And I guess I just disagree with legislating to support laziness and/or ignorance. You call it voter suppression, I call it promoting responsibility.

My other point here is that the rules are what we make them. The important rules for understanding civics are not the particular voting rules of your state (and voting rules vary wildly state-to-state from NoDak with no voter reg to MN with polling place same-day voter reg to OR with exclusive vote-by-mail to WA with some county exclusive vote-by-mail and others mixed like Montana).

My other point here is that a lot of this stuff isn’t laziness. It’s a particular kind of ignorance — whether that is ignorance of one own’s registration status (who here knows how many elections a voter can choose not to participate in before he or she is made inactive and eventually removed from the voter rolls? also – is it possible to vote every two years and still be rendered inactive? [hint: it is]) or ignorance of the need to be registered 30 days in advance.

Laziness is a trope advanced by the stably employed and housed to punish a group of people still figuring out a lot of shit in their lives. We want equal rules for everyone, fine, let’s require that every individual register 30 days for each election in which they plan to participate. That’s actually a level playing field. Would we see fewer youth voting under that scheme? Yeah, but we’d see lower turnout overall. And toward what goal other than making life hard for people? I sure as heck don’t know.

Moving the closure of voter registration to the Friday prior wouldn’t impact that one bit.

Should folks not be allowed to vote because of a lost registration card, or some confusion over the process, or a clerical error … ?

“…people making these late-coming registrations are more likely to simply vote in line with their own personal interests. If that means expanding government services rather than decreasing the size of government, Democrats should benefit from these new voters.”

Just calling the way it is. Bring on the lipstick – the pig’s showing.

I’d like clarification on two things – first on the lazy people. I don’t think I said they shouldn’t be allowed to vote. However, if their laziness keeps them from voting, why do we insist on dragging them kicking and screaming to the polls? For what purpose?

And again, if they’re that lazy – what happens if they actually start missing election day because the second Tuesday in November is too burdensome – do we change it? Make it a floating day? Allow for post-election-day voting for those who just couldn’t possibly make it on election day? Seems to me in the interest of total inclusion you’re throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

As far as the nomads like yourself, you already know you have to change your post office information, bank, credit cards, auto loan folks, DMV, so when you’re at the courthouse updating the address on your driver’s license – fill out a change of address card for your voter registration. Seems common sense to me, and you’re already down there.

It doesn’t take knowledge of state licensing procedure and MCA to know you need a driver’s license, and it doesn’t take knowledge of postal regulations to change your address. It also doesn’t require knowledge of election law to register to vote.

Correct me if I’m wrong (and thankfully, you will!) but your argument still comes down to ‘just too busy’. If that’s the case, I respectfully disagree.

There’s ample time in a year for someone who genuinely feels their vote is worth something to get registered. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s relatively quick.

I’ll admit I don’t know the intricacies of the legislation (current and proposed) like you do, but I’m confused as to why it’s any more expensive and cumbersome to say registration ends at 5pm on Friday versus 8pm on Tuesday.

deregulate voting

This from a guy who has railed against electricity deregulation, financial law deregulation, banking deregulation, and corporate deregulation as bad? Seriously?

Anyway, have fun today in Helena. Ted’s legislation won’t pass anyways – in no small part due to your efforts and I applaud you for it. Come back and banter when you have time.

Your argument is weakened though when you acknowledge, “A number of my peers don’t really know the ins-and-outs of election law”. That’s the underpinning of my frustration: That somehow people who are so unaware of the very basic responsibilities of citizenship should be given special consideration to assure they get their rights.

Bullpucky, guys.

Let’s call this effort to “franchise” these poor voters exactly what it is – a very thinly disguised plan to take advantage of the ignorance, apathy, and stupidity of certain segments of our society for the political gain of another. Those of us who are at all politically savvy know exactly what’s going on. It’s still a pig.

Here’s my argument — the Montana Constitution explicitly guarantees a right to vote (although it uses higher falutin’ langauge than that). Sure, along with rights come responsibilities, but those responsibilities really ought to be pretty uniform.

Voter registration as it currently exists in this country basically is a burden for a unique group of people — folks who move a lot. I have to re-register to vote once a year. I’m simultaneously supposed to pack all my crap, move it, update my address with the post office, my bank, my credit cards, my auto loan folks, the DMV, etc.

Now, as you might surmise from my transient life style, I have yet to purchase a house, which indicates I’m of middling income and definitely have to work, far more than a 9-to-5.

I know that I have to register and keep my registration up-to-date because I do this stuff for a living. A number of my peers don’t really know the ins-and-outs of election law. Insanity, I know, but in their defense, they are genuinely surprised to learn how relatively complicated the laws are.

And all for what reason? To punish “lazy” people? That seems like a terrible justification for a pretty expensive and cumbersome piece of public policy.

Deregulate voting.