American Voter Registration

[alfred russel]

Viking, a major problem with your system is that it would require me to prove citizenship and residency for the permit to build your parking garage.

[garbon]

Most importantly Viking, I think you are vastly overestimating the effort required to register.

If we followed your advice we would spend billions on a database so that three extra people vote.

This.

[alfred russel]

Any problem my system might have is one the present one has as well as you might wish to register in two places. I suggest that the "Place of Residence:" bit on the application to blow shit up in Indiana would preclude precisely that problem, unless in case of fraud, which the present system is equally good at resolving.

Viking, I think you are trying to solve problems that don't exist.

As an aside, is there a way to catch people registered in multiple states? I assume states can check their own roles for duplicates; I'm curious if states share this data.

[Razgovory]

Yeah, I don't know why Viking is harping on this.  He's suggesting a major change to election law which only serves to make it more complex and spend more money to solve a non-existent problem.  I'm not even sure how constitutional such a law would be, since you are essentially shifting state powers to the Feds.  As I tried to point out, our government is simply not structured that way.

[Viking]

1 - I'm not suggesting a change in election law of any kind. I'm just suggesting that the program allowing people to register to vote at the DMV be expanded to all other government agencies at all levels. I didn't use the words "government database" you did.

2 - The reason you don't need to prove citizenship to get a liquor license is the same as you don't need to prove citizenship to get a drivers license.



The reason I think this is important because I think society has a moral obligation to seek to include every member eligible to vote in the franchise. I think that government is society acting collectively. I think it is profoundly immoral for any democratic system to permit tactics designed to deny people the vote who, had they been better informed, better funded or better organized could have voted.

[garbon]

I'm just suggesting that the program allowing people to register to vote at the DMV be expanded to all other government agencies at all levels.

Which seems like expanding the bureaucracy for no good reason. It is trivially easy to register to vote - the only big sticking point is that you need to remember to do so well in advance of any coming elections.

[alfred russel]

1 - I'm not suggesting a change in election law of any kind. I'm just suggesting that the program allowing people to register to vote at the DMV be expanded to all other government agencies at all levels. I didn't use the words "government database" you did.

2 - The reason you don't need to prove citizenship to get a liquor license is the same as you don't need to prove citizenship to get a drivers license.



The reason I think this is important because I think society has a moral obligation to seek to include every member eligible to vote in the franchise. I think that government is society acting collectively. I think it is profoundly immoral for any democratic system to permit tactics designed to deny people the vote who, had they been better informed, better funded or better organized could have voted.

Viking, a few things. First, there isn't a program to allow people to register to vote when they get a driver's license. Some states have such a program, presumably some states don't. Voter registration is really a state issue. For all I know some state somewhere has a system like you describe. But this isn't a national issue, do to the way our constitution and federal system is structured.

Second, the vast majority have a drivers license or state issued ID. For the states that have voter registration linked with the DMV, that is enough. Having the few remaining people show up to an office to register is more efficient than training every other state office on how to take down voter registration.

[Admiral Yi]

One thing that would be helpful is a real article on Florida's new law.

[Razgovory]

1 - I'm not suggesting a change in election law of any kind. I'm just suggesting that the program allowing people to register to vote at the DMV be expanded to all other government agencies at all levels. I didn't use the words "government database" you did.

2 - The reason you don't need to prove citizenship to get a liquor license is the same as you don't need to prove citizenship to get a drivers license.



The reason I think this is important because I think society has a moral obligation to seek to include every member eligible to vote in the franchise. I think that government is society acting collectively. I think it is profoundly immoral for any democratic system to permit tactics designed to deny people the vote who, had they been better informed, better funded or better organized could have voted.

How would you do this without a government database?  Unless bureaucrats develop a hive mind.

The thing is, getting a voter registration is pretty easy.  It requires very little information, funds or organization.  You have to know where the court house or city hall, or whatever government  office has some forms, the money to get on a bus (about 50 cents here), and the organizational ability to wait for the bus (or if you like most Americans and own a car you could just drive there).  Hell, during voter drives people may accost you outside the grocery store to try to get you to vote.

[garbon]

The thing is, getting a voter registration is pretty easy.  It requires very little information, funds or organization.  You have to know where the court house or city hall, or whatever government  office has some forms, the money to get on a bus (about 50 cents here), and the organizational ability to wait for the bus (or if you like most Americans and own a car you could just drive there).  Hell, during voter drives people may accost you outside the grocery store to try to get you to vote.

As I said yesterday - I printed out a form and mailed it in for free.

[Razgovory]

I don't remember how I registered to vote.  I did shortly after my 18th birthday I think because the Presidential election was coming up.  I think I just drove to the Courthouse or City hall.  Not sure exactly, it was a decade ago.

[The Brain]

I don't really understand what the problem with the US system is.

[Eddie Teach]

I don't really understand what the problem with the US system is.

Yet you're quite sure there is one, correct?

[The Brain]

I don't really understand what the problem with the US system is.

Yet you're quite sure there is one, correct?

My God yes.

[Monoriu]

I hate to sound like Martinus, but why the hell is there such a thing as voter registration at all? Shouldn't citizenship be the sole condition required for voting? The only possible use of it that I can conceive is that it prevents election day gerrymandering (eg move hundreds of voters from a safe seat to a marginal seat).

I happened to have worked in voter registration.  Registration is required because -

1. Election officials cannot just get citizenship information from other departments.  There are data privacy laws against that, at least in HK.  Just because you've filed your taxes doesn't mean the tax people should have authority to transfer your personal data to other departments. 

2. Voters must demonstrate consent for election officials to use their data. 

3. Election officials need to know where their voters currently live.  When voters move, they need to notify the election authorities.  Otherwise you will have tons of fake addresses and fake votes.