Automatic Voter Registration.

Jump to Last Post 1-1 of 1 discussions (5 posts)
  1. tsmog profile image77
    tsmogposted 22 months ago

    Automatic Voter Registration is now implemented in 24 states with Pennsylvania recently enacting its plan through executive action, which is being criticized. From Ballotpedia comes a statement by Governor Shapiro (D) and contesting the means, House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler (R);

    "Shapiro said the change was "a commonsense step to ensure election security and save Pennsylvanians time and tax dollars."

    "Residents of our Commonwealth already provide proof of identity, residency, age, and citizenship at the DMV – all the information required to register to vote — so it makes good sense to streamline that process with voter registration," Shapiro said.

    House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler (R), meanwhile, criticized Shapiro for using executive guidance to implement the change. "The problem here is not necessarily the end, but the means. … This unilateral action on the eve of what is likely to be a hotly contested and close election will cause many Pennsylvania voters to continue to question the security and results of our system," Cutler said.

    From Ballotpedia arrives:

    Automatic voter registration
    https://ballotpedia.org/Automatic_voter … DD076B0395

    So, what is the facts surrounding how many eligible voters are registered. Ballotpedia provides that information through 2022 with;

    Voter registration
    https://ballotpedia.org/Voter_registrat … statistics

    Voting is voluntary here, yet in 22 nations it is mandatory.

    From the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln said. "and the government of the people, by the people, for the people".

    Should government seek to gain the greatest amount of citizens participation with voting?

    Is voting a civic duty?

    Is Automatic Voter Registration removing liberty or providing for it?

    Thoughts?

    1. Credence2 profile image81
      Credence2posted 22 months agoin reply to this

      My thoughts? I am all for it. I could not help but to notice in your link that this policy has been primarily adopted by blue states for the most part.

      https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pennsyl … =103321334

      Key excerpts as to why Republicans and Conservatives are so resisting to the idea.

      "Making it easier for uninterested, uninformed people to wield political power will inevitably lead to terrible political choices. It expands the pool of citizens to conscript into jury duty, and gives more votes to harvest," the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania said."

      The AVR has already been set to only automatically register people that are otherwise eligible to vote. If a voter is truly not interested he or she will not bother to cast a ballot. I don't see any reason to make the process in of itself difficult. But the comment speaks to the fear of Rightwingers and Republicans who have the gall to think that people who would not vote for their candidates constitute the uninformed and ignorant.   I am not either and I shout from the rooftops that Republicans suck. Allowing working and poorer people easier access to ballot is just fair.
      --------
      "Although Pennsylvania flipped blue in 2020 without AVR, Rosenberg says that AVR could still be seen as a disadvantage to Republicans, because "when it becomes easier and easier to vote, it's to the disadvantage of Republican candidate, because that means that there's likely to be more turnout, particularly among Democrats that might be somewhat disadvantaged by the prior restrictions that are in place."


      So, why do Republicans believe that more voter turnout is to their disadvantage? We, in this country, should be encouraging people to participate in the political process not discourage them. What are Republicans really afraid of? I have to wonder.

      So, there is my opinion....

      1. tsmog profile image77
        tsmogposted 22 months agoin reply to this

        Thanks! Along your thoughts my gut feeling is a reasonable attempt/achievement to enhance voting for all citizens is a plus. Isn't that what democracy is founded on? Yet, I don't think I would go so far as those nations that make it mandatory. Voting, in my view, should be voluntary as in exercising Liberty.

        About mandatory voting next is an old 2014 article about it. I noticed Brazil is one of them, so maybe Dr. Mark can share his experience with it as he lives there. I will ask some friends from Australia about at Facebook.

        22 countries where voting is mandatory by PBS (Nov 3, 2014)
        https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/2 … -mandatory

        1. Credence2 profile image81
          Credence2posted 22 months agoin reply to this

          TSmog, I still have yet to hear from Republicans why Donald Trump accusation is supposed to be true
          ----
          Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent called Mr Trump’s post “a striking admission”.

          “Donald Trump just openly stated that making it easier to vote in Pennsylvania is a direct threat both to the Republican Party and to *his own presidential campaign*,” he wrote on X.
          -------

          https://news.yahoo.com/trump-rants-agai … 54090.html

          1. tsmog profile image77
            tsmogposted 22 months agoin reply to this

            Thanks for the link, Cred. I read it and what stood out for me at this time was the concluding paragraph;

            “Trump and Republicans shouldn’t oppose automatic voter registration ... if Rs and right-leaning pundits take seriously the idea that Trump and right wing populism mobilizes their own disaffected voters, AVR might actually benefit *them*,” he added. “I mean this sincerely. If one of the virtues of right wing populism is that it has subterranean majoritarian appeal that’s being suppressed by liberal elites, then why aren’t the right wing populist thinker types in favor of making voting easier?”

            Here, in Calif, we, too, have automatic voter registration, yet you can opt out. It is a matter of the applicant reading the paper work when at the DMV. From the FAQ about what is called the California Motor Voter;

            "Federal law requires the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide customers the opportunity to register to vote while completing a driver license (DL) or identification (ID) card or change of address transaction.

            Under state law and the California Motor Voter program, DMV customers who indicate they are eligible to vote will be automatically registered to vote, unless they opt out during their DL/ID or change of address transaction.

            The link to the FAQ next;

            https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/califo … -questions

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)