Post

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

I voted last night: sat at my dinner table, read several voter guides, discussed the choices with my family, filled out my ballot, put it in an envelope, dropped it in a ballot box. Civilized, safe, reliable system. I'll say though: the wording on the ballot initiatives is *opaque* this year.

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

First you have to vote no on a measure that would repeal an income tax on the wealthy -- a double negative. The one on "parental rights" is completely impenetrable. I just voted "no" because the progs all told me to. I still couldn't tell you exactly what it means.

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

And the one on "biological males" in sports makes no mention of the fact that all girls will face genital evaluation if they want to play sports in school at all. Basically, if I hadn't closely read a helpful voter guide, I -- an engaged, literate voter! -- would be utterly at sea on these.

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

Governing via ballot initiative, where any motivated billionaire can buy enough signatures to get something on the ballot that reverses democratically passed legislation ... is not great.

15 reposts172 likes

Geoff Staneff
@gstaneff.bsky.social

This year's were particularly obfuscated; with wording subject to fights & litigation. Though last year's initiative that saved new methane installations was *also* hard to parse. When your audience misunderstanding your point/position is a feature we're in the place where bad governance happens.

Ben Klaus
@looserooster.bsky.social

Same problem in Colorado. One cool situation is there are offsetting measures. One raises taxes at the high end and another caps taxes. So the first only works if the second passes. Also spent like an hour trying to figure out if an anti-gerrymandering proposal enabled gerrymandering 🙃

maimster.bsky.social
@maimster.bsky.social

California says hello! It wears me out every voting cycle. "Didn't we do this vote last time?"..."Wait, who's on the NO side of this - oh hell!"...Our voting guides, between them, are 300 pages this year.

TrueSync
@truesync.bsky.social

Yeah California got rid of money bonds which enrich a few bail bondsmen and Wall Street financiers and they are not necessarily at all Only for the special interest to erase decades of legislative work in a few months Keeping the completely awful bond business

TrueSync
@truesync.bsky.social

The worst is special interest and dedicated funding If the state budget should go to scientific research seems that legislators that actual understand the state budget should agree to this and pass it or not

EAll
@ealluia.bsky.social

I've long wondered to what extent that relieves pressure on the party system to shift by unpacking the platform. You can keep your partisan loyalty *and* express your desire for a min wage hike. You don't have to pick. The research I've read out of curiosity is mixed.

senator cornpop
@tvaug.bsky.social

I was just in MT where I would vote yes every initiative. It seems like mostly a way for minority parties to get priorities passed/given salience. I'm not opposed as long as the intent of the initiative is obvious to a lay person and the ones in WA this year are not.