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[Frumple]

... in other, good, news, Missouri has apparently struck down a bit of GOP union busting bullshit, nixing a right to work proposition republican lawmakers had been trying to push through. Thing got loving crushed, with a two to one margin putting it down.

[redwallzyl]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/now-trump-administration-wants-limit-citizenship-legal-immigrants-n897931

This makes me angry. They wont stop until legal immigration and citizenship is impossible. I'm seriously starting to get concerned for my dad.

[smjjames]

Departing head of NSA and US cyber command who left this year says that his efforts to defend against Russia were hamstrung because he requires an order from the white house to act and he has not been given one:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/politics/michael-rogers-nsa-cyber-command-russia-election-meddling.html
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/politics/cybercom-rogers-trump-russian-cyber-threat/index.html

This is the kind of thing and attitude I was referring to when I mentioned the 'this is fine' meme, except replace the dog with Trump and have his hair be on fire and also saying 'nope, hair is not on fire!'.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/now-trump-administration-wants-limit-citizenship-legal-immigrants-n897931

This makes me angry. They wont stop until legal immigration and citizenship is impossible. I'm seriously starting to get concerned for my dad.

They'd rather not have any immigration at all if they had their way.

[Karnewarrior]

They're nationalists. They don't believe people can change cultures or that cultures can work together with any diversity, and that nation-states should be synonomous with the culture they represent.

In other words, they think people should stay where they're born, never speak a second language (unless it's to do business), and immigration is therefore right out. After all, if they came from Mexico and are Mexican they can't be American and thus will inevitably chafe with "real" Americans until a tragedy happens.

[redwallzyl]

They're nationalists. They don't believe people can change cultures or that cultures can work together with any diversity, and that nation-states should be synonomous with the culture they represent.

In other words, they think people should stay where they're born, never speak a second language (unless it's to do business), and immigration is therefore right out. After all, if they came from Mexico and are Mexican they can't be American and thus will inevitably chafe with "real" Americans until a tragedy happens.

The irony is lost on the I suppose.

[misko27]

as opposed to paper ballots, where your vote vanishes into a literal black box and you have to hope it comes out the other end :p

It's a blue box I'll have you know.

Lets do a compromise then, lets take a paper ballot, and feed it into a slot on a computer.  Only the paper ballots will actually be counted in the election. The computer pops up on the screen and says yes you voted Foo.  Then puts the ballot in the box.

This is already how it works in new york state. I know because I work for the Board of Elections.

[scriver]

Spoiler: Every time I see the word "blockchain" (click to show/hide)

[Starver]

EDIT: My pessimism aside how feasible would it be to get a code upon voting that you could later go online with and compare to what was actually tallied under that system?  With the prevalence of personal pocket cameras If something funny starts happening it seems it could get found out quick.  It sounds like plenty of people would take a picture of their vote with the code onscreen and get really public with photographic evidence if stuff does not match up.

In the lengthy thing I deleted, I had the electronic vote you cast checkable against a receipt slip with voterID and one-time-salt used to access and confirm the record associated with that voter's intention and the necessary conformation that the tally prior to voting plus the intended vote becomes the tally immediately after voting.

It would not, itself, show the vote cast (so no pay-for-votes possibilities) but could be used to give reassurance. So long as the back-end is assured - an issue with paper-vote counting and electronic alike where taking a photo of a cast ballot doesn't prove anything about how/whether it is subsequently processed.

It needs other measures, to protect against electoral fraud (whether vote-buying or back-end massaging) which is why I deleted my 'manifesto' after writing it. Far too wordy for what I'd been trying to say.

[Hanslanda]

... in other, good, news, Missouri has apparently struck down a bit of GOP union busting bullshit, nixing a right to work proposition republican lawmakers had been trying to push through. Thing got loving crushed, with a two to one margin putting it down.

Go my state! I voted on that btw. Fuck the GOP (but not individual Republicans, y'all are usually alright)

[misko27]

Some elections from yesterday remain too close to call atm. It seems the GOP may have averted disaster in Ohio, at the cost of millions of dollars and a personal visit from Donald. Still, given how much they paid for, the razor-thin margin in a reliably red district isn't promising.

[Frumple]

Oh, it's promising, just not for the treasonous country wrecking bastards that is the GOP :V

[Shazbot]

We should harden our voting systems against fraud by requiring federally-issued issued voter photo IDs with the latest security from the credit card industry in all elections. EFV guarantees citizenship.

[smjjames]

You ARE aware of the politically charged debate over voter ID's, shazbot? And what do you mean by EFV?

On the surface of it, having voter IDs does sound reasonable, but the problem is that a certain party has been using it to disenfranchise minorities and makes it more difficult for some segments of the population to vote. Until it can be guaranteed that said IDs will be issued to absolutely everybody, it's going to be controversial. Probably going to need to throw in a federal voter database as well.

[Frumple]

On the surface of it, having voter IDs does sound reasonable, but the problem is that a certain party has been using it to disenfranchise minorities and makes it more difficult for some segments of the population to vote. Until it can be guaranteed that said IDs will be issued to absolutely everybody, it's going to be controversial. Probably going to need to throw in a federal voter database as well.

It's also trying to treat a problem that basically doesn't exist. Of every potential vulnerability in our voting systems, the individual level fraud a voter ID would defend against is pretty much the absolute least important and impactful.

And yeah, ain't that one fun, isp? Grandfather actually has asbestos influenced COPD from his navy years, so it's not exactly comforting to see this particular line of laxity showing up.

[MorleyDev]

the agency will “no longer consider the effect or presence of substances in the air, ground, or water in its risk assessments.”

That's... I just...what the...but...Environmental Protection Agency! It's literally in the name!