In Illinois, you have volunteers checking people in, making sure signatures match the file, giving out ballots. They call them “election judges”, At least here, they tend to be from the same district. I’ve known most of the ones I’ve gotten my ballot from. Like I said - in that case, a non-issue.
Yes, the real concern of the SAVE ACT are at time of voter registration. Unfortunately, there are some shenanigans out there with removing registrations, and, yes, there will be some concerns about re-registering. As long as you have official documents showing the name change, OK. Not everyone has those readily available. That’s the real problem.
Voting is run by the states. If you’re registered, you’re registered. If your state makes you re-register, then, yes, you may have to prove the name change. Again, similar to the Real ID.
We call them election inspectors. They scan your id and find your record in the poll book, hand out ballots. It’s very straightforward with several checks and balances to ensure one vote per registered voter.
When I applied for a passport in 2013 , I had all the necessary documents but the clerk at the PO was not happy that my driver’s license listed my maiden name in place of my middle name given at birth. She insisted it was a legal name change that I needed to show proof. She wanted to see my marriage license too which was not a stated requirement at the time. I had no idea where it was. In the end I got the passport. Now for my enhanced DL last year I did need to find the marriage certificate and my birth certificate which I did.
But rn Instagram moms are flipping out over the save act and a rep from Oregon introduced an amendment to allow married women and others the right to vote using their married names. It failed because it’s unnecessary? and the girls are howling about it. It’s a little ridiculous I think.
The president of the United States couldn’t produce a birth certificate that convinced MAGA folks it was legitimate. What makes you think some MAGA politician or clerk isn’t going to use this make it as hard as possible for the wrong type of people to vote? All they have to do is flag something as suspicious and the onus will suddenly be on the person to prove they have a valid birth certificate in time to get to vote.
This happens to women a lot. It happened to my mother, and she has just ended up using a wide profusion of legal names depending on who accepts what documentation, from her birth name to her married name to a strange amalgamation. It works okay for her, and will one day be a nightmare for me to sort out. (But she’s too old and cranky to do what’s necessary to deal with it.)
Putting this through the prism of other news this week: Strongman rule aims to create uncertainty that the strongman, and his supporters, can then address, solidifying his support. That’s the real way this nonsense might conceivably help the Republicans.
Chuck Schumer says he’s not going to allow the SAVE Act to pass the Senate, which means that tomorrow he’s going to declare that he has no choice but to vote for it.
I just saw a clip of Jamie Raskin saying women will have to take all their documents to the polls in order to vote. That’s such BS. Of course if one is able to register to vote on Election Day, yeah bring your documents that show proof of citizenship and residency. And get registered on the spot. But if I’m already registered and not been purged from the poll book I don’t need anything other than an ID.
I wish the democrats would stop patronizing the electorate.
Interpreting this my way, the real problem isn’t the specific rules the GOP is pushing — some might be found in undoubted democracies — but the changes and resultant confusion that Trump needs for election cheating.
The Constitution says states shall decide the manner of elections. How is the federal government dictating election rules to them not unconstitutional?
The states and the feds both have authority to regulate elections, with the federal power able to supersede the state power.
See Article I, section 4:
The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.
