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ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper.com

I kinda suspect American voters are likely dumber than average in democracies because our system is so complicated and nonsensical

brent 🌹🗽@therealbrent.bsky.social

Main takeaway from the NYT Iowa focus group is that none of these voters really know what’s going on and they barely know anything about the candidates running in either statewide election lmao

ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper.com

like table stakes to be able to even understand what is going on is being aware of the Senate filibuster, a thing that is so deranged that it wouldn't even occur to someone to design it on purpose and is nowhere in the Constitution

ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper.com

whereas in a parliamentary system, the average dope who hates thinking about political crap can just pull the lever for the party that sounds nice. lot of them even have convenient labels. "ah yes, the Labor Party, that's probably for workers." not always accurate ofc but it's better

ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper.com

oh my god ballot initiatives too. "yes, let's require ordinary voters parse this highly complex legalese likely written to be intentionally dishonest." crazy system bsky.app/profile/benf...

Ben@benfields.net

as a dual national that votes in two places I think there's something to this. UK elections are considered big and complicated when you have to vote for 3 things in one ballot. My recent California ballot had a couple dozen roles and another 10 propositions. This is too much.

Ben
@benfields.net

In CA they're required for lots of business as usual tax policy and bonds, a hold over from when the Republicans were radicalizing themselves in the last couple decades of their hold on state power (up to Pete Wilson's governorship in the 90s) and a key reason why state government here is broken

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