Post

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.

ryan cooper
@ryanlcooper.com

also formal party offices! as part of a system that basically doesn't even exist!! bsky.app/profile/ryan...

ryan cooper@ryanlcooper.com

I just voted in the PA primary and there was a spot for “Democratic Committeeman.” the fact that I hadn’t the slightest clue what that even is was luckily counterbalanced by the fact that nobody had gotten listed on the ballot

7 reposts193 likes

Adrian
@adrianwashere.bsky.social

I mean, as part of a party primary, I think that's fine. Democratic voters get to vote for party leadership? What's wrong w that? That's just economy of resources, putting it on the party ballot at the same time as elections for government officials. The real scandal is that there were no nominees!

Exo_genesis2
@exogenesis2.bsky.social

The UK has had a grand total of 3 nationwide referenda ever, two on the EU (or the EC as it was in the first one in the 70s) and one on changing the voting system. You can argue they're not a good idea in a parliamentary system at all.

Exo_genesis2
@exogenesis2.bsky.social

In fact one of the big problems with the 2016 Referendum was we ended up with a very narrow vote to leave but a parliament that had been elected a year earlier by roughly the same electorate that was 2/3rds or more "Remain" MPs.

Opinion Haver
@asinmarx.bsky.social

Parliamentary systems are better at expressing the will of the voters, but there's no system that's going to do much to fix what that will actually is

Adrian
@adrianwashere.bsky.social

We in the US simultaneously suffer from both too little & too much democracy at the same time. He have gerrymandering, voter disenfranchisement/suppression, but also, way too many elected offices that should either be completely outside the political system, or should be tied to the executive.

Adrian
@adrianwashere.bsky.social

And then there are all the different elections: presidential elections, but also midterm elections, but also (in many places) off-year elections, & special elections, & then nearly all of those also have primary elections before the general elections, plus ballot initiatives. We need consolidation.