If it was all about the long waits that would be one thing. But you guys are trying to “fix” registration, because wow, filling out a one page form is so difficult. Like everyone in this country isn’t used to much longer forms from the very same government. Fix that if you want to fix something.
Instead of trying to make voting easier than brushing your teeth, why not make other things the government requires as easy as voting? Then maybe people wouldn’t hate, and make fun of, the government.
Ah, the distraction technique. adaher, why aren’t you out fighting crime instead of spending all your time on internet messageboards?
I think it’s a fair question. Why is making voting, already the easiest thing we do in relation to our government, even easier, a higher priority than making other things we do with the government easier. It’s not that we CAN’T, it’s that there is no interest. And making voting easier wasn’t something many people cared about until Democrats ran into a turnout problem. Then THEIR problem because the government’s problem. That’s what makes it all so hilarious. Democrats think it’s the government’s job to solve their political problem.
And yet it’s the Republicans putting additional government processes in place. To solve THEIR political problem. Which they didn’t much care about until the demographics started shifting against them. And while they make no efforts whatsoever to consider fraud in absentee ballots which is much easier to achieve, largely because military personnel who vote via absentee ballot skew Republican.
Why make voting easier? Because the Republicans are actively trying to make it harder.
Actually, since a partisan gap in turnout emerged, both parties have tried to change the voting laws. I’d be perfectly happy to go back to pre-Clinton voting laws across the board, when this whole thing started.
Democrats want to make voting easier, and fraud easier as part of the process. Republicans naturally want to tighten up that process, while not necessarily opposing making voting easier. you’d THINK that we could have a compromise: make voting easier, make fraud harder. We even had a bipartisan commission make recommendations in that regard in 2001.
Oh, so the Republicans will roll back their restrictions on early voting? Work diligently to increase voter access in heavily populated areas so nobody is waiting four hours to vote? Roll back extra regulations that make voter registration drives difficult and possibly illegal? And an outreach program in all the states to make it as easy as possible to get the appropriate ID?
And all the Dems have to give up is their advantage in fraudulent voters?
Cool!
Cite?
Cite?
Same day registration, opposition to voter purges, mail in voting, all increase the risk of fraud. If Democrats wanted to compromise, I’m sure we could come up with a voting system that was even more ridiculously easy than it is now, and you wouldn’t have non-citizens and felons mistakenly voting because the registration process would deny them at that stage.
Oh, wait we already passed such a law. It’s called the Help America Vote Act. Problem is, Democrats pulled another fast one. THey supported the parts of the law that expand access to voting, while challenging in court the anti-fraud measures in the law. And they expect us to trust them on immigration enforcement?
You claim they *want *to facilitate fraud. Again, cite?
Cite that the true purpose is anti-fraud?
Relevance?
That is not what I meant to say, and in any case, even if they wanted to do that they wouldn’t tell us.
I can however cite same day registration as a probable example. As I pointed out, the day of registration is irrelevant. Same day registration does not make it easier to vote. It does make it easier to commit fraud though, which is exactly what happened in Wisconsin.
What, you think bipartisan majorities supported HAVA to disenfranchise voters?
A compromise that involves good stuff on one hand, and tougher enforcement on the other, is only useful if the enforcement will be followed through on. If the Democrats vote for tougher enforcement then obstruct it later on when it actually happens, that’s bad faith. Voter purges are the law of the land. But whenever a state actually attempts to maintain their rolls, Democrats sue. The Obama adminstration further refused to cooperate with the purges, illegally. Democrats agreed to a compromise on election integrity and then broke their promise.