवा रहे हो चुनाव, आपकी न नीयत स्पष्ट है, न ही नीति; कांग्रेस का बीजेपी पर बड़ा हमला #News #newsong #newseason #newstyle #newshoes #newsingle #newspaper #newstart #newschool #newsouthwales #newstock

Delhi News: कांग्रेस नेता प्रमोद तिवारी ने शनिवार को केंद्रीय गृह मंत्री अमित शाह से सवाल किया कि जम्मू-कश्मीर को पूर्ण राज्य का दर्जा देना ही है, तो छीना क्यों? पूर्ण राज्य का दर्जा छीनने से घाटी की आर्थिक व्यवस्था पंगु हो चुकी है। कांग्रेस नेता ने कहा राज्य का दर्जा दिए बगैर क्यों चुनाव करा रहे हैं? आपकी न नीयत स्पष्ट है, न ही नीति। वहां निर्वाचित सरकार भी कठपुतली ही होगी। उसके पास कोई शक्ति…

[townpostin]

Saryu Roy Lambastes Dr. Ajoy Kumar Over Bhuiyandih Notice Issue in Jamshedpur

Saryu Roy accuses Ajoy Kumar of spreading false claims regarding the Bhuiyandih dwellers’ notices, challenging his motives. Saryu Roy has called out Ajoy Kumar for misleading remarks about notices to demolish houses in Bhuiyandih, insisting that Kumar clarify his stance on the matter. JAMSHEDPUR – Saryu Roy, a prominent figure in Jharkhand politics, has criticized Congress leader Dr. Ajoy Kumar…

[pniindia]

Jammu-Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: आखिर किसके खाते में आएगी सांबा की सीट, विधानसभा चुनाव के ऐलान के बाद सियासी बवाल

Jammu-Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: जम्मू कश्मीर में विधानसभा चुनाव का ऐलान होने के बाद सियासी हलचल अब और भी ज्यादा बढ़ गई है. आपको बतादें कि यहां 2014 के बाद पहली बार विधानसभा चुनाव होने जा रहे हैं और इस बीच काफी हद तक घाटी के हालात बदले हैं. जैसा की सब जानते हैं कि जम्मू कश्मीर अब केंद्र शासित प्रदेश बन गया है साथ ही यहां से धारा 370 भी हट चुकी है. वहीं जम्मू कश्मीर की 90 विधानसभा सीटों पर अब मतदान की तारीख का भी ऐलान हो चुका है.

[albonium]

can't believe france is almost a dictature rn and i still have to go to work ?