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Agreed! So it’s not the technological barrier keeping them from registering. It’s the ease with which it can be ignored, as there’s not much incentive to do it. That’s no argument against making it automatic.
I’m speaking as the parent of two young adults who have moved states and traveled internationally over the last couple of years without skipping any elections. Obviously it’s doable but not every young adult has interested parents spurring them on. It shouldn’t be something anyone has to chase down and research. Let’s pass a set of standards across the board.
Across local, county, state and federal elections. Registration data is managed on a county level. How do you propose that is standardized across the board. Are you suggesting a federal database of everyones personal information, name, address, social, DL.
Across local, county, state and federal elections. Registration data is managed on a county level. How do you propose that is standardized across the board. Are you suggesting a federal database of everyones personal information, name, address, social, DL.
Nope, just a standard set of dates and deadlines, and also ideally the processes around requesting mail-in or absentee ballots. They should be easy enough so that we all know what they are without doing research.
What's wrong? Because there's a group of people here who claim asking for ID is voter suppression/racist because there are those who can't get ID because of insert whatever reason you like here (which, when you unwrap the reason(s) imply those people are too stupid to know how to do it).
You see it here in this thread with the made up argument that just registering to vote is too hard.
Except, most arguments I've seen for voter ID is only for photo ID. Look at the Canadian list of other, non-photo, ways to be ID'd.
Across local, county, state and federal elections. Registration data is managed on a county level. How do you propose that is standardized across the board. Are you suggesting a federal database of everyones personal information, name, address, social, DL.
The vast majority of Canadian voter registrations are made via the annual tax return. That information is then shared with the provinces.
There is no reason the USA can't do the same. It's easy, it works, and is inclusive.
I never thought of it that way. I always thought of it as eligible voters meaning all who are above the age of majority. But, you might be right.
Or on second thought, you should be right. I'm not sure that is the way it is reported.
I should of looked it up before posting. I am right.
"For Canadian federal elections, official voter turnout is calculated as the number of votes cast divided by the number of registered electors. Because registration rates vary over time, this measure can be misleading when comparing turnout from two different elections."
Nope, just a standard set of dates and deadlines, and also ideally the processes around requesting mail-in or absentee ballots. They should be easy enough so that we all know what they are without doing research.
whats wrong with research.
How are city, county and state governments going to hold elections on the same dates.
Only 67% of Americans are registered voters, as compared to Canada at 93%, Sweden at 94%, 92% in the UK and 99% in Slovakia.
Part of the reason is that all those nations have a system of automatic registration in place. In Canada, this is done via the income tax return, and the information is shared with the provinces, which the tax filer agrees to. Also, prior to elections, non-partisan temporary hired individuals go door to door to every resident available to a] verify that the registered person still lives there and the information is correct, and b] register any who are not who live at that address. I've done this myself a number of times.
Isn't that a more efficient way to ensure that as many people as possible can vote? Is that not the ultimate goal of a true democratic system, to let the people have their voice?
And before some brings up the issue of voter ID, yes, Canada has a system for it. Here are the specifics:
1] Show one of these pieces of ID, your driver's licence orany other card issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local) with your photo, name and current address
2]Show two pieces of ID both must have your name and at least one must have your current address.
Examples:
voter information card and bank statement
utility bill and student ID card
Here is the full and comprehensive list
As you can see, it encourages inclusion rather than exclusion.
3]If you don't have ID you can still vote if you declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you.
The voucher must be able to prove their identity and address. A person can vouch for only one person (except in long-term care institutions).
The issue of voter fraud just doesn't exist in Canada, even though it's voter registration system and ID system is much broader than in most of the USA.
Also, as a side note, Canada uses paper ballots for national elections, and most provincial ones. The results are normally known within hours, not days and weeks as is often the case in the USA. And yes, Canada has advanced polls and mail-in ballots. I've used mail-in ballots a number of times that I was out of the country.
The system works.
Is this not something the USA could strive for?
not sure where you are getting your numbers
how can Canada, or Sweden be in the 90's%, it just not possible
for example approx 83m of our citizens are under 18...ie not eligible to vote, note eligible to even be registered.....that's 25% of the population right there
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