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Paul Reis Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 931
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 6:05am | IP Logged | 1
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US news media constantly refers to "registered democrat" or "registered republican" (i think i even heard "registered independent" once or twice, not sure though) - does this mean that there is a federal list, or state list, of voters that align with a specific party always ? what is the purpose of these "registered" lists ? how does one get on these "registered" lists ?in these partisan times it almost seems like 'they' could just say "x number of registered democrats vote for Harris, y number of registered republicans vote for Trump, and we'll have polling stations for the z number of independents" (i'm half joking, but i wonder how the numbers would compare to what actually happened)
in Canada there is a single federal or provincial "voter's list" derived from the income tax form every citizen files yearly (with an adjustment process for those that move location or, died, or turned voting age, etc) and one vote (or NO vote) is accepted per name on the list be it in advance, day of, or absentee vote.
how does Britain, or other countries, maintain who can, or cannot vote ?
Edited by Paul Reis on 12 November 2024 at 6:09am
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Brian Miller Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004 Location: United States Posts: 31268
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 10:24am | IP Logged | 2
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Some states require you to declare which party you support when you register to vote.
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Steven Myers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5696
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 1:26pm | IP Logged | 3
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Some states require you to declare which party you support when you
register to vote. _____________________
And even worse, some do not allow you to vote in a primary unless you are a declared member of that party, and do not allow you to switch without jumping through some hoops. Yet the primaries are funded by taxes, not the parties.
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Scott Gray Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 August 2012 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 34
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 2:58pm | IP Logged | 4
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Brian Miller: Some states require you to declare which party you support when you register to vote.
**********************
I am genuinely interested to know what the justification is for this law, because from the other side of the Atlantic, it sounds awfully sinister.
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Brian Miller Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004 Location: United States Posts: 31268
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 3:11pm | IP Logged | 5
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I can’t really answer that one as my state doesn’t require it.
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Dave Kopperman Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 27 December 2004 Location: United States Posts: 3444
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 3:26pm | IP Logged | 6
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It ain't sinister. That narrative of control has been making the left wing of the Democratic Party cranky and conspiracy-minded since 2016 (though the roots of it were in place back in 2008).
Also, it's not a monolithic practice - just over half the states have an open* or semi-closed primary, and a small number of states have caucuses.
As to whether it's wrong - strategically or ethically? I prefer it be a closed system, since I don't really see the benefits of an open primary - and as far as I can tell, in the states that do have open primaries have been targeted to introduce chaos into the nomination process. I'd be fine with killing primaries altogether, but I think they do serve as kind of a pre-game pep rally, and I do like feeling like I have a choice in the direction of the part I support - even though the NY primary is late enough that it's mostly a done deal by the time we get to vote. But each state has its own political character and culture.
*Open = any registered voter can vote in either party primary, but only one (meaning you can't vote in both primaries), and you don't need to have any party affiliation to do so. Nineteen states have this process.
Semi-closed = If you have a party registration, you can only vote in your own party's primary, but unaffiliated voters can vote in either. Seven states have this.
Also, note that many states with closed primaries DO allow for unaffiliated voters - meaning that, as far as I can tell, only nine states have fully closed primaries.
I honestly don't grasp the caucus system, and I think it takes a different shape in each state that follows it. My best semi-uniformed guess is that it's kind of a holdover of the 'guys in the back room with cigars' era.
Edited by Dave Kopperman on 12 November 2024 at 3:29pm
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Dave Kopperman Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 27 December 2004 Location: United States Posts: 3444
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 3:39pm | IP Logged | 7
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Sorry, as to the question of requiring naming party affiliation when you register to vote, I'm not sure which states do so. But you can always change party affiliation, so it's still essentially a bureaucratic formality - and it again only impacts your ability to vote in a primary.
Edited by Dave Kopperman on 12 November 2024 at 3:40pm
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Charles Valderrama Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4858
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 8:22pm | IP Logged | 8
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Seems MSM is taking a ratings hit after the election... I know I'm done for a while listening to cable news networks.
As I've said before, they failed us when it mattered most.
-C!
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Peter Martin Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 15986
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 9:34pm | IP Logged | 9
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Paul Reis wrote:
how does Britain, or other countries, maintain who can, or cannot vote ? |
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In Britain there is a list, called the electoral register, which contains the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote.
To get on the list for parliamentary elections you need to: register your name and address for the constituency in which you live (this is normally done as a matter of course when you move to a new address); be at least 18 years old; be a British citizen or a Commonewealth citizen or a Rep of Ireland citizen; not be ineligible through 'legal incapacity', such as serving a jail sentence or being a peer in the House of Lords.
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David Miller Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004 Posts: 3111
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 10:07pm | IP Logged | 10
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Lords aren't allowed to vote for the House of Commons? Fascinating.
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James Woodcock Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7846
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Posted: 12 November 2024 at 11:41pm | IP Logged | 11
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In the UK, when we vote, we confirm who we are (voter ID has been mandatory for about two years now) and are given a numbered voting slip. The number of the slip is written next to your name on a registration sheet. In theory, you can thus backtrack who voted for who, but I don’t think that has been done on a named basis, but I could be wrong. Indeed, the paperwork is destroyed after 12 months.
So, yeah, no one actually knows who I voted for. & I certainly don’t need to register my preference to be able to vote. In fact, I find that process pretty scary. I also find the whole primaries vote weird. For me, the party gets to chose its leader & then you vote on that. Although, again, in the UK, it’s a bit of a muddle. In theory, you are voting for your local MP, but in reality, most are voting for the PM. Like your MP, but hate the leader? You have to make a choice. You can either vote based on local MP & vote the person you want as your local MP, or, vote for someone you don’t want as your MP, to try to stop the leader you don’t like becoming PM. Very flawed system really, but aren’t they all.
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Steven Myers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 10 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5696
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Posted: 13 November 2024 at 4:39pm | IP Logged | 12
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The problem that has evolved from the way primaries are done is that it has pushed the parties towards the fringes. Because only party members vote in the primaries the candidates have to please the party members, which is an increasingly small group as voters leave the parties. Also, the candidates are not voted for in order to do anything in government. Too often they lose primaries if they have done any kind of compromising to pass laws.
Primary reform is a start because it could get less extreme candidates that actually want to get something done for their constituency.
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