Voting rants

[DisneyNutMary]

I'm used to voting in those old machines with the curtain and the levers, so I was surprised to vote on paper today. I thought the scanning machine was cool, though. I thought maybe it reports the results faster than the old machine.
The poll worker was there to help me, close enough to see me vote if he wanted, but he really seemed disinterested in looking at my ballot. Even if he, or anyone, did look, it wouldn't bother me- it won't change my vote. I'm a supporter of the Working Families party, I feel no reason to hide that- or hide why I support that party.

 

[HippieChickadee]

I've never been asked for ID either

 

[Robbi]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Do you mean that someone could let someone else vote for them?

What's to stop unethical people from voting at polling places A,B,C.... if id is not required? What's to stop someone who is not a citizen from voting if there's no way to prove their identity? We're a country of many languages, accents, modes of dress, etc. It isn't as though looking or listening to someone clearly identifies them as a citizen.

 

[msjprincess]

What's to stop unethical people from voting at polling places A,B,C.... if id is not required? What's to stop someone who is not a citizen from voting if there's no way to prove their identity? We're a country of many languages, accents, modes of dress, etc. It isn't as though looking or listening to someone clearly identifies them as a citizen.

Because every polling district has a book with every registered voters name and a copy of their signature. They look up your name and then you sign next your name.

I didn't see anyone say that they could just walk in and vote without giving their name.

 

[TinkTock]

We have both electronic and paper ballots. The line yesterday was about 30 people long for the electronic voting, but the paper "cubes" were half empty. I used the paper ballot so I didn't have to wait. It's all the same to me.

 

[Hannathy]

Because every polling district has a book with every registered voters name and a copy of their signature. They look up your name and then you sign next your name.

I didn't see anyone say that they could just walk in and vote without giving their name.

You can in many parts of this country. Many states have walk in registration.
Some states they can not even ask for proof of age.

There is a lot of voter fraud going on.

 

[mrodgers]

The poll worker was there to help me, close enough to see me vote if he wanted, but he really seemed disinterested in looking at my ballot.

Everyone could see me vote. Table on left side, 2 electronic machines on the right side facing the tables in plain view of the 3 working the tables and whoever was standing in line. With the size of the electronic machines, you could see what everyone voted from quite far away (further than the tiny room was.)

 

[okeydokey]

Studies show voter fraud is not a big issue in this country, but I personally don't mind showing ID.

 

[wvjules]

Studies show voter fraud is not a big issue in this country, but I personally don't mind showing ID.

I have never had to show ID to vote. Personally, I think it should be a requirment. I don't know why anyone would oppose it.

 

[mnrose]

What's to stop unethical people from voting at polling places A,B,C.... if id is not required? What's to stop someone who is not a citizen from voting if there's no way to prove their identity? We're a country of many languages, accents, modes of dress, etc. It isn't as though looking or listening to someone clearly identifies them as a citizen.

In Minnesota, you must be registered to vote in your precinct. Each person is only entitled to register in ONE precinct (they cross check it to make sure this is so). If you register on election day, you must show ID and proof that you live in the district (either by showing an in-precinct address on your ID) or producing a CURRENT utility bill that shows an address in the precinct. Believe me, they check this carefully! I was a poll watcher yesterday and didn't see a single incident that caused me even a second's concern about possible voter fraud.

It would be very, very hard to vote multiple times in Minnesota. I suppose you could go around and rent a whole bunch of places in the state starting about 60 days before the election, set up utilities in those places, and then run around and claim you live in them all. Of course, you WILL be discovered after the fact when your license number appears on multiple votes, and you WILL be prosecuted. And, it WILL cost you a whole bunch of money to set up all those fake IDs. So, no, I don't think people do this. The only vote fraud discovered in past elections in this state (where there were state wide hand counts twice in the last few years) involved felons voting before they were released from their full sentence. IDs do nothing, BTW, to stop this problem.

 

[mnrose]

You can in many parts of this country. Many states have walk in Pregistration.
Some states they can not even ask for proof of age.

There is a lot of voter fraud going on.

What proof do you have of this, other than your feeling? I poll watched yesterday in a precinct where there were roughly 500 same day registration. Every single one of them had to show a picture ID, and prove via either a driver's license address or utility bill, that they lived in the precinct. There was no fraud.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I have never had to show ID to vote. Personally, I think it should be a requirment. I don't know why anyone would oppose it.

Not everyone has a photo id, basically.

 

[sam_gordon]

In Minnesota, you must be registered to vote in your precinct. Each person is only entitled to register in ONE precinct (they cross check it to make sure this is so). If you register on election day, you must show ID and proof that you live in the district (either by showing an in-precinct address on your ID) or producing a CURRENT utility bill that shows an address in the precinct. Believe me, they check this carefully! I was a poll watcher yesterday and didn't see a single incident that caused me even a second's concern about possible voter fraud.

It would be very, very hard to vote multiple times in Minnesota. I suppose you could go around and rent a whole bunch of places in the state starting about 60 days before the election, set up utilities in those places, and then run around and claim you live in them all. Of course, you WILL be discovered after the fact when your license number appears on multiple votes, and you WILL be prosecuted. And, it WILL cost you a whole bunch of money to set up all those fake IDs. So, no, I don't think people do this. The only vote fraud discovered in past elections in this state (where there were state wide hand counts twice in the last few years) involved felons voting before they were released from their full sentence. IDs do nothing, BTW, to stop this problem.

That seems mighty complicated. Couldn't you find out "John Smith" is in precinct 123, go to that polling place, say you're "John Smith" and vote? They ask for ID because John Smith isn't registered, "Oh, I thought I had, I'll go out to my car/go home and get it. I'll be back".

 

[msjprincess]

That seems mighty complicated. Couldn't you find out "John Smith" is in precinct 123, go to that polling place, say you're "John Smith" and vote? They ask for ID because John Smith isn't registered, "Oh, I thought I had, I'll go out to my car/go home and get it. I'll be back".

You would have to find out who is registered and where, show up and hope they haven't voted yet and match their signature on the spot. Sure you might get away with it once or twice but it seems like a lot of work for one or two extra votes.

 

[2disneyboys]

I've always had to show ID to vote in my assigned precent. (Virginia)

I've always voted on electronic machines, and am totally ok with that.

I've never had to wait more then 30 mins from parking my car to driving off in my car to vote (thankfully!)

I would love to be able to sign up for some sort of encryption service that would allow you to vote from home.

 

[Jennasis]

We did not have to show ID.

 

[Janepod]

We had to show ID but did not have to sign anything.

 

[okeydokey]

I have never had to show ID to vote. Personally, I think it should be a requirment. I don't know why anyone would oppose it.

I used to feel that way too until I had a temp job at a furniture store just after we moved to Alabama. Most of the customers would come in and pay on their monthly furniture payments with cash. They did not have bank accounts or credit cards. They were paying 28% interest on their cheap crappy furniture, but since they financed it, they could in their eyes "afford" it.

I couldn't imagine not having a bank account, but I was raised in a middle class suburb outside of Boston. Moving to the the South and seeing prevalent poverty opened my eyes to the fact that not everyone had the same life I had. Many poor people also do not have photo ID.

 

[mnrose]

That seems mighty complicated. Couldn't you find out "John Smith" is in precinct 123, go to that polling place, say you're "John Smith" and vote? They ask for ID because John Smith isn't registered, "Oh, I thought I had, I'll go out to my car/go home and get it. I'll be back".

852 people voted in the precinct I was at yesterday. I didn't hear a single claim from a single voter that "hey, I didn't vote, but someone signed next to my name." You have to sign the voter roster before you vote. You need to know the address of the voter. Their full name. You need to sign the roster. I get that there is a vague *possibility* that someone could run around and attempt to vote for people who are already registered, there's no evidence that it is REALLY happening. How much money are people willing to throw at a problem that doesn't exist? How many voters are we willing to disenfranchise to solve this non-existent problem? (Many elderly, who no longer drive, do not have IDs. Many students do not have IDs where the address matches their current living situation....should they get disenfranchised because this happens? Many inner city poor people do not have cars, do not drive, and therefore do not have an ID...let's not let them vote either).

 

[DarthKTrava]

Used paper ballots. No ID needed to vote. They ask your name, input that into a computer and then ask you your address. Check that vs what's on the computer. Then print out a paper that you sign to verify info is correct. Take that paper to the person who hands out the ballots. Take ballot to booth, fill in circles, take ballot to the scanner and slide it in. Then get your sticker and leave.

Took me all of about 5 mins to vote.

Nearby large population county uses electronic machines and had issues with them registering a vote for a candidate that the voter was NOT voting for. Recalibration seemed to solve that issue. Too much hassle and not as reliable, IMO.