Opinion of automatic voter registration

[Indy Texas]

Voter registration is a bad idea to begin with. If you can make it to the polls and are above the age of majority, you should be allowed to vote. Just sign your name on a piece of paper afterward so they have a record of you voting. Done.

It worked fairly well for a century and a half in this country, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't work in the 21st Century. Voter registration was originally implemented by the 'progressives' to make it harder for immigrant whites (which they considered subhuman), blacks, and people who didn't speak English (a lot of people around the turn of the 20th Century, mind) to vote. Don't think it wasn't an intentional policy carried out to disenfranchise working class people shortly after many states enacted universal male suffrage, because it was. The franchise in America has always been one of the forefronts of the struggle between those who have everything and those who make everything.

Even if you're not a citizen? Even if you aren't a resident of that state/district?

[politicallefty]

FP. If you are otherwise eligible to vote (i.e. 18 year-old citizen and resident of where you are voting), there should be no barriers to the right to vote.

[TNF]

Voter registration is a bad idea to begin with. If you can make it to the polls and are above the age of majority, you should be allowed to vote. Just sign your name on a piece of paper afterward so they have a record of you voting. Done.

It worked fairly well for a century and a half in this country, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't work in the 21st Century. Voter registration was originally implemented by the 'progressives' to make it harder for immigrant whites (which they considered subhuman), blacks, and people who didn't speak English (a lot of people around the turn of the 20th Century, mind) to vote. Don't think it wasn't an intentional policy carried out to disenfranchise working class people shortly after many states enacted universal male suffrage, because it was. The franchise in America has always been one of the forefronts of the struggle between those who have everything and those who make everything.

Even if you're not a citizen? Even if you aren't a resident of that state/district?

I think citizenship should be abolished, so yes, I think that non-citizens should be allowed to vote. In the United States, resident aliens were allowed to vote until the First Red Scare in most states as it were. I don't think that residency should matter either, given that I believe the right to vote should just really be contingent upon you adding value in some way or another to society.

[Mechaman]

I agree mostly with TNF's points (ftr, the Know Nothings (yeah those guys) were the first party to really advocate voter registration. Make of that what you will), but if we have to have voter registration I guess it would be better if the system just auto-registers you (which really kind of defeats the purpose of voter registration in the first place).

[Mechaman]

Voter registration is a bad idea to begin with. If you can make it to the polls and are above the age of majority, you should be allowed to vote. Just sign your name on a piece of paper afterward so they have a record of you voting. Done.

It worked fairly well for a century and a half in this country, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't work in the 21st Century. Voter registration was originally implemented by the 'progressives' to make it harder for immigrant whites (which they considered subhuman), blacks, and people who didn't speak English (a lot of people around the turn of the 20th Century, mind) to vote. Don't think it wasn't an intentional policy carried out to disenfranchise working class people shortly after many states enacted universal male suffrage, because it was. The franchise in America has always been one of the forefronts of the struggle between those who have everything and those who make everything.

The Progressive movement was not "shortly after" the 15th amendment. 

Bad use of words I guess, but the point kind of still stands.  Anti-immigrant outfits like the Know Nothings were among the very first to think that voter registration was a good idea for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has taken a cursory 30 second glance at their wikipedia page.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Does that mean that you can register to vote before you reach voting age and then be automatically registered once you reach 18?

If so, I'd support it.

[Tender Branson]

Does that mean that you can register to vote before you reach voting age and then be automatically registered once you reach 18?

If so, I'd support it.

Ideally, every hospital in the US could register each baby to vote.

When that person reaches voting age, that person is automatically registered to vote.

Takes 30 seconds for the hospital staff to type in the information into a centralized database.

When the person later moves to another address, that person can update the registration online or via other methods.

[Mr. Illini]

Obviously a FP. The bureaucratic barriers are glaring, as someone who has participated in GOTV efforts.

If you're new to the state, you can't check "address change," as that is only for changing addresses within the state.

The last four digits of your social is necessary.

Identification is also necessary, but only at the polls making it illegal to vote by mail for your first time.

If your signature runs out of the box, it may be denied since the polls receive only the picture of the box.

"County" must be identified on the forms, which many mistake for "country" and put USA.

There are very few locations to turn in VR forms, especially for students or others without cars.

It's almost criminal.

[courts]

stupid. which i admit is a little contradictory given i'm such a strong supporter of democracy in the workplace and tend towards the viewpoint that we really are living in an overly centralized world. on the other hand people there is a significant difference between your workplace and something much more complex and disconnected from you, like say the budget.. and let's face it as bad as congress and things like that are i suspect the country would be even worse off if we really did do what 'average americans' wanted. not so much because of ignorance on economics, history, civics, etc. so much as the fickleness and lack of character (not simply 'values' or something but literally, lacking in much of a sense of identity) of the 'american people...'

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Does that mean that you can register to vote before you reach voting age and then be automatically registered once you reach 18?

If so, I'd support it.

Ideally, every hospital in the US could register each baby to vote.

When that person reaches voting age, that person is automatically registered to vote.

Takes 30 seconds for the hospital staff to type in the information into a centralized database.

When the person later moves to another address, that person can update the registration online or via other methods.

I would support is as long as the person is of a certain age first (like 16 or 17).

[Tender Branson]

Does that mean that you can register to vote before you reach voting age and then be automatically registered once you reach 18?

If so, I'd support it.

Ideally, every hospital in the US could register each baby to vote.

When that person reaches voting age, that person is automatically registered to vote.

Takes 30 seconds for the hospital staff to type in the information into a centralized database.

When the person later moves to another address, that person can update the registration online or via other methods.

I would support is as long as the person is of a certain age first (like 16 or 17).

Ughh, why wait 16 or 17 years if the hospital can register you to vote when you are born ?

There's a high chance that you won't register when you are 16/17 years old because you have other stuff to do.

Also, with the registration at birth you would have a really high coverage rate (99% of American kids are born in hospitals).

[Tender Branson]

Also, with the registration at birth you would have a really high coverage rate (99% of American kids are born in hospitals).

Thinking about it, the US would achieve ca. 99-100% automatic voter registration coverage with the following measures:

* all babies born in US hospitals are registered to vote after birth (takes ca. 120 years until all people are registered)
* naturalized Americans are automatically registered when they take their citizenship test (or when they get their official citizenship documents)
* American citizens who live abroad register online or by mail, as do parents of kids who are not born in a hospital

Illegals and non-citizens are not registered anyway.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

FP, everyone deserves the right to vote as soon as they turn 18.

[muon2]

Also, with the registration at birth you would have a really high coverage rate (99% of American kids are born in hospitals).

Thinking about it, the US would achieve ca. 99-100% automatic voter registration coverage with the following measures:

* all babies born in US hospitals are registered to vote after birth (takes ca. 120 years until all people are registered)
* naturalized Americans are automatically registered when they take their citizenship test (or when they get their official citizenship documents)
* American citizens who live abroad register online or by mail, as do parents of kids who are not born in a hospital

Illegals and non-citizens are not registered anyway.

The problem with this is American mobility and indifference to the political process coupled with the decentralized election process.

During the 2000's before the Great Recession the median residence was 6 years. The recession stretched that to 9 years by 2011, but as real estate recovers mobility will increase again. That means a typical child will be at their third residence by the time they reach 18. The public is not going to want to register when they move just to have their election records follow them. Already families on Medicaid often fail to change their registration and just show up looking for care, and that's for a far more tangible benefit than the ability to vote.

Even if children were registered at birth the records may not easily get where they need to. Children are often born in hospitals outside their county of residence, as was true for my children. Counties handle elections including voter records in most states and the records do not seamlessly move from one county to another. The data formats are usually different and counties aren't prone to assign taxpayer resources to help update other counties unless there is clear reciprocity. That would require state intervention (and probably money) in the local election process.

Same day registration seems like a better solution given the demographic realities.