Bernie Sanders Archives - Follow My Vote

Hillary Clinton has won the DC Primary

Adam Ernest — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 01:00:23 +0000

With 42% of precincts in, CNN has just reported that Hillary Clinton won the DC Primary with a huge majority of the vote. At this rate, Hillary Clinton will net at least 14 or 15 delegates, with a margin so wide that she would have won by a larger margin than any Bernie Sanders win except in Vermont. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are meeting up after the results have been announced in the first time since they announced their candidacies. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly said he would remain in the race until the end of the DC Primary. Now that the primary is over, we are left wondering when he will drop out. He has acknowledged that he can’t win the nomination without the help of the super delegates, who are unlikely to support him because Hillary won the majority of the votes. Many speculate that he is staying in the race in order to get concessions at the convention. He has some leverage given that a good amount of his supporters are independents, and his endorsement of Clinton could set her up for an easier victory. Independents constitute 43% of the voting-eligible population, a new survey from gallup shows. Whoever can create and hold their interest has the best chance of winning the election. However, many independents don’t see it this way. With candidates such as Gary Johnson and Bernie Sanders being implausible candidates to win control of the white house, they are now out of options. The race now focuses on a one on one contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Many people will vote for what they deem the lesser of two evils. Independents around the United States are sharing this video in anticipation.

In reality, all of us at Follow My Vote just want an election where we don’t have to pick the least of the worst. Learn about other voting methods such as ranked choice here.

About Follow My Vote

Follow My Vote is dedicated to starting an end-to-end verifiable voting platform using blockchain technology that will help end voter fraud and voter suppression. If you’re interested in supporting our cause and honest elections, please consider supporting our Kickstarter.

About the author: David Brock is a Marketing Intern of Follow My Vote.

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DC Primary Predictions and Polling

Adam Ernest — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 20:28:00 +0000

With Hillary Clinton being declared the presumptive nominee, voter turnout is expected to be low for the DC Primary. Going 57th in the primary order means that often times the nominee has already been decided, but that’s nothing new to Tuesday’s set of voters. They’re used to getting the short end of the stick. DC has a greater population than Vermont and Wyoming, yet has no voting members in Congress nor is a state. Bernie Sanders has vowed to stay in the race at least until the end of this primary, which as of June 6th, 2016, over seven thousand people have voted early. Same-day voting opens up on June 14th, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m for the DC Primary.

It is expected that Hillary Clinton will win the DC primary because of her ability to attract the majority of minority voters. Sanders has not been able to overcome this, and in every contest where the state had a large minority presence, he has lost. DC has a population of 672,220 people, with only a 40.6% white population. Based on previous contests it is safe to say that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Nominee.

It’s amazing to think that just over a year ago, Bernie Sanders declared his candidacy. Since then, he rose from being a fringe candidate to a candidate who has pulled the democratic discussion to the left and has garnered over 12 million votes. Sanders supporters have frequently said that number should be higher, but because of voter suppression and voter fraud it is trailing Hillary’s. There is some truth to that statement though, as reports have surfaced that there was voter fraud in California. If you’re interested in that, click here.

About Follow My Vote

About the author: David Brock is a Marketing Intern of Follow My Vote.

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May Primary Synopsis And An Extensive Analysis Of The Washington Primary Results

Drb5880 — Wed, 25 May 2016 23:08:30 +0000

The Washington Primary had no surprises. With no competitors in sight, Donald Trump is just cruising through these primaries now. After his last major in-party opponent dropped out earlier, he has focused his attacks on “Corrupt Hillary” as he likes to call her. It shouldn’t be a surprise then that he won the Washington Primary by a landslide, clocking in just over 76% of the vote. With 352 unbound delegates left in the coming Republican primaries and with Donald Trump needing only 28 to win the nomination outright, we should just call him the Republican nominee already.

On the democratic side of things, it’s getting a bit interesting. An article by Phillip Bump of the Washington Post published earlier this month shows that Bernie Sanders would need over 90.8% of the vote in the upcoming primaries for him to win the Democratic nomination without the help of Clinton’s super-delegates. Even with her super-delegates split proportionally, Bernie Sanders would need 67.6% of the vote in the future primaries to win the nomination. Luckily, the Washington primary provided him with a landslide of a win, earning him 74 of the 101 available delegates. He was able to garner over 72.7% of the vote in the state. Even though Bernie is unlikely to win the nomination simply due to the Democrat’s process of proportional delegation, he still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Today, the Washington Post was able to get a glimpse of the Inspector General’s report on the legality of Hillary Clinton’s email servers.

The State Department’s independent watchdog has issued a highly critical analysis of Hillary Clinton’s email practices while running the department, concluding that she failed to seek legal approval for her use of a private email server and that department staff would not have given its blessing because of the “security risks in doing so.”

Rosalind S. Helderman – Washington Post

Keeping this in mind, when the FBI finishes their investigation they might choose to indict her. This may be Bernie’s best chance for winning the nomination but only time can tell.

Backtracking to the primaries before the Washington primary

Oregon

Donald Trump won with 66% of the vote (18 Delegates)

Bernie Sanders won with 56% of the vote (34 Delegates)

Kentucky

Donald Trump won with 35.9% of the vote (17 Delegates)

Hillary Clinton Won with 46.8% of the vote compared to Bernie Sanders 46.3% of the vote (each got 27 Delegates)

Breaking News: Bernie Sanders has requested a Kentucky Primary recanvass. (This is not the same as a recall) In his filing this Tuesday, Sanders requested a full check and recanvass of every voting machine. This includes absentee ballots and machines from all precincts in the counties. A Sanders aide was quoted in the Huffington Post saying:

“I think the point is just transparency, it’s not just about Kentucky,” Sanders aide Larry Cohen said on CNN. “It’s about trying to create a context, now and at the (Democratic) convention, that these primaries and caucuses need transparency, they need to be authentic, they need to build confidence among voters, particularly younger voters, that this is not rigged.”

We completely support the pursuit of transparency, however Sanders and his campaign will likely be sorely disappointed. Current voting machines are extremely faulty and can be easily hacked. They are not built to be transparent like a blockchain voting system.

West Virginia

Donald Trump won with 77% of the vote (30 delegates)

Bernie Sanders won with 51% of the vote (18 delegates)

Nebraska

Donald Trump won with 61% of the vote (36 delegates)

Bernie Sanders won with 57.1% of the vote (15 delegates)

Make sure you are signed up to vote in our parallel election! We are demonstrating the security and transparency of our blockchain voting software. You don’t want to miss out!

About the author: David Brock is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote.

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Election Fraud in New York Primary?

tylerm93 — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 17:27:30 +0000

Multiple outlets are reporting instances of election fraud in the New York primary. The Democratic Party’s primary on Tuesday appeared that it would be a tough contest between Clinton and Sanders. However, some Bernie supporters throughout the state reported that they could not vote for him.

Bernie Sanders criticized the voting process of the New York primary (which he lost big) on Wednesday https://t.co/iUVsqRBwMp

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 20, 2016

“Calls began flooding in early this morning to New York-based ABC affiliate WGRZ with reports of voting machines across the state switching votes entered for Democrat Bernie Sanders to his establishment counterpart Hillary Clinton. The station has spoken with multiple witnesses and is in the process of verifying statements from voters Upstate (districts 20, 21, 22 and 24) as well as two of the five boroughs (Bronx and Manhattan).”

– PoliticsForum

“Meanwhile, the state Attorney General’s office said its voter hotline received the most calls in its history Tuesday.

The hotline received 562 calls and about 140 emails from voters as of 5 p.m. The most common complaints were from voters who were told they weren’t registered to vote or that they couldn’t participate in a party’s presidential primaries. Other complaints ranged from lack of privacy, unclear instructions and accessibility issues.”

– Stefan Holt, NBC New York

Reports of voter fraud and purged voter rolls have led to an audit of New York City’s Board of Elections. More than 100,000 Democratic voters in Brooklyn (New York holds closed primaries) were purged from the voting roll. On top of that, some New Yorkers reported that poll workers attempted to coerce them into voting for Clinton over Sanders. Others simply complained of long lines and broken voting machines.

The New York Post reported similar issues in Brooklyn where thousands of people experienced trouble at their polling location. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Bertha Lewis, director of the Black Institute, have both called for an investigation. However, the Board of Elections Executive said this vanishing act is easily explained…

“Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan said the mystery is easily explained: Because of retirements and staff illness, the voting list was not properly maintained in Brooklyn for six to eight months.”

– Yoav Gonen and Carl Campanile, New York Post

Regardless of what the investigation reveals, we can do so much better. In a city as vast and bustling as New York, citizens could reap the benefits of blockchain voting. New Yorkers could enjoy complete anonymity and follow the election in real-time. If the Democratic Party of New York would have used blockchain voting, any concerned voter could audit election results to ensure election fraud was eliminated.

At Follow My Vote, we envision an open source, end-to-end verifiable voting system. If you believe that blockchain voting can eliminate voter fraud and bring honest elections to the world, check out our crowdfunding campaign going on right now! Help us make history in 2016.

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.

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South Carolina Democratic Primary: Clinton’s Landslide Victory Over Sanders

tylerm93 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:34:34 +0000

The South Carolina Democratic Primary was called relatively early on Saturday night with Clinton’s landslide victory over Sanders. Clinton took 73.5% of the vote and 39 delegates were added to her already sizable lead. Sanders struggled, collecting only 14 delegates, despite campaigning hard in the state.

With the loss, the Sanders campaign will now have an uphill battle with many states left to go. He has incredibly been held afloat by grassroots funding and his enormous popularity with younger voters.

“Even if he doesn’t prevail, Sanders has been the stone against which Clinton has honed and sharpened her own candidacy. Even just having to debate him, having to work harder to explain her positions and connect with voters, has made Hillary Clinton a better candidate.”

– Sally Kohn, CNN Politics

Clinton’s landslide victory in South Carolina bodes well for her prospects in the remaining Southern states. Both candidates head into Super Tuesday with 21% of delegates on the line. It isn’t all but certain that Tuesday will tell us which Democratic candidate will be the nominee. However, it will take a strong showing from Sanders to not make the gap in delegates seem insurmountable.

At Follow My Vote, we envision an open source, end-to-end verifiable voting system. Vote where you count, and sign up below for the 2016 Parallel Presidential Election. Help us make history in 2016.

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.

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2016 Presidential Race: Trump Wins South Carolina Decisively

tylerm93 — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 18:23:31 +0000

Follow My Vote will be keeping track of the 2016 Presidential Race, with coverage from each state. If you are unfamiliar with the difference between primaries and caucuses, read this first.

Democratic Party

The Nevada Democratic Caucus saw Hillary Clinton win on Saturday, taking 19 delegates to Sanders 15. This is an important win for Clinton who has been challenged in every state by Sanders. As it stands, Clinton needs more decisive victories like this to solidify her standing as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Republican Party

It was Donald Trump who won big in South Carolina’s Republican Primary on Saturday. Trump took 32.5% of the vote and all 50 delegates that were up for grabs. Rubio and Cruz came in second and third respectively, with 22% each. Trump’s win solidifies him as the true frontrunner in the Republican party, with Cruz and Rubio making it a 3-man race. Perhaps the bigger story coming out of South Carolina was Jeb Bush suspending his campaign. He had struggled to gain ground throughout his campaign, after being considered the man to beat this past Fall. It will be interesting to see which candidate his supporters decide to back in the coming weeks.

“Trump now looks even more formidable as he enters the 13 Super Tuesday states — once he has navigated the Nevada GOP caucuses Tuesday — with contests looming in places like Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Texas where he polls consistently well.”

– CNN Politics

Up Next: The parties will flip states this week, with the Nevada Republican Caucus on February 23. Also, be sure to tune in to CNN’s Republican Debate on February 25. The South Carolina Democratic Primary will be held on February 27.

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.

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Party Politics vs. The People: Did the New Hampshire Primary Just Expose a Crack in Our Broken Primary System?

tylerm93 — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 18:43:14 +0000

Eight Democratic superdelegates threw their votes to Hillary Clinton, despite Bernie Sanders overwhelmingly winning the popular vote in the New Hampshire Primary. Wait, what?

While normal delegates are assigned based on popular vote, superdelegates are party insiders and get to vote for who they think will help advance the interests of the party. Superdelegates are the electoral college of the primary system.

Let’s look at the numbers from New Hampshire’s Democratic Primary. Sanders won the popular vote by an overwhelming 22-point margin. This is the largest landslide in a primary since the days of JFK. Because of the landslide victory, Sanders had won 13 delegates to Clinton’s 9. It appeared that Sanders had taken the majority of the popular vote and delegates home on Tuesday night. However, in the past couple of days, the votes of New Hampshire’s superdelegates have shown that Clinton has not only drawn even at 13 with Sanders, but will actually surpass him with 15. What was a 13-9 delegate count in favor of Sanders will now be 15-13 in favor of Clinton.

Reality Check: After Being Trounced By Sanders in NH, Clinton…Hillary Clinton was trounced in the New Hampshire Primary and yet thanks to the way the DNC rules work, she actually won the most delegates. Is the primary system a huge scam?

Posted by Ben Swann on Thursday, February 11, 2016

“The Democratic nomination will be determined by 4,763 total delegates — 4,051 chosen by the voters and 712 who fit the “super” category.”

– Jeff Stein, Vox.com

712 votes does not seem like a significant number on its face. However, when you consider that Clinton already has 431 delegates to Sanders 52, the party elites seem to have already decided who their candidate will be. Party politics, as usual.

In the Republican Primary, Donald Trump took the majority of votes with 35 percent. While New Hampshire clearly preferred the “non-establishment” candidates, it will be interesting to see if the rest of the country follows suit. However, as a normal voter, it has to be disheartening to see party elites voting in direct opposition to the people.

Chalk up the issue of superdelegates to the list of the problems with party-led primaries. Vote where you count in 2016 and register for FMV’s Parallel Election to show that the voice of the people is more important than a few party elites.

About the author: Tyler Molihan is a Marketing Intern at Follow My Vote. He hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of online voting systems.

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Low Voter Turnouts: Have Americans Lost Faith in the Democratic Process?

vbgrove — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 20:24:29 +0000

This article from CNN shows that the 2014 midterm elections had the lowest voter turnout in 70 years with only 36% of eligible voters coming out to the polls. This raises a question — if voting is how we display our participation in the political process, and people aren’t going to the polls, then who is really running this country?

Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the 2016 presidency, expressed his concern on Comedy Central´s “Colbert Report”:

“What I think really happened is about 64 percent of the American people rejected the two-party system…They rejected Washington as it now functioned. They rejected a political system and a Congress which spends more time representing the wealthy and the powerful than ordinary Americans.”

When people don’t show up to cast their ballot it often displays a sense of hopelessness. Along with congress’ approval rating hovering at a measly 19% it is clear that the stage is set for change. People are aware of the big money involved in politics and how it has limited our growth and cooperation as a nation.

If our political process needs a serious overhaul then perhaps the way that we shape that process should be dynamic as well. The way we function in society is changing and the political process, including voting, should reflect that.

If Follow My Vote can provide a tool to help the people mobilize have their voices heard, on all sides of any issue, and from any party, then we have done our job. We fully support a revitalization of the democratic process. This revitalization starts with getting people back to the polls and even in some new ways. Join us as we try to bring an online voting platform to the people…

Read more about the political climate (and Bernie Sanders) here: cnn.com.

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