this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024

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1305

Been thinking this for over a decade (i.imgur.com)

submitted 1 week ago by TehBamski@lemmy.world to c/memes@lemmy.world

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[–] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 122 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Because they don't want the workers voting.

If you "can't go to the ballot because you need to work" you are a plebeian, and so they have a way of excluding you while technically not excluding you.

A lot of modern oligarchy is powered by these technicalities. Technically everyone has a "right to" participate in the system, but the whole apparatus is rigged in such a way that in material reality only the same nobility caste that has called the shots since the bronze fucking age gets to call the shots.

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 30 points 6 days ago (5 children)

By law employers are required to allow their workers an opportunity to vote. The problem is other stuff like taking their kids to school and having to go to work right after and by the time you make it to the poll through rush hour traffic, the line is out the door and they shut it down and don’t let you vote even though you waited for an hour.

[–] tquid@sh.itjust.works 27 points 6 days ago (1 children)

My roommate asked for time off to vote; her employer literally laughed at her. Now, there is legal recourse there, and she would have likely won and even gotten awarded a money judgment.

But she needed that job without interruption. This was in Canada, by the way.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 12 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

This is why you don’t ask.

Also, you don’t really need a whole day. I’m also Canadian. Employers are required to allow you time to do it, not an entire day.

I would phrase the question like this: “I need to take time to go vote. Would you prefer I take the morning or afternoon off?”

If they so no to both, you say “you know it’s illegal not to allow me time off to vote, right?”

I’ve changed careers since the last election, but as a driver I’d just say “I’m going to swing by the polling place in my way to or back from wherever” and it was never a problem.

[–] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It really depends on how much you need that job to like

Not be homeless

And how hard it was to get the job in the first place.

You can make your legal rights count if you have options.

If you don't, you let your boss walk all over you and thank them for it.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago

I mean you do have options. We have the labour board here in Canada.

You don’t tell your employer you’re talking to them. You let them contact the employer. They can’t fire you while an investigation is ongoing.

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[–] HK65@sopuli.xyz 13 points 6 days ago (3 children)

So the bare minimum that even my little Eastern European hellhole could do was that a polling place closing means that those in line can still vote.

A poll worker gets in line exactly at closing time, and those in front get to vote however long that takes. It's not hard to organize.

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[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The law also doesn’t require employers to pay for that time, so many can’t afford to take the time off even if their employer is chill about it.

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Oh no it’s never paid, but they have to allow them time to vote. Usually that means wake up at 6am to get to the polls by 7

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[–] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 13 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

The thing is

"The law says it has to happen" doesn't mean it happens.

And the weaker labour protections are in your country, the more bosses can walk all over their employees.

In the US, with their so-called "at-will" employment system, you can be fired at any time for any reason, and if you need the job to like, live, you won't even bring up your legal rights.

Mind you even on countries where polling happens exclusively on Sunday (like mine!) there are other subtle ways The Poors ^tm^ are kept from enfranchisement. "Voting happens on a work day" is just one of the ways it happens in one of our world's oligarchies.

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[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 20 points 6 days ago

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread."

[–] chakan2@lemmy.world 25 points 5 days ago

Because easy and accessible voting is extremely bad for one party.

[–] Holyhandgrenade@lemmy.world 33 points 6 days ago (2 children)

In most civilized countries, voting takes place on weekends and your employer is legally obligated to let you leave work to go vote

[–] TexMexBazooka@lemm.ee 8 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Employees have to let you leave to vote.

They can also fire you the next day for a coincidentally unrelated reason, and unless you have 50k in lawyers retainers handy there’s not shit you can do about it

[–] Holyhandgrenade@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

If only there existed, like, a club for workers where everyone pays a membership fee to cover each other's legal costs and protect each other's rights. We could call it a "togetherness" or something like that

[–] TexMexBazooka@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago

If only…

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's not true.

In most states, employers don't need any reason at all to fire you.

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 47 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Sure, here you go: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7329

One of many such bills.

Take a look at the sponsors. I'll give you 1 guess at which party would vote it down, because it would hurt them in elections.

It's the same reason Puerto Rico will never be a state.

[–] ntma@lemm.ee 33 points 6 days ago (9 children)

Even if you made it a federal holiday, the wage slaves would still have to work.

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[–] recapitated@lemmy.world 27 points 6 days ago (1 children)

We should just have elections on presidents day.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (3 children)

And that way presidents day finally has an actual purpose.

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[–] Enfors@lemm.ee 12 points 6 days ago

"We"? Who are "we"? Star fleet?

People have to remember that this is the Internet, this thing is global.

[–] LifeOfChance@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Meanwhile all the schools in my area are polling places so kids don't have school.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Forcing many parents to take the day off anyway, but unpaid (or using PTO time, if they have it).

Working as intended. Make voting as difficult and distasteful as possible so we can welcome fascism with big warm hugs. Finally, no more of that voting nonsense.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

We don't get the day off to vote in MN but you are legally allowed to take time off to go vote (with pay). So when I was in the office, I always voted in the middle of the day right after my lunch hour.

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

Our boss just took us out to lunch and gave us four hours off the rest of the day to go out and vote, which is probably the most encouragement to vote I think I've ever gotten from any boss before. I'm sure I was entitled to it this whole time, but it's never been encouraged like this before with this boss at any of my other workplaces, if anything, previous bosses probably would've talked shit if I said that's what I wanted to do with my time.

[–] Stern@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

Dudes working at most hourly lower end type jobs still wouldn't get election day off, unless you mandated like octuple pay for anyone working that day (They should)

[–] Hikermick@lemmy.world 18 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Like 95% of the US get neither off

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[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago (1 children)

In France elections are held on a Sunday so most people don't work, the others are allowed time off to vote of course

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Well in the US, no one was originally intended to vote but the male landed gentry, who clearly could afford to travel for several days to their polling place, get plastered on local liquor, and just shout who they were voting for at whomever was supposed to jot that down. Them that person would go off and vote for whoever they wanted, in case the peasants had gotten any silly ideas and voted for the wrong guy.

[–] moseschrute@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

I think what you just described is the electoral college

[–] bamfic@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Why is it election day anyway, why not election month. California and Oregon have vote by mail; every state should

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Washington State too. You're right, the election isn't just a day anymore - I voted more than a week ago.

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[–] bluewing@lemm.ee 12 points 6 days ago

You are getting President's Day off?

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Because Republicans don’t want you to vote if you have the kind of job that you can’t just take whatever time you want off.

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[–] stebo02@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

why the fuck is election day not on a Sunday like any normal fucking country?

[–] Qwazpoi@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Bus doesn't even run on Sundays where I live in large areas (one of the top 10 largest cities in the US)

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[–] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 5 points 6 days ago

Because corporations own you and this means they can pressure how you vote in key states.

[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

I had a job for a few years with no MLK and no President's day. That stretch from New Years to Memorial Day was very, very long.

[–] robocall@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

Service workers work on both of those days, so the working class lose either way.

[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 6 days ago

The ruling class wants you to celebrate them more than it wants you to have any influence in their decisions. It's frighteningly close to HR pizza party logic.

[–] Juice@midwest.social 6 points 6 days ago

You can't tell me you don't understand why this is

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