Why don't you support Compulsory voting??

[no1_vern]

Make Voting Mandatory - Bloomberg

By Peter Orszag Jun 19, 2012 6:30 PM ET

The U.S. prides itself as the beacon of democracy, but it’s very likely no U.S. president has ever been elected by a majority of American adults.

It’s our own fault -- because voter participation rates are running below 60 percent, a candidate would have to win 85 percent or more of the vote to be elected by a majority.

Compulsory voting, as exists in Australia and more than two dozen other countries, would fix that problem. As William Galston of the Brookings Institution argues, “Jury duty is mandatory; why not voting?”

Besides the obvious answer - that you would be forced to actually vote(do your civic duty for the nation), why dont you support compulsory voting??

[SoloCamo]

I'm perfectly fine with it, in fact I think it's a good thing to spark some interest in this countries youth and for those that are too ignorant/lazy to vote.

I'm sick of people complaing about the govt this and the govt that, yet when I ask them they don't vote for local elections nor national.

Mandatory voting is a good thing and I've never understood why we as a nation never went this route.

Now the only downside off the top of my head is that those same idiots that don't vote may potentially not give a crap enough and just close their eyes, therefore making it a "christmas tree'd", pointless vote anyways.

[Theophylact]

I don't have any objection to it. You can always cast a blank ballot if you dislike the choices offered.

Jury duty, registering for Selective Service, obtaining a Social Security number, filing a tax return -- all these are obligations of a citizen.

[Chuckiechan]

If they don't care enough to vote, then they shouldn't. It's just an idea to get more democrats to the polls. I think the republicans are more motivated to vote, and that's the problem the democrats have.

Maybe it's in the Obamacare legislation somewhere....

[SoloCamo]

If they don't care enough to vote, then they shouldn't. It's just an idea to get more democrats to the polls. I think the republicans are more motivated to vote, and that's the problem the democrats have.

Maybe it's in the Obamacare legislation somewhere....

Enough already... Does every single thread around here these days have to be twisted into a Rep vs Dem child like food fight?

Let's actually have your opinion on it, unless "If they don't care enough to vote, then they shouldn't."

is all you had to say without the fluff from above?

[Chuckiechan]

Why else would the democrats want everyone to vote in addition the the illegals, the dead, and rest home "absentee" ballots?

[tony_j15]

Our current selective participatory system works. Forcing people to vote is expensive and actually anti-democratic. If people are just going to submit blank ballots, why make them vote at all? Basically, it would create a penalty for choosing not to speak, and forced speech is an affront to the First Amendment.
But while we're on the subject of forcing folks to participate, why not bring back the draft as well?

Solo: You just now figured it out? Chuck's bread and butter is based on blaming everything on Obama and the Democrats. His usual posting strategy involves being bitter and illogical. It's like "Six Degress of Kevin Bacon" except with Chuck's version, it's "One Degree of Obama".

[Steve R Jones]

Now the only downside off the top of my head is that those same idiots that don't vote may potentially not give a crap enough and just close their eyes, therefore making it a "christmas tree'd", pointless vote anyways.

BINGO

[TrendyMartini]

I'm completely politically neutral - being forced to vote would not only impose upon my personal freedom but also my strong religious values.

[Theophylact]

tony_j15, this country goes out of its way to make voting difficult. We vote on a weekday, making many people have to vote either before going to work or after work. Sunday would be better -- or for those who have religious issues, Saturday and Sunday (who says the election has to take only one day?).

We're currently making it even harder by imposing voter photo-ID laws on people, when there's no evidence of any significant degree of voter fraud. The new law in Pennsylvania may bar three quarters of a million registered voters from the polls this November, and that's a feature, not a bug, as far as the Replicants are concerned:

Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R) said that the voter ID law passed by the legislature would help deliver the state for Mitt Romney in November.

“Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it’s done. First pro-life legislation - abortion facility regulations - in 22 years, done. Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done,” Turzai said at this weekend’s Republican State Committee meeting , according to PoliticsPA.com.

The only significant voting fraud in the US is the Replicants' denial of the vote to eligible voters.

[tony_j15]

Theo, I hear ya. I just think there are too many constitutional issues to warrant making voting mandatory. You are absolutely right about Photo ID laws. They are making it more difficult and banning legitimate voters. Having compulsory voting wouldn't fix that though. If anything, some lawmakers would use that as an excuse to push Photo ID even more.

Personally, I would prefer seeing voting fall on a weekend or on a newly created federal holiday that mandates paid time off for people to go vote. Voting should be encouraged, yes. But there are many ways we can push for it without forcing people to do it.

[sharder8]

tony_j15, this country goes out of its way to make voting difficult. We vote on a weekday, making many people have to vote either before going to work or after work. Sunday would be better -- or for those who have religious issues, Saturday and Sunday (who says the election has to take only one day?).

We're currently making it even harder by imposing voter photo-ID laws on people, when there's no evidence of any significant degree of voter fraud. The new law in Pennsylvania may bar three quarters of a million registered voters from the polls this November, and that's a feature, not a bug, as far as the Replicants are concerned:The only significant voting fraud in the US is the Replicants' denial of the vote to eligible voters.

BULLCRAP!!!

Your state may make it difficult or hard . . . but not all states do! We do all voting by mail here in OR. Want to register to vote? Go to the DMV for your DL or ID and present PROOF you are a legal citizen and you're on your way. (You only need to prove citizenship once and you don't need to get a DL or ID to register.) Yes, if you've never proven your citizenship, you will have to, to renew your lic., and yes, they've been removing people from the voter rolls who are not legal to vote. Guess what??? Nobody seems to be bitching about having to prove their citizenship to renew their lic., not even the illegals that aren't being issued new lic.

How much easier can you get it Theo??? Ballot mailed to your mailbox a couple weeks before election, election info on candidates and issues mailed to your mailbox a month before election. All you have to do is open, fill out, place in provided envelopes, put stamp on envelope and put back in your mail box. If you can't afford the price of a stamp, there are locations you can drop your completed ballot off.

Real difficult . . .




Harder

P.S. - OR is a Dumbocrap state and passed the law regarding proof of citizenship to get an OR drivers lic. Why? Because even the Dumbocrap's recognized there was a problem with illegal votes in OR.

[tony_j15]

Nobody seems to be b****** about having to prove their citizenship to renew their lic., not even the illegals that aren't being issued new lic.

So the illegals aren't complaining? Gee, I wonder why...

Also, Oregon =/= the USA. Glad to hear things are going so swimmingly for you out there. But it's hardly the case nationally. Locally here, Kansas passed a voter ID law and Missouri keeps trying to swing it through the Legislature. Voting rights are under attack.

[sharder8]

So the illegals aren't complaining? Gee, I wonder why...

Because they know they are in the wrong . . .

Sadly, our soon to be ex-Governor, through Executive Order, made the usage of Consulaire ID acceptable for ID when pulled over by LE. Read that as in, no DL, no insurance, not legal to be in the U.S., but legal to drive in OR. Most of the state, including a majority of Dem's, are looking to oust him.

Also, Oregon =/= the USA. Glad to hear things are going so swimmingly for you out there. But it's hardly the case nationally. Locally here, Kansas passed a voter ID law and Missouri keeps trying to swing it through the Legislature. Voting rights are under attack.

My point tony is, Theo stated:

this country goes out of its way to make voting difficult.

And that isn't true . . . it's the states and not the country, as I've shown with my example of OR voting laws.


Harder

[tony_j15]

Elections are held on Tuesday. Pretty sure that's a national thing.

[sharder8]

Elections are held on Tuesday. Pretty sure that's a national thing.

Does it matter if you can put your ballot in the mail any day of the week or drop your ballot off in an outside box any day of the week and it will be counted, as long as it's received before the end of voting?


Harder

[The Real Bingo]

Solutions:

• Online voting
• Weekend voting
• Pecuniary incentive to vote

Though these are all solutions to a problem that doesn't really exist. If anyone is familiar with statistics, you know that a rather small sample size can predict what the aggregate will do. Whether 1 million people vote or 100 million vote, the results will likely be the same.

[Theophylact]

BULLCRAP!!!

Your state may make it difficult or hard . . . but not all states do! We do all voting by mail here in OR. Want to register to vote? Go to the DMV for your DL or ID and present PROOF you are a legal citizen and you're on your way. (You only need to prove citizenship once and you don't need to get a DL or ID to register.) Yes, if you've never proven your citizenship, you will have to, to renew your lic., and yes, they've been removing people from the voter rolls who are not legal to vote. Guess what??? Nobody seems to be bitching about having to prove their citizenship to renew their lic., not even the illegals that aren't being issued new lic.

How much easier can you get it Theo??? Ballot mailed to your mailbox a couple weeks before election, election info on candidates and issues mailed to your mailbox a month before election. All you have to do is open, fill out, place in provided envelopes, put stamp on envelope and put back in your mail box. If you can't afford the price of a stamp, there are locations you can drop your completed ballot off.

Real difficult . . .




Harder

P.S. - OR is a Dumbocrap state and passed the law regarding proof of citizenship to get an OR drivers lic. Why? Because even the Dumbocrap's recognized there was a problem with illegal votes in OR.

Bullcrap is the word for what you're pushing.

There are orders of magnitude more places to vote than DMV offices. If you're old or infirm, the DMV may not be easy to get to, especially if you don't drive. If you're poor, it can cost you quite a bit to get to a DMV forty miles away without a car. If you're in a nursing home, how are you going to get to the DMV? In some states, even imprisoned felons have the right to vote. How are they gonna get to the DMV?

If you've voted legally for years, it may be hard for you to lay your hands on ID that will prove your citizenship now. Do you have a copy of your birth certificate handy? Do you know what it costs to get a copy? Do you know what percentage of US citizens have a passport? (It's 30%.) Do you know what it costs to get a passport? (For a first-time applicant, it's $165.) Did you know that the US Supreme Court has found a poll tax to be unconstitutional? Did you know that the 24th Amendment now bans such a tax? Imposing costs in order to vote is what this amounts to.

If you're homeless, you still have a right to vote in the state in which you reside even if you don't have a mailing address (hard to get an absentee ballot by mail without one, though).

[Theophylact]

What I said:

Attorney General Eric Holder deviated from his prepared remarks during a speech before the NAACP on Tuesday and called voter ID laws “poll taxes.”

“Under the proposed law, concealed handgun licenses would be acceptable forms of photo ID, but student IDs would not,” Holder said, referring specifically to the voter ID law passed in Texas. “Many of those without IDs would have to travel great distances to get them, and some would struggle to pay for the documents they might need to obtain them. We call those poll taxes.”

That last line was not part of Holder’s prepared remarks released to the press.

[Theophylact]

By the way, we seem to have diverged a bit from the topic.

I said I had no objection to compulsory voting; I didn't say I advocated it.

My preference is for lowered barriers to voting for those eligible to vote who actually want to do so. The Rethuglicans seem to want to raise barriers so only those comfortable enough (that is, Repugnican enough) can.