New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and other northeastern so-called blue states make it difficult to register to vote, difficult to register for a particular political party, and difficult to cast ones ballot. There is no same-day registration. There is no voting by mail. There is no on-demand absentee ballot. There is no early voting. New York's incumbent politicians have done everything in their power to remain in office by insuring that the smallest number of people are able to exercise their rights, and also by making ballot access all but impossible for candidates not endorsed by the Republican or Democratic party machines.
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In the United States, the voter registration system is increasingly becoming one of harassment, rather than one of access to a constitutional right. I'm a disenfranchised homeless person in Minneapolis, and every time I'm pestered to vote it just makes me angry. I'd like to vote, but I can't find work.
Then it occurred to me: voter registration has become a method for deciding who are the good citizens, and who are the bad citizens. It's the slow drumbeat of war a-la voter registration. Government is insisting that the State matters, even when it doesn't.
There are many people who do not vote by choice. I grew up in a religious cult that forbid voting from the pulpit, citing that "Only God chooses our leaders." I don't agree with that position, but I support their right to do so. There are also people who send a political message by not voting...as if to say "the politicians are all deadbeats." I don't agree with that position either, but I support their right to do so.
According to the article: "For the last four years, Mr. Jonas has used his software for a multistate project known as Electronic Registration Information Center that identifies eligible voters and cleans up voter rolls."
By "cleans up voter rolls", they seem to be saying: "find the unpatriotic among us, and badger them to vote."
Federal voter registration in Canada is done through the income tax system. There are two relevant boxes on the annual tax return:
Are you a Canadian citizen?
Do you wish to register to vote?
There are some means-tested social benefits which require filing a tax return even though taxable income is zero. Thus this system is not particularly biased against low income citizens.
Checking of ID is deferred to the polling place. The province of Ontario uses the federal data as the basis for its voter database. Municipal elections are run via a different system.
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I am not surprised that Colorado has the highest level of registered voters. In Colorado all voters receive a 'vote by mail' ballot that can be returned by mailed or dropped at authorized collection boxes. The option exists to vote in advance, or on the day, in person at authorized locations ( such as courthouses). There are no traditional polling places that I am aware of. This system ensures that people who want ballots get them. There are checks in place to verify voters when they originally register and signature checks when they return ballots. Colorado makes it easy to vote - so people vote!
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@judy this is true in Oregan too, where we just visited. I don't understand why the country doesn't use something that works, vs re-creating the wheel every 2 years.
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Washington state also has mailed ballots and voter information materials. Voter registration can be done online or when you register your car. I agree, ALL states should have such accessible voting methods!
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In Britain we have a system which is not perfect but does register most voters. Every house receives a letter periodically which includes a form and a prepaid envelope to return it. The head of the household is required to list all in the house who are of voting age and those who will be of voting age in the coming year. Officials from the local government visit households which fail to make a return to get the data. All eligible voters are listed in an electoral register which can be viewed at local council offices and entries challenged if believed wrong. No one is asked to reveal party they support.
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"The software finds people wherever they are." ERIC is being used to track down millions of unregistered voters, but what will it accomplish really in the end? Once they collect data on errant voters, the data is of little use. I foresee this type of technology evolve into methods to track every one of us eventually, and nothing to do with voter registration.
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