You cannot fine people for not having something that is voluntary to have in the first place.
There is no law saying you NEED a state ID, and definitely nothing saying you must have a driver’s license.
Who exactly doesn’t have an id, and what is so difficult about getting one? If you think someone is too dumb and/or incompetent to get an id (which you need for damn near evening these days), why the fuck would you want that person voting?
Fun Fact: In Puerto RIco you need a voting ID just to vote. Its basically a fancy punch card. The way they register voters is by going to schools and getting all the youngings who can vote in the next election their card. Another one of those very few things PR does right.
Because you know these idiots will vote for you. coughdemocratscough
That’s why it would become a law. We didn’t used to have to wear seat belts, but now its the law. We didn’t used to have to have car insurance if we drive a car, but now we do. We didn’t used to have to have medical insurance, and now we do. Why couldn’t a state id/drivers license be the same?
If we’re going to start adopting voting policies from other countries, why not some form of ID when voting? Especially when they already want to start adopting a policy to make voting mandatory. The discussion to adopt new ideas into our voting policy is already underway. Why not add one more part to it?
It’s not difficult to get one. Never said it was. All I said was it’s not compulsory to have one. Shinji wants to fine people for failing to present something you have no obligation to carry.
TLDR, because as usual, SRK is fucking illiterate:
We don’t use a voter ID in the model Obama is trying to emulate. We don’t need it, never have, and after the trial recently, hopefully we never will. It’s not a bad idea in theory, it’s just fucking redundant and doesn’t even solve the (non-existent) problem it was designed to combat.
Voting is a suckers game, period.
Though if people choose to participate in the illusion, making it mandatory is fundamentally undemocratic. I’m a resident in a country where voting is mandatory and consider it a vile policy. If one doesn’t agree with either of the two-party ‘democratic’ system’s available choices they incur a mandatory fine.
Thankfully I am not a citizen so such bullshit doesn’t apply to me, but its still ripe for criticism. Mandatory voting is horse shit and I honestly do not see it becoming a reality in the USA. At least not for now.
To quote Mr. Hicks:
“And let’s not mince words, people. ALL politicians are lying cock suckers.”
Words to live by. Politicians and the system they operate within are scum.
For clarity’s sake, I’m talking about existing id’s, not new “voter” id’s. And while you didn’t say it, I’ve had this discussion with numerous other people who have argued that requiring id is an egregious burden, even calling it racist (a claim I find pretty goddamn racist itself). Also, you should keep in mind that Dear Leader is the one trying to change the rules here, not Shinji. If fraud is such a non-issue, what’s the fear of a simple move to further ensure the integrity of the votes?
I’m not afraid of it, I’m just against it. I’ve had it trialled in my state. It accomplishes basically nothing. It will hurt nothing, but benefit nobody either. It’s pointless.
It’s redundant, as mentioned.
@Gamago Donkey voting isn’t illegal. Just rock up, draw dicks on the ballot form and enjoy the sausage sizzle on the way out 
At the very least it would reduce the amount of people crying foul when they lose an election. I really believe a lot of the opposition comes from dnc types afraid they would have less success busing in panhandlers for cigarettes (as has happened in my town).
It’s not even a burden. It’s just another slip of paper to put in my wallet.
But why do I need ANOTHER slip of paper? I don’t. I literally presented my voter ID, which had the EXACT same name, DOB and address as three other cards I carry, and, EXACTLY like the old method, I was asked to verbally confirm that information upon presenting the ID anyway.
It really does nothing. I really dont know how to explain this further than it has been.
Again, I’m talking about using existing ID’s, not a separate voter ID. You can’t do much without a state issued ID in America anyways. As it stands in my state, you can literally walk into a polling location with nothing more than a utility bill and vote. Grandma dies? You just got yourself a free extra vote as long as the bills have her name on them. Roommate doesn’t give a shit, but you do? Free extra vote. Etc. etc. A lot of these things would be hard to catch, and with our winner take all systems, a small spike that gives a candidate a county can make all the difference in a swing state like mine.
If she’s dead, and her death is recorded with your Deaths & Marriages equivalent, she shouldn’t even be on the electoral roll, so I don’t see how you can just walk in.
Jimmy nailed it.
The problem isn’t how can we get more American voters, but why aren’t they voting. And it’s due complete and utter disgust of the people who have the audacity to call themselves our representatives. If people like Obama really cared about the current state of voting affairs in the United States, he would have to swallow ugly truths about himself and the institutions he uses to generate wealth. And he isn’t going to do that because any politician at that level is a sick twisted charcuterie of what a decent human being should be.
Now let’s assume not all politicians are bad. Let’s say 50% are good, the other 50% are career politicians. Let’s assume Obeezzzyyyy falls in the 50% good. Let’s also assume that voters apathy isn’t primarily built of the frustrations of these incompetent limp shit heads in congress, but other reasons.
How in the fuck is a person supposed to educate himself on all the diffrent politicians at a local level, county level, state level, and federal level. School takes up about 60-90 hours a week. The rest are dedicated to either doing upkeep of various things, working on my side projects, looking for internships, personal upkeep (food, sleep, chores).
That doesn’t leave me a it of time. But I’m a full time student, my only stressor is school, and various miscellaneous things. I don’t have a family I have to take care off, I don’t have to put long hours or work 2.jobs. I like what I do. Other people don’t have that luxury. What kind of shit head do you have to wlingly be who is completely disassociated from the ordinary lives of the bottom 50% .
Poor people don’t have time to vote, they don’t have that luxury, and time spent not working is spent with family or relaxing. So, if people like Obeezzzyyyy really cared about voter apathy they would arrive at two possible conclusions based on what the simplest realities are.
-
we politicians are sociopathic leeches that drain society and put the needs of the nation below the needs of the few. We are the reason Americans don’t vote.
-
our system is rigged and engineered in such a way that those who do vote bearly have the adequate resources to vote and are dependent on either major news conglomerate for minimal information. and those who don’t vote will remain in a state of limbo.
In either situation, there are questions that need to be asked in such a manner that these “politicians”.Will be forced to look at themselves in a mirror and stare at their twisted reflections of themselves and confront the reLities that their greed, or apathy created this situation.
And that’s not about to happen because America has been all about assigning blame on others for our faults.
Dead people are often left there for many years. You seem to under estimate the incompetence of American bureaucracy.
George W Bush was born in Connecticut, unless you are talking about Lyndon B. Johnson (which I don’t think you are).
Sure, but (without writing a wall of text with arguments pro- and con-) isn’t it reasonable to assume that if all people are voting then those in power or hoping to be would have more incentive to act in the interests of all US citizens rather than just cater to those who are “politically active”, thereby actually doing things that presumable matter, thereby increasing public interest because their desires are actually being represented, resulting in a slow but upward spiral of public engagement with political issues and process?
This is of course that you don’t buy into conspiracy theories about all elections being rigged for the by the illuminati to benefit the freemasons’ choice of alien invader sent by god to give the human race autism through mandatory vaccinations, and think that
You don’t need a degree in political science and international relations to know what’s going on politically. Watching the news, reading newspapers or following your favourite totally-not-biased-not-at-all-nope blogger on tumblr or wherever they post. Sure, you won’t ever get a totally unbiased account, but at least it exposes you to the issues and you can then use your brain to make up your own mind.
You could argue that it’s entirely unrelated to mandatory voting, but actual engagement of the public with political issues here is relatively high and I believe that the fact that people have to vote (keeping in mind what I posted earlier about not having to actually vote correctly) has helped foster a culture where people are actually aware of the issues even if not actually interested. I’d bet if I was to ask some people tomorrow what they think about the current debate on negative gearing, most would have an opinion and be able to explain at least some of the basic points even if they can’t give a textbook-correct definition of what it is. That’s obviously not because we’re somehow intellectually superior, it’s just that people actually do care where their vote goes even if they don’t look too deeply into the issues at hand.
EDIT: I agree that tacking the issue of why people don’t (want to) vote is important, but it’s also true that if people must vote then they’re more likely to care where that vote goes - it’s just one way of improving the problem. If the USA had a large voter turnout, then we wouldn’t be talking about this in the first place.
Thats my bad. I shouldve said texas raised.
How the fuck do you not have time to vote? In most states you can vote early, or absentee vote. Do it on your lunch break like we do.
Guess what, even the lowliest of peasants here have to make time to vote. The US can do it too.
All I’m getting from this thread is that the typical American is too lazy and cynical to do anything about his political fate.