86
Sonia Sotomayor says Americans may not know difference between presidents and kings (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/law@lemmy.world
6 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I agree with her general point about the poor civics education of Americans. Even reading comments here on Lemmy has been enough to convince me that most Americans have no clue how their government works.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    So many people think gerrymandering applies to presidential elections.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    When state and national legislatures are gerrymandered, and these legislatures restrict enfranchisement of the public, participation in elections lives downstream of gerrymandering.

    There's also been a push by the Trump legal groups to advance "independent state legislature theory". Under this rule, the electoral college is selected by the state legislature without regard to the statewide popular vote.

    Very possible we have a SCOTUS willing to uphold such an interpretation.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago

    I'm fairly certain this is the endgame goal. Gerrymandering can only get the GOP so far - red states are already badly gerrymandered, there's not a ton of gains there. Populations between states aren't swinging that much to take away electoral votes from red to blue states.

    But independent state legislature, now that's got legs. Gerrymandered red states stay red for state legislature, they pick the (no pun intended) "right" electoral college members, boom! No more democrat presidents.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent