Register to Vote

[GloomCookie]

Hey everyone, just a reminder that voter registration in the United States is today. If you can, you need to verify you can vote and where it's permitted with your state's Secretary of State.

We may disagree on politics but everyone gets a vote so please do so.

https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Kisses!

[Azy]

I registered when I was 18.  Even when I was on vacation in another state on election day back in 2018 I requested an absentee ballot.  That was basically a by mail sent to me early before I left thing.  I've always figured it's important.   

[Callie Del Noire]

I had a pair of Airmen working for me in Spain who said their vote didn’t count. Turned out one of them was from a district that went Bush by like a dozen votes.

[elone]

The Republicans keep moving the polling places further and further from where the democrat majority lives. This in a highly Republican county. I used to be able to walk to the library to vote, then they moved the polls to a church about 4 miles away, now I have to drive 8 miles to a different church. Separation of church and state? There are lots of alternatives.  We were redistricted lately.  I applied to vote absentee and now get a ballot in the mail. Just fill it in and mail it back or take it to the elections office. Simple and effective. I assume it counts!

[GloomCookie]

The Republicans keep moving the polling places further and further from where the democrat majority lives. This in a highly Republican county. I used to be able to walk to the library to vote, then they moved the polls to a church about 4 miles away, now I have to drive 8 miles to a different church. Separation of church and state? There are lots of alternatives.  We were redistricted lately.  I applied to vote absentee and now get a ballot in the mail. Just fill it in and mail it back or take it to the elections office. Simple and effective. I assume it counts!

Does your area have like, open polling? I know where I live if it's open to vote at, you can go anywhere in the county as long as you show ID and don't try to vote twice.

[elone]

No open polling here. It is a small county, maybe 12,000 or so. We get a voter card and it has the polling place on it. We are divided onto 5 areas, each with a supervisor and a single polling place. Totally gerrymandered. No lines to vote to speak of, they just keep moving mine further away. It is the only democratic leaning one of the five. The rest of the place is overwhelmingly republican. Another thing, when voting absentee trough the mail, my name and address is preprinted on the envelope that has the ballot inside. So much for a secret ballot. The actual ballot is anonymous though.

[GloomCookie]

No open polling here. It is a small county, maybe 12,000 or so. We get a voter card and it has the polling place on it. We are divided onto 5 areas, each with a supervisor and a single polling place. Totally gerrymandered. No lines to vote to speak of, they just keep moving mine further away. It is the only democratic leaning one of the five. The rest of the place is overwhelmingly republican. Another thing, when voting absentee trough the mail, my name and address is preprinted on the envelope that has the ballot inside. So much for a secret ballot. The actual ballot is anonymous though.

Well yeah when the vote comes in they have to register that you are a registered voter and that you only cast a single vote. They need to make sure it matches what appears on your official voter registration. If it didn't, they'd have no real records. The actual ballot is supposed to be anonymous so it makes sense they'd do it this way.

The goons at your door are just there to make sure you vote correctly next time. </sarcasm>

[Psi]

Well yeah when the vote comes in they have to register that you are a registered voter and that you only cast a single vote. They need to make sure it matches what appears on your official voter registration. If it didn't, they'd have no real records. The actual ballot is supposed to be anonymous so it makes sense they'd do it this way.

The goons at your door are just there to make sure you vote correctly next time. </sarcasm>

We have compulsory voting here  - and preferential voting which I think some ppl in the US might prefer although just as the US has seen with some odd balls being thrown into power it happens here too.    Although preferential voting gives us an easier method to get rid of them too.

Our postal votes are double enveloped.    An outer layer for verification it’s only voted once (they cross our names off at polling booths too) and an inner layer.

Any vote counted is double counted and I am pretty sure based on discussions that postal votes are crossed off, opened and then witnessed being put into a pool of votes (I.e open all the addressable votes in batches or in their entirety) and then proceed to open the non identifiable envelope.

The only thing that disappointed me at the last elections is going through the results by polling booth and seeing nearly 10% of the locals voted for a particular party (fringe, bigoted, fascist).   These are people I might interact with daily at times.

[gaggedLouise]

Can someone here please explain why, under the US system, people are technically required to register as "leaning/affiliated to Dems/GOP/independent" when they make a voter registration looking to future elections? If they are not planning to vote in a state primary under som party (and it's my understanding that most people don't), why do they even have to declare what side they are leaning towards when they make a registration to be on the books?

Over here in Europe, the factor that matters is that you're a citizen (or in some local elections, a permanent resident). Party sympathies are *never* a part of getting onto the ballot books.

[RedRose]

In France who we vote for is secret

[gaggedLouise]

In France who we vote for is secret

yes of course, over here in Sweden too. But the intriguing thing is why U.S. voters have to indicate what party they are leaning towards several months or even years before an election, just in order to be listed on the voting registry?

[Aiden]

In the States, we share who we vote for based on either of the following.
Bumper stickers
Hat / Headwear
Illegally modified US flag
Or amount of tears while also claiming to "own the libs", clutching their pearls and/or telling everyone else " F your feelings"

[gaggedLouise]

In the States, we share who we vote for based on either of the following.
Bumper stickers
Hat / Headwear
Illegally modified US flag
Or amount of tears while also claiming to "own the libs", clutching their pearls and/or telling everyone else " F your feelings"

Stanley Clarke, the iconic bass player, used to wear a bright red trucker-style cap on stage. I think he stopped doing so when that kind of headgear became associated with Trump. 

[Psi]

Can someone here please explain why, under the US system, people are technically required to register as "leaning/affiliated to Dems/GOP/independent" when they make a voter registration looking to future elections? If they are not planning to vote in a state primary under som party (and it's my understanding that most people don't), why do they even have to declare what side they are leaning towards when they make a registration to be on the books?

Over here in Europe, the factor that matters is that you're a citizen (or in some local elections, a permanent resident). Party sympathies are *never* a part of getting onto the ballot books.

Maybe ego?   Here in AU were required to register - but who we vote for is considered private unless we choose to share it - usually that’s only amongst friends of family.  It gets interesting when my friends if I voted for x again.  (Were complete opposites politically but see different sides of the local community too)

[RedRose]

Car stickers are something you won't see in here. Sometimes though I'd love for custom car plaques to be legal lol

[Oniya]

  yes of course, over here in Sweden too. But the intriguing thing is why U.S. voters have to indicate what party they are leaning towards several months or even years before an election, just in order to be listed on the voting registry?

You don't.  Mr. Oniya and I were 'undeclared' for years.

[gaggedLouise]

You don't.  Mr. Oniya and I were 'undeclared' for years.

But most people in the US seem to declare some kind of sympathy as part of the paperwork when they register - even though this doesn't oblige them to vote that way, of course. And even if they're not active in politics at all and have no intention of voting in a primary.

Or is this just a misrepresentation spread by the news media?

[Callie Del Noire]

But most people in the US seem to declare some kind of sympathy as part of the paperwork when they register - even though this doesn't oblige them to vote that way, of course. And even if they're not active in politics at all and have no intention of voting in a primary.

Or is this just a misrepresentation spread by the news media?

I knew a guy who registered for the GOP because he could vote against a strong opponent in the primaries so that he could vote for a democrat in the elections. 

[RedRose]

I had a friend who dated abroad, and she told me I could google her guy and I'd see if he had trouble with police, his house's price, etc I was O_O

[Oniya]

But most people in the US seem to declare some kind of sympathy as part of the paperwork when they register - even though this doesn't oblige them to vote that way, of course. And even if they're not active in politics at all and have no intention of voting in a primary.

Or is this just a misrepresentation spread by the news media?

Okay - so, some states have open primaries and some states have closed primaries.  This is the only time where 'declaring' makes a hill of beans, and is how the parties determine who ends up on the ballot for the general election.

If your state has an open primary, anyone can vote for any candidate to be on the general ballot, but you can only cast one such vote.  In an open-primary state, Callie's friend wouldn't have had to declare he was GOP, he could have just cast a vote for the weaker GOP candidate, hoping that enough Dems cast votes for a strong Dem candidate (as he would not be able to join them in voting for the strong Dem.)  Some states will register you 'as' a party member if you choose to vote in the primaries.

If the state is 'closed primary', then only registered GOP voters have any say in the GOP candidate, and only registered Dems have any say in the Dem candidate.  In most cases, undeclared voters aren't permitted to vote in these primaries.

Some states are a little weirder - in Oklahoma and South Dakota, the Democratic primaries allow unaffiliated voters to participate, but the GOP primaries don't.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/states-with-open-primaries

[elone]

I think it is pretty much a state issue as to how to register and which primary can be voted in. They all seem to differ. When I first registered I was in Maryland and was told to pick a party. I said I had no preference and was told I had to be Republican or Democrat. No independent. This was a long time ago. So the woman who registered me waited for me to pick. I took a coin from my pocked, flipped it and said Democrat.  She was really pissed.  In Virginia where I now live it is all open. No party designation except in the primary. You either vote Dem or Repub candidates, not both. You are allowed to vote in either one. Of course that means a Democrat can vote in the Republican primary and vote for the worst candidate and vice versa. In the US too many things are left to the states to decide rather than have a national law.  Thank you founding fathers! (my opinion)

[Oniya]

At present, the Maryland Voter Registration form shows the following:

You must register with a party if you want to take part in that party’s primary election, caucus or convention. Check one box only

And the corresponding box shows:

You must register with a political party if you want to take part in the political party’s primary election, caucus, or convention. Check one box only.
Party (check one): [] Democratic Party [] Republican Party [] Unaffiliated (independent of any party) [] Libertarian Party
[] Green Party [] Working Class Party [] Other – Specify __________________

The form also shows a June 2022 revision date, so I don't know how recently it may have changed that particular box.

[Lyron]

I have USPS mail notification enabled. Since Saturday I've been waiting for an alert so I know when to put my ballot in the box for pickup. Never have I been so keen on getting junk mail.

[Thufir Hawat]

Of course that means a Democrat can vote in the Republican primary and vote for the worst candidate and vice versa.

...I'm now wondering how that has impacted the first primaries that were won by Trump. There was a time when he seemed to be the joke candidate, or seemed to be considered as such !

Also, fun fact, but requiring anyone to declare allegiance to a party or even asking about it, would probably be unlawful here. The parties keep a list of members that are allowed to vote for issues pertaining to them (in the same box as the bills for paid membership fees, I've heard), and the state creates lists with people who are required to vote.
Voting is technically mandatory, though most people don't bother, because there's no penalty for not voting. Which is actually the basis of how things work around here, now that I think about it !

[Clio]

Just an encouragement for everyone who is able, to go and vote today!