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University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

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Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#131

Post by baldeagle »

kodah wrote: post #86
elliekelly wrote: post #10

I have a colleague who does environmental litigation. (Think Erin Brockovich.) They have a big civil case against a large energy company in a southern, “energy-friendly” state. They had an expert witness all lined up - a professor at the (public!) state university. Well this expert happened to be up for tenure and was (allegedly) told in no uncertain terms that, should they testify as an expert witness in this case,…

I'm not surprised. Our schools have become increasingly political institutions in left and right form. The question I have is, as an independent, how do you stave it off completely?

Make districts competitive. As long as the measure (votes in an election district) can be shaped such that winning the primary (initial election to determine the rep. for each party) basically promises a win in the general (an election where one rep from each party competes), polarization will go up and moderation will go down. Once districts are competitive, reps will face more pressure to the will of the people, as opposed to the people in just their party.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#132

Post by scohesc »

alistairSH wrote: post #58
jtbayly wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which party? Presumably the one that has control of the House, Senate, and Oval Office?

GOP has the majority of state governors. GOP has the majority of state legislatures. Both of the above are currently drawing Congressional districts based on the latest census data. Both of the above are currently rolling out voting rules that are nominally about preventing fraud (of which there is zero evidence of anything widespread) but will impact the ability of people to vote.

This is what I don't understand. Why can't legislators be proactive when it comes to protecting voting rights? We don't need to see any evidence of fraud to ensure the safety of voting rights.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#133

Post by lbriner »

wayoutthere wrote: post #23

This is blatantly unconstitutional and any professors disciplined under this would be in line for a fat settlement from the university. Or rather, they would be if our justice system actually worked. Rule of law in the US is on life support and the prognosis is not good.

If they were disciplined, yes, the "clever" part (read immoral but not unlawful) would be the University deciding that another Professor will get that senior position instead of you. You could fight it but it would be pretty easy in most situations to "prove" that the other candidate was better.

I guess any academic needs to measure their conscience against their career as others in Politics or Religion also might have to.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#134

Post by mistrial9 »

duxup wrote: post #103

The GOPs tactics seem increasingly like something you would see from a "banana republic"...

both parties do this -- specifically, the one and only green party assembly member in California 1990s was doxxed and infiltrated, while getting congratulatory letters from GOP reps.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#135

Post by unethical_ban »

poorjohnmacafee wrote: post #40

Most countries, including EU nations, ban mail-in voting minus exceptions like living abroad, these laws being passed because of discovered fraud in elections. Election integrity is the difference between democracy and a one-party state. Every citizen should be bending over backwards to make sure our elections dont have sources of fraud.

Your premise that mail-in ballots were a source of significant fraud has been proven false.

Edit: Election integrity is important. So is access to voting. It seems completely obvious to me (and millions of others, it seems) that the so-called election integrity measures taken by places like Florida and Texas are blatant attempts to restrict access to legitimate voting for the kinds of people that tend to vote Democrat.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#136

Post by hindsightbias »

klyrs wrote: post #93
ModernMech wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a professor, I think the actions of The University of Florida are abhorrent. I would never want to work in an environment that kowtows to politics. There are enough political considerations within a University, but having to deal with state politics as well? Count me out. At the same time, he doesn’t have tenure? So they are actually fully within their rights to do this, and really no one should be surprised. But…

> So they are actually fully within their rights to do this, and really no one should be surprised. They have the power, nobody should be surprised that they flex it. Maybe. Do you feel that it's always ethical to perform every action that is within your legal rights? Is the legal system devoid of examples, where an act was legal until it was exercised in excess, and found to be unethical? "Surprised" doesn't describ…

Justice Scalia used to argue that torture didn’t meet the 8th ammendment cruel or unusual punishmenents clause because it wasn’t punishment. It was an interrogation technique and they hadn’t been convicted.

We don’t have court rulings on “enhanced” interrogation techniques so they can just be rolled out whenever someone thinks they can get away with it.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#137

Post by the_snooze »

SkeuomorphicBee wrote: post #118
the_snooze wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When it comes to voter ID, the devil is in the details. I'm a poll worker in Virginia and think our ID laws are pretty fair. We accept driver's licenses and passports, sure, but we also take employer photo ID, any current Virginia school ID, and even old Virginia driver's licenses up to a year after expiration. If a state gives affordances like these to make it easy for people to fulfill the ID requirement, I don't s…

I don't know anything about Virginia, but based on your comment alone I see clearly what the problem is. What you described is a system that disenfranchises everyone that satisfies tree simple rules: doesn't drive, don't travel internationally, and don't work for a large company. E.g. urban poor service-industry worker (outside of chains, no restaurant issues employer IDs).

>What you described is a system that disenfranchises everyone that satisfies tree simple rules: doesn't drive, don't travel internationally, and don't work for a large company. E.g. urban poor service-industry worker (outside of chains, no restaurant issues employer IDs).

If you took a few moments to look up our voter ID requirements, you'd find that your characterization is totally unfair and inaccurate. We also accept utility bills, government checks (i.e., for those on government assistance), and a signed affidavit saying you have an ID. I'm a Virginia homer through and through; I think we do voter ID the right way.

https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/vote...

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#139

Post by ceejayoz »

educaysean wrote: post #128
ceejayoz wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> why do they get public money at all? Because we still believe there to be a societal benefit to an educated populace.

Don't speak for the rest of us please. I personally believe there to be a massive societal disadvantage to the existence of "educational institutions" with hidden political agendas.

You can believe anything you like, and it's a little silly to read "we" in my comment as "without even a single individual exception".

We, society, currently elect representatives who see fit to continue funding a public educational system of schools and universities, which can be inferred to be a general acceptance of their value.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#140

Post by nradov »

SkeuomorphicBee wrote: post #118
the_snooze wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When it comes to voter ID, the devil is in the details. I'm a poll worker in Virginia and think our ID laws are pretty fair. We accept driver's licenses and passports, sure, but we also take employer photo ID, any current Virginia school ID, and even old Virginia driver's licenses up to a year after expiration. If a state gives affordances like these to make it easy for people to fulfill the ID requirement, I don't s…

I don't know anything about Virginia, but based on your comment alone I see clearly what the problem is. What you described is a system that disenfranchises everyone that satisfies tree simple rules: doesn't drive, don't travel internationally, and don't work for a large company. E.g. urban poor service-industry worker (outside of chains, no restaurant issues employer IDs).

Any citizen or legal resident can obtain a state Real ID compliant card even if they don't drive, travel, or work. Most states offer reduced or free fees for low income individuals.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses-identification...

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