California Democrats push for younger voter turnout

February 15, 2013

voteDemocratic California lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at increasing the voter turnout among young people. [LA Times]

The bills aimed at increasing younger voter turnout include two that would require polling places on college campus and one that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election.

Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco and Senator Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills each introduced bills requiring polling places on California State University, University of California and California Community College campuses.

A polling place already exists on the Cal Poly campus.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin of South San Francisco introduced a state constitutional amendment that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primaries.

“Most young people’s first contact with politics is in their mandatory high school civics class,” Mullin said. “This is the perfect time to get the engaged and give them some ownership in the process by getting them to vote in primaries.”

In the November 2012 election, a surge of young people voted following the implementation of online voter registration. California Democrats claimed supermajorities in both houses of the legislature in the election.

 


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Of course the Dems would want to lower the voting age to 17 year olds, they have them brainwashed already in the liberal collages so getting them to vote early is a win win for them. We are in the crapper already but the Dems want to make sure we stay there. What really frys my hide is that the little brats that come here to Cal Poly vote in out local elections I believe that is just plain wrong, why should a bunch of brain washed teenagers vote here in SLO county, they know nothing about how our county works and what we do but they vote in these tree huggers and we as taxpayers are left to clean up the mess.


liberal colleges? Try K-12, and they are not so much “liberal” as “progressive indoctrination centers” or at the very least, propaganda promoters. I know many liberals (duh, who doesn’t around SLO) and a lot of them are having a hard time keeping up with the “progressive” agenda that they once thought so cool and enlightening. Especially the ones that actually read their history of progressivism.


The best propagandists are the ones who don’t even realize they are propagandizing. Hence, your typical young K-12 “educators.”


This does not surprise me one bit. The liberal strategy is to corner the market for low information voters. Do you think this will encourage our educators to teach more history, I doubt it.


Actually, a lot less! We are doomed, at least until the money runs out!


The money ran out a while ago, it is mainly the perception of wealth that keeps everything afloat.


Liberal? You are using a corrupted form of the word. There is nothing “liberal” about it.


It’s TYRANNICAL.


Correction: The politician responsible for the proposed lowering of the voter age is Assemblyman Kevin Mullin.


I understand the voting age is 18, but I’ve met very few 18 year olds who grasp reality, let alone the intricacies of politics and voting.


I don’t want to sound Romanesque, but it would be nice that only tax-payers get a vote. And not the kind of taxpayer that has ten bucks withheld and collects two grand on tax day… the “real” tax payers.


Why don’t we just limit voting to white males who own property like framers of the constitution intended? Right, r0y?


How about limiting voting to people that actually pay tax, as opposed to people that just want free phones, citizenship, money, ect


Which tax? Sales tax? Gas tax? Cigarette tax? Alcohol tax? Social Security tax? Inome tax or some other tax? All 17 year olds and illegal aliens pay sales tax and most pay gas tax. Is that enough? Of course it isn’t!


Your proposal is even worse than the what those legislators proposed.


you missed deemed resident tax


Yes, I missed lots of taxes…


ha! not hard to do


TTD=Taxed to Death


Why not institute Jim Crow era “intelligence” tests.

That should eliminate many of the posters here, as well as putting the “Party of Stupid” into oblivion.


Sure, they’re unconstitutional; but so we thought that corporations were not people, either.


Intricacies? You either apply thought, reason and experience to your political action or you’re a Republican. By getting younger folks, untainted by Fox news, involved in voting we won’t have to wait for the great tea party die off.


yes, i chain my children to chairs and force them to watch Fox


Slomike, are you aware the the Dept of Homeland Security uses the following news resources, and in their appearing order, for their “Credible Sources for Corroburation” of happening events, as shown below:


Analyst’s Desktop Binder 2011


page 14, Item 2.6


Title: Credible Sources for Corroboration


First Tier –

A first tier source is one that does not typically need additional corroboration priorto release. Sources that construct the first tier platform include major news networks, such as CNN and Fox; major newspapers, such as USA Today and The Washington Post; andinternational news, such as the BBC and The International Herald Tribune.


Major news networks (Television and Internet)


CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, Associated Press, Reuters (localaffiliates of these major networks can be considered Tier 1 sources)”


But read it for yourself.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/82701103/Analyst-Desktop-Binder-REDACTED


Note: FOX is number 2 on their list of CREDIBLE SOURCES list.


Just sayin…


Secretary Janet Napolitano oversees the third largest Cabinet department (DHS) and leads our nation’s efforts to secure our country from terrorism to natural disasters. Are suggesting she is ignoring a natural disaster?


http://www.thenation.com/blog/167999/its-official-watching-fox-makes-you-stupider


Study by Farleigh Dickinson University last year:

“FOX viewers are the least knowledgeable audience of any outlet, and they know even less about politics and current events thsn people who watch no news at all “.


I’m guessing that FDU is the antithesis to FOX. So the two fouls cancel out.


I know I sound like a broken record but….. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Voter. We tend to vote as our parents did.


My daughter was very liberal coming out of college but now that she is scratching for a living and raising a family she has shifted to more conservative values.


The American Voter may be an old study but it seemingly holds true. also, alot of research has been done on where a name or measure is placed on a ballot and its likliehood for success; whether we are low or high informations voter has nothing to do with it.


I watch all news sources and read them online as well. I educate myself about politics, current events. Fox is a network I watch. Are you suggesting I am less knowledgable because of doing so?


Yes, probably …because it is a DIS-information channel that regularly broadcasts deceptive and inflammatory opinions and editorials: not news.

It is simply the propaganda arm of the right wing and tye Republican party.


If you take what they say with any credibilty, even if you listen to other sources; the best you could be is hopelessly confused.

If you give them equal or more weighting, because their method is to simplify arguments ( dumb down ) into buzzwords and emotionalism, then you’re just going to be believing and repeating lies.

A common ploy they use is to have three or more ‘commentators’ employing circular logic supporting each other to convince their audience into positions of pseudo-certainty. Tom Tomoorow shows how they do this frequently.


wow, now I’ve got to watch this channel!


Birds of stupid feathers flock together.


as long as they wear red dresses and have blonde hair?


Typical Faux ( Fox ) conversation:


Steve Dooshy: “Well, President Obama is at it again ! He said in a speech last night to the Interplanetary Association of Mechanics, Neurosurgeons, Urologists, Therapists, and Scientists ( I.A.M.N.U.T.S. ), that the Moon is a lifeless hunk of rock orbiting the planet Earth, when everyone KNOWS that the Moon is made of Green Cheese ! ”

Crotchrot Carlson, “Why, yes…Steve! I have heard that the Moon is made of green cheese! Even my dead grandmother and my husband know that ! ”

Brian Killme, ” Whoa! This is a surprise to ME ! I heard that the Moon may, I repeat MAY, be in fact made out of ordinary YELLOW cheese. Probably, American processed cheese. If that’s the case, then we OWN it !”

Dooshy, “Oh Brian, you WOULD have to debate this ! Let’s bring in our resident expert: Charles Crapphanger! Dr. Crapphanger, your view”

Charles Crapphanger, ( DEEP WHEEZE ), ” As you know, I have long studied the Moon and other inaminate subjects, being inanimate myself. I also have eaten boxcars of processed cheese and suffered debilitating constipation that led to my permanent paralysis. ( WHEEZE) If I had access to healthy GREEN CHEESE with its bacteriological immunities, I might still be walking!

Instead, the “free Yellow Cheese Black Kenyan Nazi” Obama, made me a cripple ! “.

Brian, ” But, Aren’t you Older than Obama ? ”

Steve, ” AH HA, still wanting to debate, eh Brian ? ”

Crotchrot, ” He got you there, Brian “.

Dooshy, “So, There you have it ! The Moon is made out of Green Cheese. Fair and Balanced. We report, you decide !”.


Nothing new here, the basic population of this county is out voted ever year by the liberal university with it’s addition of the 15,0000 plus votes.

Intelligence has nothing to do with the ability to vote or reason, most people do not have any grasp of the issues and just vote the party….


Funny how I mention only tax-paying to vote and we got assumptions of racism. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re liberal (as they are usually the race-baiters).


My intent in the comment was that people who are financially responsible for the country should be the voters. Nothing about corporations, racism, Jim Crowe laws, or even Fox News.


Project much?


I understand your point and do not assume that you are a racist. However, not everyone is (or needs to be) a financial contributor to be capable of voting. Are you planning to eliminate voting for housewives(/husbands) whose “only contribution” to society is raising children or even just maintaining a household for a partner? What about someone in medical school who hasn’t earned enough to pay taxes yet? Some of these people have financial knowledge without “proof” in the form of a tax history. Others may be less financially qualified but better qualified in other ways that affect topics only marginally linked to taxation.


While I think that financial “literacy” is a definite benefit to informed voting, it is not the only one. If I thought that we could trust our government to design reasonable and fair qualifications, I wouldn’t object to a basic test for knowledge and literacy as a prerequisite for voter registration. Unfortunately, history shows that won’t necessarily happen.


Perhaps there should be a requirement that an individual serve the public in some sort of way (armed services, peace corps or similar) for 6 months or more before being able to vote. I am sure there would be problems with that too but it is a thought.


You have very valid points, re: the housewives/husbands and students.


On the public service note, Heinlein’s Starship Troopers is a great book regarding service in order to become a citizen (and thus, have a say or a vote… or a baby!). Very interesting view, sprinkled throughout a great sci-fi novel. I thought of that when you mentioned service in some way before being able to vote. Interesting concept, indeed.


The pursuit of stupidity knows no bounds.


Big government and stupidity are old friends.


“Small” government and ignorance are bed partners.


I remember the posters that hit my college campus for the 1968 Presidential election campaign. There were pictures of sports celebrities, Wilt Chamberlain was included. He promised to get us out of the Vietnam War. The opponent was some old political hack from Minnesota. The candidate; Richard Nixon. Should have saved that one.


…but didn’t Nixon get us out of ‘Nam? Still, would have been a cool collectible for political memorabilia!


along with my concert posters