Today is primary election day in the Show-Me state, with lots of hotly contested races.
Prior posts:
If you haven’t done so already, please go vote.
— Steve Patterson
The two major parties have now nominated their candidates for the general election. Another election between a giant douche and a turd sandwich. But some think the rules governing the presidential debates should be revised so candidates beyond the Republican & Democratic nominees could participate:
In a forum at the University of Minnesota Monday, Stanford professor Larry Diamond and Republican heavyweight Vin Weber made a strong, interesting case for changes to the rules for presidential debates that would make it easier, and perhaps automatic, to expand the cast to at least three candidates in the fall debates.
The current Republican-Democratic duopoly is “embarrassingly undemocratic,” Diamond said, and the fact that the commission that runs the debates is dominated by representatives of the two parties, who have no real interest in expanding the choices presented to the public, “doesn’t pass the smell test” and is “not defensible.”
More voters now identify themselves as independents than as Democrats or Republicans, Weber said. If the two current frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are the major-party nominees, the debate between them would feature two candidates who have higher unfavorable than favorable ratings, he noted. If the only two candidates on the debate stage are Clinton and Trump, a lot of Americans will be wondering why they can’t have other choices, he said. (Minnesota Post: Why we need more than two candidates at presidential debates)
As of 2000, the rules require a 15% polling threshold to participate.
This poll will close at 8pm,
— Steve Patterson
The Democratic convention began in Philadelphia yesterday. The Republican convention wrapped up last Thursday with the nomination of Donald J. Trump and running mate Mike Pence. In a May 2015 Sunday Poll Trump didn’t even male the top 5!
But it was early in the race and the list of candidates was too long. Still, the polls here are non-scientific and participation was very low.
In the meantime, a week from today, Missouri has a big primary election. I voted absentee a couple of weeks ago, after researching the races and all the candidates in each, I applied my personal rules for voting:
While I’m not enamored by the DNC, I did take a Democratic ballot.
Here’s how I voted:
On the Republican side the ads have been numerous and nasty in several races, I’m looking forward to reviewing the results. And to a break in political commercials for a month or so until the general election ads begin. Thankfully we have Netflix.
— Steve Patterrson
The St. Louis Board of Aldermen are on their Summer break, when they return they’ll take up Board Bill 66:
The measure would require a vendor’s license to distribute food, blankets or other goods on city sidewalks or parks — even if those items are being given away. It would also make it illegal to give anything away between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (St. Louis Public Radio)
The following is today’s poll question:
The poll will close at 8pm.
— Steve Patterson
The four candidates for the Republican nomination for Missouri governor will debate for an hour tonight. They also debated last month — see Watch full video of the debate between Republican Missouri Governor’s candidates.
In the non-scientific Sunday Poll, readers thought Lt Gov Peter Kinder is most likely to win the GOP primary next month:
Q: Which Republican candidate for Missouri Governor do you THINK will win the August 2nd primary?
Of the four, Kinder is the only one to have ever won a statewide race. Brunner lost the 2012 primary for U.S. Senate to Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin, Greitens has never run for public office before. In this poll nobody got a majority of votes, which may happen in the primary as well. An argument in favor of Ranked Choice Voting:
Ranked choice voting (RCV) makes democracy more fair and functional. It works in a variety of contexts. It is a simple change that can have a big impact.
With ranked choice voting, voters can rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice. Candidates do best when they attract a strong core of first-choice support while also reaching out for second and even third choices. When used as an “instant runoff” to elect a single candidate like a mayor or a governor, RCV helps elect a candidate that better reflects the support of a majority of voters. When used as a form of fair representation voting to elect more than one candidate like a city council, state legislature or even Congress, RCV helps to more fairly represent the full spectrum of voters. (FairVote.org)
For a look at all the candidates running, please see Ballotpedia’s Missouri gubernatorial election, 2016 page. Tonight’s debate will be broadcast in the St. Louis area on KMOV channel 4.1 from 7pm-8pm.
For a drinking game take a drink overtime one of them says any of the following ten words:
Don’t play the drinking game if you’ll be driving afterwards.
— Steve Patterson