a-girl-with-sparkling-lies:

pete-tato:

rebe83:

owainsbobbies:

gooseweasel:

Hey so friendly reminder about voting and elections that I haven’t seen going around yet but is SUPER IMPORTANT.

Watch what you wear and say while you’re waiting in line for the voting booth/at the polls. It is against federal law to do anything that might be considered campaigning once you’re there, and since we know that voter suppression is the name of the game this election, there will be people looking for ANY reason to remove you from the polling place. And they will nitpick. You have a shirt with a artistic picture of donkey on it? You’re visibly supporting the Democrats, you’re disqualified from voting. Want to wear a Black Lives Matter shirt? Not there you don’t. They’ll call it intimidation and kick you out. Pins, buttons, stickers, none of it. Wear the most bland, plain clothes you can imagine. 

And then keep your mouth shut. Even the slightest hint of discussion about which candidate you’re voting for can get used against you. Don’t assume the people around you are safe to discuss it with. You might be overheard. There WILL people watching for these things, hoping to get rid of anyone they can. Voter suppression isn’t just about making registration impossible. It happens at the polling stations too. Be smart, be bland, be quiet, and make sure your vote gets in. 

Also- and I have seen this mentioned but it bears repeating- DO NOT TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR BALLOT. EVER. It’ll also disqualify your vote. Take a selfie when you’re out of their with your fun little sticker. 

this post is a fucking joke right ?

nope, it is illegal to campaign near a voting station and taking pictures of your ballot is illegal in many states. I think it might even be illegal to take pictures around the voting place at all. The extent to which “campaigning” is interpreted allows for easy voter suppression.

Meanwhile in australia, the Ballot stations are literally made of cardboard boxes, and the second you even turn up to the assigned voting place for your area (usually a school, park, or other public type place)

You see stalls from each major party and a few minor ones, all line up on the way to the ballot boxes.

Each of them ask for you to vote for them, and give you a glorified flyer that looks like a ballot paper, that is pre numbed that pretty much says “fill your out exactly as demostrated, put this party first, and these parties that help us or we mind less about as second, third or whatever. put out opponents last.”

I mean, I knew you guys were turning into a dystopia, but seriously, being told off for discussing voting, or even wearing something vaguely resembling a party logo is ridiculous.

We turn up and get given a free democracy sausage (see bunnings snag)

Here in Australia you could rock up wearing a tshirt that says “Politician Jones is a Dickhead” and no one would care as long as you cast your vote.

America’s voting laws are fucking ridiculous, the “land of the free” REALLY hates actual democracy apparently. Contrast to Australia who does not give a fuck what your deal is as long as you actually turn up. Anyone trying to police what we wear or say at the polling stations would just be laughed at.