You notice how both Harris and Booker are always laughing and smirking like they are in on a little secret? What the **** is so funny?
Both Harris and Klobuchar come out in favor today... I favor anything that encourages greater voter participation.
Why don't we have automatic voter registration? I'm not taking a position on it because I've never thought about it. What's the downside argument?
Seems a very good question. I'd also hope there was a way to make sure you were entered in correctly... to catch naturalized citizens, people born at home who might be missed, and the likelihood that any system could have errors. But sure seems a way to satisfy those that favor "voter IDs" and also satisfy those that opposed mandatory voter IDs dues to difficulty and cost of getting IDs.
I wonder if Election Day was a national holiday that would encourage or discourage voting? I know a lot of times when I have a holiday off of work, I want to play. I'm not sure everyone would think "I can use this day off to do my civic duty." I'm sure some would, but I wonder what the net result would be.
Big issue is how you would accomplish it. What about primary elections, state elections, prop elections, school board elections, runoffs, etc. Not all of them are held at the same time and there are times when you have to vote more than once a year. How does a federal holiday encompass all of that? I’d prefer candidates focus on expansion of early-voting capabilities and automatic registration rather than a holiday. If a day-off is needed, move Election Day to Saturday and/or Sunday instead.
I think the National Voting Day holiday suggests it would be only intended to encourage voters for national elections, not state (primary), local or special elections. I think part of the idea would be to celebrate voting as an important right and responsibility. We've been doing "early voting" for a while... I don't know if its significantly increased voting (perhaps since they still only happen on week days, correct)? Allowing voting to happen on weekends would help those that don't work on weekends (though a number of retail and business services are open Tuesday through Saturday). I suspect Sunday voting would create issues with some people who think Sunday's are devoted to religious observation. Regardless of Voting Holidays (which I still support), we are both in agreement on automatic voter registration. And perhaps investigating on-line voting.
Currently the states control voter law sans constitutional specifics and other federal specific laws. You would need each state to jump on this alone. Looking past the barriers of getting such ideas enabled, a national voter registration system would be needed. One of the hot topics is purging inactive or incomplete voter records. The average american moves 11 times in their lifetime. An automatic registration would accomplish very little unless there was a larger governing body managing it. Everytime a person moves, they would need to update their voter registration. If we did use a national voter registration that tied everyones SS# or DL to a federal database (say the IRS) to root their address/voter prescient, then we would need voter identification, not for voter fraud issues, but to ensure the right person casts their ballet matching the voter registration records. As for a voter national holiday, I dont see a huge benefit. The bigger issue is Americans as a whole do not hold voting as a sacred thing. If someone truly cares about their vote, they will find a way to vote. Vast majority of businesses already respect the voting process and let their employees off with some time to allow them to vote. Further, the service or emergency industry would not be able to observe the holiday (the people who are usually most disenfranchised in the first place). If the service industry is shut down (think mass transportation), that would seriously hurt voter turn out.
We should just move our elections to Saturdays. It's weird that we continue to have elections on Tuesdays to appease 19th century farmers. "An election date in November was seen as convenient because the harvest would have been completed (important in an agrarian society) and the winter-like storms would not yet have begun in earnest...In 1845, the United States was largely an agrarian society. Farmers often needed a full day to travel by horse-drawn vehicles to the county seat/parish seat to vote. Tuesday was established as election day because it did not interfere with the Biblical Sabbath or with market day, which was on Wednesday in many towns."
If I remember correctly, you're supposed to get your drivers licensed renewed (if already obtained) when you turn 18, correct? There should be an option to opt-in (or opt-out) of registering to vote at the time; much the same as we handle organ donation. And yeah, move Election Day to Saturday and make sure early voting is accessible to everyone. I'm not opposed to making Election Day a national holiday either but I still don't know if it's absolutely necessary.
Harris's father is critical of her playing "identity politics" with her campaign: https://www.jamaicaglobalonline.com...nd-accusing-her-of-playing-identity-politics/
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/k...-travesty-2019-02-20?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo Kamala is being exposed as a manipulative fraud. From doing whatever it takes with a married senior to get her backing in politics to throwing anyone and everyone under the bus including her family heritage. If your family won't support you I wonder what that says about you as a person?
Looks like Kamala's father isn't too happy with her. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/k...-travesty-2019-02-20?mod=MW_story_top_stories
