Your votes are not private

[Teresa]

I'm with flint, I'm just probably going to start ignoring the far right and the far left crazies running around.

Hmmm thats what I said a long time ago about the far left... and just the crazies in general..
so far ..its worked for me.. 

[Varmit]

Voting is a right, a duty and a privilege.  What is wrong with exercising your rights, privileges and duties as good Americans.   What is wrong with doing your civic duty and being proud of it? 

Because when a person is forced to do something it is no longer a right or a privilege.  As for jury duty, I understand the idea that folks have an axe to grind, but I don't agree with how jury selection and compensation is conducted.  Frankly, if I am going to be pulled away from work then I should be compensated for it according to my wages.

[flintauqua]

The History of Voter Registration in the U.S.

Voter registration originated in the early 19th century as a method of disenfranchisement. Many states were concerned with the growing number of foreign-born transients participating in local government, and so they developed a system of registration to ensure that these non-citizens could not vote. While this did disenfranchise transients and the foreign-born, many poor citizens were also not included on the voter rolls; they were often not home when the assessors came by, which was typically during the work-day, so they were not included. Many areas that were largely Democratic rebuffed the registration system, because most of the poor, immigrants, and other potentially disenfranchised groups tended to vote Democrat.

Near the beginning of the 20th century, other disenfranchisement issues arose, mostly concerning the ability of African-Americans to vote. Laws in the South were designed "expressly to be administered in a discriminatory fashion," where the validity of a vote due to small mismarks, an arbitrary assessment of a voter's "understanding," or other minutia would be subject to the whim of an election official (112).

Between 1870 and WWI, though, most states opted to instate registration, usually to avoid the inevitable conflicts that arose between disenfranchised voters and election officials on Election Day. The Progressive Era also brought new registration developments, allowing citizens an extended window to register, which contributed significantly to the increased participation of working-class people and immigrants.

States mandated the new registration laws individually, so the end result was by no means cohesive or uniform among states. In 1875, the Supreme Court upheld the states' right to grant suffrage to certain groups in Minor v Happersett, which upheld a lower court's ruling.

Notable exceptions to the power of the states, in the form of constitutional amendments, arose during the 20th century. Attempts to enfranchise African-Americans culminated in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which permitted federal examiners to investigate electoral offices in the South to ensure nondiscriminatory voter registration practices. "In Mississippi, black registration went from less than 10 percent in 1964 to almost 60 percent in 1968; in Alabama, the figure rose from 24 percent to 57 percent. In the region as a whole, roughly a million new voters were registered within a few years after the bill [Voting Rights Act] became law, bringing African-American registration to a record 62 percent" (264).

In the 1970s and 1980s, many states were concerned that labyrinthine registration procedures and laws were depressing voter turnout, so they attempted to simplify the process. Turnout was not significantly enhanced by these new reforms, so in 1993, President Clinton signed the National Voter Registration Act, which mandated that states allow citizens to register to vote by mail, at the DMV, or at local public offices, such as welfare offices. Once the bill took effect in 1995, 9 million new voters registered themselves.

It is clear that the country has been progressing towards federal-run universal registration since its inception. Universal registration is enfranchising, and will help to remind every American that their participation is sought, and that their voice is a vital part of the political process.

Source: Keyssar, Alexander. The Right to Vote The Contested History of Democracy in the United States. New York: Basic Books, 2001.

[srkruzich]

Voting is a right, a duty and a privilege.

Wilma it is impossible that it is a right, and a priveledge.  Either it is a right or its a privilege Which is subject to revocation at any time. Can't be both. As far as a duty?  Where does it say its a duty?


 

You know what pisses me off?  Self proclaimed good Americans who don't want to do their civic duty and bitch about it. 

Ok who assigned the civic duty?

What is wrong with exercising your rights, privileges and duties as good Americans. 

Nothing at all. But part of that right is to NOT exercise voting. 

I suppose the right to bitch is considered a privilege, too, and that is what you are exercising.  What is wrong with doing your civic duty and being proud of it? 

Bitching privileges  are tied directly to the right to vote.  IF you don't vote, you have no privilege to bitch.
It is revoked when you don't vote.

Some of you Constitution officiandoes answer this one.  Does the Constitution say anything about privacy of the voter's roles?  Is it unconstitutional for the list of registered voters to be available to the public?  It seems to me that if you don't want your registration to be public, you shouldn't be registered.  Yet you have to be registered to vote.  The reason for the registration is to be sure that only qualified voters are voting.  And that someone else isn't using your registration to vote illegally.  Just think about it a minute.  What would the elections be like if there were no controls in place?

Actually the constitution does not guarantee the right to vote. It is left up to the states.   The only right we have to vote is in the placement of our representatives and senators.  We do not have any right to vote in federal positions. 
As far as what would it be like if no controls were in place, probably better than now since we know that Acorn and other organizations have successfully nullified those controls and submit fraudulent registrations.   Goes to show that the concept of only property owners voting would be the best voting method.  Maybe i would go only taxpayers should vote, those that have to write a check to the irs every year certainly have more right to vote than those who don't pay taxes.

[srkruzich]

I saw where vermont has a bill  up to fine people 500 dollars for not owning a firearm.  It makes sense too as not owning one constitutionally makes them a liability in defense of the state in that they cannot be a ready militia.

so..........it's wrong to take guns away BUT it's cool to FORCE somebody else to get one who doesn't WANT one??real constitutional thinkin at work THERE.

Hey whats good for the goose is great for the gander.  IF the anti gunners want to force us to have to register then they should have to register also.  That is CONSTITUTIONAL.  One law should affect all not just one segment of society. Period.
Its just like this recent homo law that was passed.  Now its a hate crime to kill a homosexual.  THeir a special group now subject to special consideration above that and beyond American Citizens.   Doesn't matter that murder is murder and punishable by law.  Now it comes with special benefits that are not available to all americans.

[pepelect]

  Now its a hate crime to kill a homosexual.  THeir a special group now subject to special consideration above that and beyond American Citizens.   Doesn't matter that murder is murder and punishable by law.  Now it comes with special benefits that are not available to all americans.

I got your back on this one Stevie.  If you are murdered I will tell everyone that you and me dated ......That way it will be more fair to you.

[srkruzich]

  Now its a hate crime to kill a homosexual.  THeir a special group now subject to special consideration above that and beyond American Citizens.   Doesn't matter that murder is murder and punishable by law.  Now it comes with special benefits that are not available to all americans.

I got your back on this one Stevie.  If you are murdered I will tell everyone that you and me dated ......That way it will be more fair to you.

Oh ok, thats kool
Same to you

[Anmar]

being murdered comes with special benefits?  what the hell?

[Wilma]

 We register.  We are not guaranteed that our name on the rolls will remain a private, secret matter.  We are only given the privilege of voting.  How we cast that vote remains a secret.

If only people who write a check to the IRS could vote, that would eliminate a whole lot of good people.  I no longer write a check to the IRS.  As to voting being restricted only to people who pay taxes, then there would be a whole lot more people entitled to vote as everybody who buys anything, pays taxes.  

I would challenge anyone to go to our County Clerk and try to get information about someone else that might be on the voter's registry.  You might find out if they are registered, but I would bet that you wouldn't find out anything else.  Daughter has registered since she moved over here and she tells me that the only information she had to give was her name, address, date of birth and party affiliation.  That is the only information that is on record on the voter's rolls.  What is the big deal about it being public?

[Varmit]

Bitching privileges  are tied directly to the right to vote.  IF you don't vote, you have no privilege to bitch.
It is revoked when you don't vote.
Actually the constitution does not guarantee the right to vote. It is left up to the states.   The only right we have to vote is in the placement of our representatives and senators.  We do not have any right to vote in federal positions. 

Srkruzich, I have to disagree with you here.  The 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th, all deal with voting.  Specifically the 24th deals with voting for the president, vice president, senator or represenative. 

I have heard the "if you don't vote, then you can't bitch" line before and strongly disagree with it.  Just because a person doesn't exercise one right doesn' t mean that they give up another.  Freedom of speech is one of the first rights listed in the Constitution, and nowhere in the Constitution does it state that a person must exercise all or nothing.