Running JD Vance's "thought experiment" about giving parents more votes

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     August 15, 2024 What would happen if—as former President Donald Trump's running mate Sen. JD Vance has [suggested](—parents of minors actually got more votes than other people? That's a question my colleague Michael Mechanic [tried to answer in his new piece]( about Vance's [so-called]( thought experiment, one of Vance's [many]( [statements]( that have recently [garnered]( controversy for appearing to privilege Americans with kids over those without. And as Michael writes, when you actually do this thought experiment, you get some interesting results. Long story short: It'd probably be great for Democrats! That's mainly because they're the party typically favored by the majority of nonwhite voters, and, as Michael writes, "America’s youth, and their parents, are more ethnically diverse than the broader population." But there are many questions that would have to be answered before this (likely unconstitutional) "thought experiment" could ever become reality. Michael posed a few in his piece: Who gets the extra votes if there’s an odd number of kids and/or the parents are estranged or have opposing views? Who votes on behalf of stepkids—do they count? Adoptees? How about kids living with their grandparents? Noncitizen parents? Parents with green cards? Could undocumented parents vote on behalf of US-born offspring? And how would you verify all of it? And think about it: Would Republicans, the [party of minority rule](, actually be willing to answer those questions? It's doubtful. As [William H. Frey](, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and census expert, told Michael, "They accuse everybody of voter fraud if they just do normal voting. What happens if they do this kind of thing?" Great question. Make sure to [check out Michael's full piece]( to run Vance's "thought experiment" yourself. —Julianne McShane Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [JD Vance’s Child-Voting “Experiment” Would Be Great—for Democrats]( He proposed. We researched. BY MICHAEL MECHANIC MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY You’re a Mother Jones Daily reader, so you know the stakes and you know reporting like ours matters so freaking much in these next few months (and beyond). About that: We need [the support of our newsletter readers like never before]( to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our targets and urgently need all hands on deck. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field. Please help with a donation if you can—even just a few bucks helps. A [monthly gift]( would be incredible. [Donate]( [Trending] [RFK Jr. admits he falls for online misinformation “all the time”Â]( BY ANNA MERLAN   [Talking to a former madam about using AI and big data to help RFK Jr.]( BY DAVID CORN   [The EPA is enacting a historic pesticide ban]( BY SIRI CHILUKURI   [The original president: How the nuclear bomb changed executive power]( BY GARRY WILLS Advertisement [House Bookshop Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [For LGBTQ veterans, White House pardons still fall short]( Many of the 100,000 vets pushed out for their sexuality are still waiting for justice. BY ANNE MARSHALL-CHALMERS Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755