Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by holy_city 2524 days ago
>Interesting. I assumed they displayed those for everyone

They did. Epstein's argument is this:

1. Google is run by liberals

2. Higher voter turnout is better for Democrats than Republicans.

3. The liberals that run Google used their position to increase voter turnout.

4. He uses some hand waving to approximate actual numbers

Most importantly, none of that claim is peer reviewed and he is citing himself for it, with no real way to verify if his numbers or conclusion is accurate or even realistic.

fwiw, here's his cited source:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/another-way-google-manipulates...

2 comments

He is essentially claiming that encouraging voter turnout is a partisan act biased towards the Democratic Party (rather than something which makes elections fairer) and hence Google engaged in a partisan act by simply encouraging higher turnout.
If encouraging voting is electioneering then surely withholding information about voting is as well.

And if "go vote" is a threat to democracy then I shudder to think of what newspaper endorsements, superpac advertisements and opinion news channels are. Heck, election day isn't a federal holiday so flexible work hours (which favor the professional class and therefore Republicans) must be a conspiracy to sway elections!

It's baffling that anybody takes this seriously.

so he's complaining that this is a kind of digital gerrymandering?

they should just do what we do in Australia and make voting mandatory for everyone.

Fixes this issue immediately :-P and arguably is MORE democratic. (But I suspect that's going to make him unhappy as well)

> they should just do what we do in Australia and make voting mandatory for everyone.

I could see that. Or at least make it a national holiday so people can get off work.

It is more democratic, but you won't see the ruling party pass laws that actively ruin their future chances of winning elections.