Should voter registration be automatic?

[eric/]

Originally Posted by MacNut

Is it really inconvenient? One day out of the year to go to a building and vote. I consider putting gas into my car to be more inconvenient and I do that at least once a week.

Yeah I think it's pretty inconvenient. The only reason I voted this year and in previous years is because I can mail in absentee ballots.

Really it's a completely inefficient method of doing things. We make all these people go out, drive to, wait in line, etc. when we could just come up with a system where people spend 5 minutes filling out a ballot and mailing it in.

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by eric/

Yeah I think it's pretty inconvenient. The only reason I voted this year and in previous years is because I can mail in absentee ballots.

Really it's a completely inefficient method of doing things. We make all these people go out, drive to, wait in line, etc. when we could just come up with a system where people spend 5 minutes filling out a ballot and mailing it in.

My mailman has a hard enough time getting me my mail, how can I trust him with my ballot. Sure there should be a better way but what is the safest most accurate way to vote. I like the election day voting because if you are undecided on who to pick why should you be making that decision a month a head of time. Who knows what scandal could pop up between the time you vote and election day.

[Ugg]

Originally Posted by MacNut

Is it really inconvenient? One day out of the year to go to a building and vote. I consider putting gas into my car to be more inconvenient and I do that at least once a week.

To people who work irregular hours, are frequently on the road, work two jobs, etc, yes, it's inconvenient. You must work some variation of a M-F, 9-5 job. Most people don't.

[Eraserhead]

Doesn't the US have really short voting hours? In the UK its 7am to 10pm.

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

Originally Posted by Eraserhead

Doesn't the US have really short voting hours? In the UK its 7am to 10pm.

This is like saying "doesn't the EU have really {short,long} voting hours?"

Every single state has its own variation.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by Eraserhead

Doesn't the US have really short voting hours? In the UK its 7am to 10pm.

Hours to vote, early voting and absentee ballots are different for every state. Voting hours in many states are from 6am-9pm with many being open fewer hours. It wasn't unusual for people to wait on line for hours in some states.

[Zombie Acorn]

As long as immigration checks have been done I don't care.

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by rdowns

Hours to vote, early voting and absentee ballots are different for every state. Voting hours in many states are from 6am-9pm with many being open fewer hours. It wasn't unusual for people to wait on line for hours in some states.

The hours in line is more a problem with redistricting and fewer voting locations. You can blame the census for part of that and gerrymandering the districts.

[zin]

Yes, and I think voting should be compulsory.

And for those who don't want to vote because they believe their vote is useless, a logical thought in today's political landscape, then I think that there should be a space on the ballot paper for this choice.

It'd be interesting to see the result under this system relating to the number of people who voted, "Refused to vote because...". It would paint a not-so-nice picture, I think, of how well a country's political system is viewed by its people, and give considerably more incentive for governments to act on this.

Alternatively those who don't normally vote because they don't see themselves as politically involved, they could be swayed into joining the democratic process.

[eric/]

Originally Posted by zin

Yes, and I think voting should be compulsory.

And for those who don't want to vote because they believe their vote is useless, a logical thought in today's political landscape, then I think that there should be a space on the ballot paper for this choice.

It'd be interesting to see the result under this system relating to the number of people who voted, "Refused to vote because...". It would paint a not-so-nice picture, I think, of how well a country's political system is viewed by its people, and give considerably more incentive for governments to act on this.

Alternatively those who don't normally vote because they don't see themselves as politically involved, they could be swayed into joining the democratic process.

besides the issue of forcing people to do things, I think the problem with compulsory voting is that you get people who, frankly, don't know what the hell they are doing showing up and voting along party lines, or whoever has the best ad campaign