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GOP lawmakers said to fear 'bloodletting' as they grow tired of bullying by Trump allies
(www.rawstory.com)
this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
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politics
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Anonymous voting by elected representatives may be the goofiest thing I've heard of in a while.
Such a bad idea. Now you have no idea if your representative is actually representing you or not!
Also no way to verify the vote is real if no accountability
I mean there are ways to ensure it, the most low tech option is to have a camera rolling, have all the Y/N votes stuffed into the box. Open up the box and count.
Your belief that anonymous voting in Congress is “goofy” reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how our political system operates. Public knowledge of each individual vote does little to influence electoral outcomes. I.e., voters rarely track day-to-day legislative decisions, and even when they do, their understanding of the complex procedural dynamics is limited. Campaigns are primarily won or lost based on messaging (truthful or otherwise), rather than detailed voting records.
The real leverage in our system comes from financial influence and political pressure exerted by donors, interest groups, and party leadership. This influence depends on knowing exactly how legislators vote, enabling these entities to reward or punish them accordingly. When every vote is public, politicians feel compelled to serve those who fund their campaigns rather than following their own conscience or serving the broader public interest.
The proposal I highlighted for rebuilding trust is to restore anonymous voting in Congress. This follows the same expectations a anonymous voting in general elections. By keeping individual votes private, representatives are enabled to make decisions based on their judgment and principles rather than on fear of retribution or loss of funding. Many political scientists and reform advocates agree (see discussions in the American Political Science Review or reports from nonpartisan think tanks like the Brennan Center for Justice).
It is telling that your comment has garnered so much support. This demonstrates how easily public perception can be shaped and how difficult it is to foster informed discussions about positive legislative reforms.
The fact that pretty much every other democracy that doesn't allow rampant lobbying and corruption works with public voting but one doesn't should tell you that the problem is not with public voting.
There are different systems. We have something called a 2-party system. Please consider yourself informed. Thanks for the downvote.
Well, you've got "confidently incorrect" down pat. Consider yourself informed.