Same here. For the reason that Eve mentions in her first post in this thread.
In a sense, I am registering to try to get Bush out…during the last election, I was a resident of the UK–though I was still a US citizen, I had no US resident address and could not vote. (It’s actually a lot more complicated than that, because I’d voted in previous US elections when I did have a resident address and driver’s license. In 2000 I was trying to get UK citizenship…the process failed, but that’s another story.)
I didn’t register when I lived in California last year. I felt that I knew nothing about CA politics by the time November elections came up and I didn’t feel right making an uninformed vote. I’ve lived long enough now in New York State, and in the US in general, to feel that I can make an informed vote now.
I consider myself a moderate, slightly right-of-center Republican. The 2004 election will be the first one I’ll be old enough to vote in, but I was a committed McCainaanite in 2000 - walked the lines for him and all that. I can’t stomach Bush’s foreign policy, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to support someone as far left as Howard Dean, so I may well be casting a write-in vote for John McCain in 2004.
It might be a waste, but it’d feel damn good.
Nope. I’ll turn 18 and register just in time for the elections. My course of action may take any one of these exciting turns:
A: I vote Libertarian, to ‘stir up the system’. The Libertarians have potential, despite the fact that nobody loves them, to at least give the Republicans and Democrats a scare.
B: Vote Socialist, for the joke value. My friend’s don’t call me the ‘Commie Bastard’ for no good reason.
C: Not vote. It’s all just manipulation and chaos anyways.
Or D: Take over the country and install myself as the Enlightened Despot, with unlimited power and a brain trust of hand-picked advisors.
Tune in next year for the exciting conclusion!
Especially since most states now use MVD records for jury duty.
If you have the opportunity to vote, but do not, you are in no position to complain about the government.
Yeah, great.
Take my word for it. I hippily voted for Barry Commoner (Citizens’ Party) in 1980, thinking that no sane country would elect Reagan, and I’ve held myself personally responsible for 12 years of Reagan/Bush ever since.
Don’t let this happen to you. Trust me, you won’t be able to pick up a newspaper without nausea.
Nonsense. You have exactly as much right and responsibility to “complain” (or praise for that matter) the government whether you vote or not.
Barry Commoner… the “no critical mass for radiation” and DDT consequence guy?
I spoiled my ballot in 2000, but I’ll be voting for whoever I think is most likely to oust Bush next year. The man scares the Hell out of me. I think I’d prefer anything to that – I can just protest who-ever I end up voting for later. 
Oh, how I hope Hillary will run. She’s the only one who has a chance of beating Bush and his puppetmasters that I can see right now. She has the dignity, strength and smarts to get the job done.
By the way, I’ve been voting since 1976.
Okay, I’m a student in Massachusetts with an address and everything, but all my official documents still have my parents’ address in Alabama, and I use that as my “permanent address”. Which state do I register in?
The first presidential election I was old enough to vote in was '00, as I was too young for the '96 by about a month. I voted for Harry Browne(Lib) and will probably do so again. I have a hard time voting for the lesser of two evils, even if my vote has a snowball in hell chance of winning.
And shame on anyone who’s just now registering who just didn’t or are about to turn 18. It shouldn’t take a nitwit like Bush to get you to care about your government. I remember when I turned 18 I was most excited that I could finally vote. That, and buy porn.
Achernar, it depends what Massachusetts’ registration criteria are and what defines a resident. Most students I know registered in their home state and voted absentee ballot. I went to college in-state so it didn’t matter.
And to answer the OP, I’m probably voting Bush. Unless, of course, the Democrats can get their act together and put up someone with an actual chance…
I have been registered to vote for about 18 years, never once got called for jury duty. Crock of shit excuse in my opinion. Recommending fraudulent voter registration, or offering to assist in fraudulent voter registration, is a sorry state of affairs.
Vote, or shut up for the next 4 years after an election. If the idea of voting out the current leader prompts people to register and actually vote, I am all for it. Just try to vote when your party is in power, too.
Normally I’d agree with you. But Bush strikes me with so much terror that I couldn’t live with myself if I did anything to help keep in office.
I’ve beenregistered since I turned 18 in '96 and have voted in every national election since and about 3/4 of state/local ones since then.
I’m pretty disgusted with both major parties so I typically vote for Libertarian whenever I can. This time around though I’ll vote for whoever has the best chance of ousitng Bush. That man frightens the hell out of me and unless the Democrats somehow find a way to run Robert Mugabe I’ll vote for whoever they run against him in the general election.
Business Week, July 7, 2003:
Ever since I could vote I voted.
I will agree with you - jury duty is pretty bad, but c’mon people! You have to vote. Please, please, please vote…especially in the next election!
I am inclined to think George is both dumb and looney…so yes, he must go.
You could still vote in federal elections using the US address you last lived at before you moved. When you’re a US citizen living abroad the feds accept that as your residence, even if you have no intention of moving back there.
In my case, though, I actually had the California Judicial Council on the phone to my Dad (who had thought it was a better idea to tell them I had moved to Ireland than just to ignore the summons and let them find out when and if they pursued the matter) telling him that if I was still claiming a California residence, I was still obligated to serve. If there is anybody here who actually thinks I should have complied just so I could vote, would you please send me the $700 airfare? Thanks very much.