Are you kidding me? Voting in Pa

[LuvOrlando]

First I had no idea.
Second, this is a ridiculous process. The envelope was handwritten so someone literally had to look my family up and send one by one.
Third, PA is one of the biggest states and they happen to know where I moved, how many move and leave no forwarding address in 8 years?

I got a mail in ballot not too long ago and figured it was a mistake. When I moved to MA I got registered here when I got a drivers license so the whole process has been out of my hands. Of course, I am aware a person can only vote in one place but it is odd to me that the door was opened in my new state without me doing anything and is left wide open behind me like this.

Make if this what you will but I think it is bananas.

 

[tvguy]

Sounds like they are trying to do do everything they can to eliminate voter fraud.

 

[_19disnA]

I would treat it like junk mail and toss in the trash. Since you no longer live in PA and don't intend to vote there...........who cares if you are still in their system?

When I moved from one state to another, there was no good process for getting removed from the voter roles from state I had left. To get a new driver's license I have to turn in the old one from the state I no longer lived which made sense to me. When I asked at the DMV at the new state where I now live they indicated voter registration in my prior state wasn't their issue, so I stopped asking.

 

[Christine]

My son moved out of Virginia about 4 years ago. He is still on the rolls--I can tell from the mail that still comes to the house. This is pretty standard to leave people on the rolls until a certain time. If the attached isn't a scam, I think it's great that PA does do automatic purges. We've just had 1600 people purged from Virginia rolls with no good reason and no notification and they are scrambling to get themselves registered again before next week (lawsuit about it now too).

I think the manual removal such as what PA has does good to stop those type of automated things.

 

[hertamaniac]

I moved to central Florida out of PA (ironically Northampton County/Easton) and never received any voter cancellation form(s). Then again, I don't recall providing a forwarding address 20 years ago.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This seems like an overreaction here especially the suspiciousness with the address. I'm assuming you set up a forwarding address and changed your address with applicable things. If you are suspect about filling out the form just contact PA regarding it. You also seem upset as well as viewed it as a mistake that PA sent you a ballot and the wording on the letter is actually about reducing this situation from occurring by having more up to date accurate records

Because different states have different voting laws and rules your moving from one state to the next does not automatically remove you from your prior state of residence as in this is the process followed by all states.

 

[starry_solo]

I think it’s because of the distrust is because of this.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/20...tion-lancaster-county-pennsylvania-rcna177322
but, I did find this on the PA secretary of states website
https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copa...er_Request_to_Cancel_Registration_English.pdf

 

[LuvOrlando]

This seems like an overreaction here especially the suspiciousness with the address. I'm assuming you set up a forwarding address and changed your address with applicable things. If you are suspect about filling out the form just contact PA regarding it. You also seem upset as well as viewed it as a mistake that PA sent you a ballot and the wording on the letter is actually about reducing this situation from occurring by having more up to date accurate records

Because different states have different voting laws and rules your moving from one state to the next does not automatically remove you from your prior state of residence as in this is the process followed by all states.

I'm not suspicious, I am shocked at the gaping hole in protecting my individual vote.

What is off to me is that I can be automatically newly registered in one state without being automatically removed from the prior state, and I would never have known if the nice volunteer didn't send me the letter. the point that it was done by hand is how labor intensive this is and how unlikely they are grabbing everyone. Is this common knowledge because I had zero idea this was a thing?

While I would never ever do it, plainly my entire family could vote in two states and vote twice if inclined...I suspect plenty of people would totally do that because they are loons but we are not loons so for us it was just a shock that the hole exists.

Also, I suppose, unscrupulous people could just hack into a database recording who moved between states and create votes in former states. How would I ever even know, how would anyone ever know? It can't be hard to see who moved, Amazon would totally know when people move, so would any bank, credit card, insurance and utility company.... I notified so many organizations plus it was recorded when the deed changed hands, when the mortgage was paid off soooo many.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What is off to me is that I can be automatically newly registered in one state without being automatically removed from the prior state

You're shocked that the states have their own rules and processes on this? I'm not. There's no universal way of handling voter registration so while I think the concept is nice as in you not having to do something manual it's to be as expected there will not be a uniform process with 50 different states who are allowed to have 50 potentially different ways of doing things includes databases. This is how we are set up to be in the U.S.

 

[LuvOrlando]

You're shocked that the states have their own rules and processes on this? I'm not. There's no universal way of handling voter registration so while I think the concept is nice as in you not having to do something manual it's to be as expected there will not be a uniform process with 50 different states who are allowed to have 50 potentially different ways of doing things includes databases. This is how we are set up to be in the U.S.

No, I am shocked one is opened and the former is not closed & shocked there is no formal search or notification process.

 

[bdrex28]

No, I am shocked one is opened and the former is not closed & shocked there is no formal search or notification process.

I would agree with this.

Regardless that each state has their own procedures, it's interesthg that you would be automatically registered without the state sending information to your prior home of registration to purge you from their rolls.

But I also think we should provide ID in all states for voting so what do I know. Lol

 

[BayouQueen]

We do make it our business to help oversee fair elections in new democracies around the world, so it's important we set a great example.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

No, I am shocked one is opened and the former is not closed & shocked there is no formal search or notification process.

...That means you're shocked different states have different rules and processes.

Even within states this can vary. My state if you change your address with the DMV it'll set it up with you getting ballot information and polling places according to your new address, if you just change it to have your mail forwarded elsewhere and through the post office it doesn't change it in the voter registration system. That's why my state pushes to formally correct the address, which can be done online and for free, though I doubt all that many do. So I would certainly expect variances between states on how they handle what you're essentially talking about of voter de-registration due to no longer living in the area by which you used to vote in.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I would agree with this.

Regardless that each state has their own procedures, it's interesthg that you would be automatically registered without the state sending information to your prior home of registration to purge you from their rolls.

But I also think we should provide ID in all states for voting so what do I know. Lol

I don't personally find it interesting (not an insult to you, just that it's not a huh how can this be possible sort of train of thought) because that's how we're set up as a country. We don't have a Federally mandated process on handling this topic and without that you have to expect processes and communications to be different. Court systems vary within a state, certainly state to state. Even REAL ID was all about having a database for information to be shared amongst the agencies and states and there were multiple states that pushed back against that because they did not like the idea of information of their citizens to be shared. This isn't about agreeing or disagreeing with how it is, it is what it is because it is what it is IYKWIM.

 

[obsesseddisneyfan]

https://ericstates.org/about/

 

[bdrex28]

I don't personally find it interesting (not an insult to you, just that it's not a huh how can this be possible sort of train of thought) because that's how we're set up as a country. We don't have a Federally mandated process on handling this topic and without that you have to expect processes and communications to be different. Court systems vary within a state, certainly state to state. Even REAL ID was all about having a database for information to be shared amongst the agencies and states and there were multiple states that pushed back against that because they did not like the idea of information of their citizens to be shared. This isn't about agreeing or disagreeing with how it is, it is what it is because it is what it is IYKWIM.

I find it interesting because when I moved each time and get a new drivers license they have always cancelled my drivers license in the other state.

I'm not saying it should or shouldn't be, I however still find it interesting what is and isn't shared among each state.

Pretty simple really.

 

[obsesseddisneyfan]

No, I am shocked one is opened and the former is not closed & shocked there is no formal search or notification process.

https://ericstates.org/about/

There is a formal search process. The link is above. Each member state uploads their voter rollers and then is given a list of duplicates from other states. What the state does with the information is up to them. Some purge their rolls others wait to see if fraud is going on. Either way the state knows you have moved and it is clearly against the law to vote twice.

 

[focusondisney]

If you were so concerned about your voter status in Pa, why didn’t you research what you needed to do to remove yourself from the voter rolls when you moved??? Instead of complaining about the state’s incompetence?? Personally, I’m more concerned to hear a “volunteer” is granted access to voter rolls & who knows what other information.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I find it interesting because when I moved each time and get a new drivers license they have always cancelled my drivers license in the other state.

I'm not saying it should or shouldn't be, I however still find it interesting what is and isn't shared among each state.

Pretty simple really.

Even that process of canceling your old is up to the states if they do that automatically. There's also a difference in making your present physical ID invalid for the purposes of ID (such as snipping the end of it or punching a hole in it) when obtaining a new one and invalidating it in the system to show void.

The state next to me only talks about surrendering your driver's license of your old state in terms of waiving the written and skills test "A person surrendering a valid driver license or a license that is within 184 days of original expiration date from a U.S. jurisdiction or specific U.S. Territories, may be eligible for transfer without additional knowledge or skills testing if all other status and eligibility requirements have been met." "If the out-of-state driver license or nondriver ID is lost, stolen, or destroyed, you may instead submit a current Clearance Letter from that state, or other affidavit of lost license that includes the out-of-state license number and classification, endorsements, and restrictions to allow waiver of the knowledge and skills testing." Whereas my state talks about "trading in" an out of state license within 90 days of establishing a residency in our state and that's that.

Yeah the exact information varies true true. A friend moved to FL and kept renewing their car registration in their original state but changed their DL to FL. They lived in FL for 3 years before someone complained at that apartment complex and then a notice was put on the car threatening for it to be towed and that's what prompted them to formerly change their car registration to FL to avoid future issues (the complainant assumed abandoned vehicle since the car registration was from a state states away), it's not like the state they originally lived in checked that they had a new driver's license in another state because the bill was being paid each year.

But the crux of what I was saying is that the concept that processes between states aren't uniform or automatic is par for the course because that's how it is for so many things. Totally me but I'm more surprised when there is actually communication between the states lol.

 

[tvguy]

I would never have known if the nice volunteer didn't send me the letter. the point that it was done by hand is how labor intensive this is and how unlikely they are grabbing everyone. Is this common knowledge because I had zero idea this was a thing?

I'm kind of happy to hear that a state is taking the time to have real people verify their voting rolls, not letting AI handle it all. There is no perfect way, but many states like California you can register to vote ON election day. The system is bending over backwards to make it easy to vote. And yes, that certainly can raise the risk of fraud if there are no checks and balances. I could only imagine the lawsuits if states cracked down and made people register before a deadline.