OT: Register to Vote

[Bruce K]

As an example - I just renewed my Drivers License last Thursday. There was a check box if I wanted to register. I left it blank as I am already registered. The clerk asked me TWICE if I needed to register or was sure that I already was.

Pretty easy in my opinion.

BK

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Want to encourage people to vote? Make it easier to vote. It ain't rocket science.

Voting isn't particularly difficult. I currently live in Michigan and when I moved here a year ago I registered as part of getting my drivers license. Last Tuesday was primary day in Michigan and I went to my polling place, about a half mile from my house, and showed my ID and voted.

I know that not everyone has a drivers license but there are other ways to get an ID.

Apathy and complacency are greater dangers than difficulty of voting, which isn't that tough in most places. That isn't to say there aren't places that make it tough to vote for some folks. That is, of course, tragic. But overall I haven't found it to be a challenge to vote in the places I've lived. Ten minutes of research will answer most questions people have.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

As an example - I just renewed my Drivers License last Thursday. There was a check box if I wanted to register. I left it blank as I am already registered. The clerk asked me TWICE if I needed to register or was sure that I already was.

Pretty easy in my opinion.

BK

This is motor voter. It is not implemented in every state. For those of you who are saying it's easy, here are some anecdotes about what recently happened in Alabama: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...te-moore-jones

"

A state senator who had tried for over a decade to get the bill into law, told The Huntsville Times that a photo ID law would undermine Alabama’s “black power structure.” In The Montgomery Advertiser, he said that the absence of an ID law “benefits black elected leaders.”

The bill’s sponsors were even caught on tape devising a plan to depress the turnout of black voters — whom they called “aborigines” and “illiterates” who would ride “H.U.D.-financed buses” to the polls — in the 2010 midterm election by keeping a gambling referendum off the ballot. Gambling is popular among black voters in Alabama, so they thought if it had remained on the ballot, black voters would show up to vote in droves."

This is an issue I follow. There have been numerous instances of evidence obtained in discovery where legislators have admitted their specific intent to suppress the votes of specific populations.

Your anecdotes of how it is easy for you, a relatively comfortably situated individual, to vote, are not the rule for everyone.

Also, before anyone talks about "voter fraud" - please note that Mr. Kobach was sent home and his commission was shut down and that he was held in contempt and fumbled through the court proceeding his commission provoked.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by ptourkin

This is motor voter. It is not implemented in every state. For those of you who are saying it's easy, here are some anecdotes about what recently happened in Alabama: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...te-moore-jones

"

A state senator who had tried for over a decade to get the bill into law, told The Huntsville Times that a photo ID law would undermine Alabama’s “black power structure.” In The Montgomery Advertiser, he said that the absence of an ID law “benefits black elected leaders.”

The bill’s sponsors were even caught on tape devising a plan to depress the turnout of black voters — whom they called “aborigines” and “illiterates” who would ride “H.U.D.-financed buses” to the polls — in the 2010 midterm election by keeping a gambling referendum off the ballot. Gambling is popular among black voters in Alabama, so they thought if it had remained on the ballot, black voters would show up to vote in droves."

This is an issue I follow. There have been numerous instances of evidence obtained in discovery where legislators have admitted their specific intent to suppress the votes of specific populations.

Your anecdotes of how it is easy for you, a relatively comfortably situated individual, to vote, are not the rule for everyone.

Also, before anyone talks about "voter fraud" - please note that Mr. Kobach was sent home and his commission was shut down and that he was held in contempt and fumbled through the court proceeding his commission provoked.

Clearly there are abuses and such abuses are egregious and unconscionable. I'm not saying these don't exist.

I believe my voting precinct is majority non-white and I (white) was in the minority at my polling place, which was surprisingly active for a primary.

Voter suppression efforts are real, without a doubt, but it is possible to vote if one puts in the effort. And you are correct, voter fraud is rare and is a total farce of an issue but I don't wish to go too far off the rails. Let's not even start with gerrymandering......

[Bruce K]

I could relate the flip side...

My father remained on the voter lists in Palm Beach County, FL for 5 years after his death despite my sending a copy of his Death Certificate.

Based on conversations with people at the Voter Registry office, I believe he “voted” TWICE during that time frame and I received at least one absentee ballot with his name on it (his mail was being forwarded here after he had a stroke).

We need to figure out a way to keep accurate voter records.

BK

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by Bruce K

I could relate the flip side...

My father remained on the voter lists in Palm Beach County, FL for 5 years after his death despite my sending a copy of his Death Certificate.

Based on conversations with people at the Voter Registry office, I believe he “voted” TWICE during that time frame and I received at least one absentee ballot with his name on it (his mail was being forwarded here after he had a stroke).

We need to figure out a way to keep accurate voter records.

BK

Not to denigrate that anecdote but this has been looked into exhaustively. It's just not an issue. Even the people on the Kobach task force with the resources they were given, just couldn't find anything and they really, really wanted to.

[Bruce K]

Not saying it was widespread - I don’t buy that either

But this is an instance I know where I believe it might have actually happened.

BK

[Bob Ross]

[choke]

There are many here who feel that voting should be mandatory.....I disagree vehemently.

One of the tenets of the US is that people are free to make their own choices, so if someone feels that they don't want to vote - for whatever reason - then they should be allowed to make that choice.

[zmudshark]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Frank was way more conservative than me, but I wish he was here to give his unique voice to today's situation.

He registered people to vote at most of his concerts.

Quite the fellow. I met him once, long story.


http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/United_Mutations

I am a member, as you may well guess. $3 well spent.

[Scuzzer]

Knew this would go stupidly political. Everything I do requires an ID, make it stupidly easy to get an ID and also register people to vote. Require an ID to vote. Hell, I can't buy a six pack without one.

I live in Colorado, it's stupidly easy to get a state issued ID, and it's also stupidly easy to get a ballot mailed to you so you can sit on your couch and ruminate over your choices. As a side benefit, I never thought the stupid Judge retention vote meant anything, how would you know if you stepped into a voting booth. Now I can sit on my couch and figure it out.

Seriously don't understand why other states don't do this.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Scuzzer

Knew this would go stupidly political. Everything I do requires an ID, make it stupidly easy to get an ID and also register people to vote. Require an ID to vote. Hell, I can't buy a six pack without one.

I live in Colorado, it's stupidly easy to get a state issued ID, and it's also stupidly easy to get a ballot mailed to you so you can sit on your couch and ruminate over your choices. As a side benefit, I never thought the stupid Judge retention vote meant anything, how would you know if you stepped into a voting booth. Now I can sit on my couch and figure it out.

Seriously don't understand why other states don't do this.

Because its not necessary? We voted for a long time in this country just fine without ID requirements.

IDs are a barrier to entry for voting for all sorts of groups that have the right to show up and voice their opinion at the ballot box should they so choose. It may be stupidly easy for you, but it ain't for everyone. And voting is a right for citizens in this country.

There are a laundry list of examples of states using ID laws like modern-day poll taxes, curbing and curtailing access to the vote for the very groups that they don't want showing up on election day.

It's the same reason not every state uses vote-by-mail, or early voting, or numerous polling places.

[ultraman6970]

What is Motor voter????

The other issue IMO is that since there's no national ID, is hard to track people having 2 or even 3 Driver licenses, easy you can have people voting all over the place because looks like there's no control of that.

In my state you renew DL and you can register for voting, the thing is, who knows if I'm here legally? No idea if the DMV has a way to know or not, haven't ask.

In mexico they did not have a national ID back 10 or 15 years ago, and you were able to spot buses with people moving around from town to town to vote, big time fraud. Is harder now that they have a national ID.

[redir]

I don't think I would call Zappa a conservative, libertarian for sure though. He was not a big government type at all

Voter suppression is bad in some cases but gerrymandering is much worse and because of the juggling around of the Supreme Court to the far right is going to even get worse then that.

[PQJ]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Because its not necessary? We voted for a long time in this country just fine without ID requirements.

IDs are a barrier to entry for voting for all sorts of groups that have the right to show up and voice their opinion at the ballot box should they so choose. It may be stupidly easy for you, but it ain't for everyone. And voting is a right for citizens in this country.

There are a laundry list of examples of states using ID laws like modern-day poll taxes, curbing and curtailing access to the vote for the very groups that they don't want showing up on election day.

It's the same reason not every state uses vote-by-mail, or early voting, or numerous polling places.

It strikes me as eminently reasonable to require a valid ID to exercise an important right that may also be subject to abuse by those inclined to abuse it. The flip side of that coin would be to ensure that the getting of an ID is both easy and affordable (I'd even go with "free"). And lest you think I'm a tighty righty, my proclivities generally tend toward the left-ern side of things.