Limits to voter registration

Jan 25, 2011
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I have been following the goings on in Florida and I'm struck by the desire of the Florida Gov. to not extend voter registration in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. The FL dems were able to get a one day extension until today and now the court has issued a further extension for an additional full week to allow displaced voters the ability to register.

I have a hard time finding a justifiable reason to limit when someone can register. Those displaced were primarily in urban centers along the east coast. These would be people who traditionally lean heavily towards democrats.

What am I missing here? Why do so many states put limits on registering?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/polit...deadline-until-october-18/index.html?adkey=bn
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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Why do so many states put limits on registering?
Because our society imposes time limits on virtually everything. Your employer doesn't give you a weeks vacation and expect you back in two. Your Doctor doesn't give you an appointment for Tuesday the 23rd at 10 AM and expect to see you on Monday the 10th at 11 AM. Voter registration is no different. There is a widely publicized date given as a deadline so that officials can make sure that the newly registered are in fact eligible to vote in that precinct or district.

There's no conspiracy. It's done for very good reasons and reasons that have been in place for a long, long time. It's a very sound practice.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,966
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Because our society imposes time limits on virtually everything. Your employer doesn't give you a weeks vacation and expect you back in two. Your Doctor doesn't give you an appointment for Tuesday the 23rd at 10 AM and expect to see you on Monday the 10th at 11 AM. Voter registration is no different. There is a widely publicized date given as a deadline so that officials can make sure that the newly registered are in fact eligible to vote in that precinct or district.

There's no conspiracy. It's done for very good reasons and reasons that have been in place for a long, long time. It's a very sound practice.

On a scale from 1-100 how shocked are we that this is boomer's response?

Anyone want to take bets on what his response would be if the situation were reversed?
 
Jan 25, 2011
17,076
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Because our society imposes time limits on virtually everything. Your employer doesn't give you a weeks vacation and expect you back in two. Your Doctor doesn't give you an appointment for Tuesday the 23rd at 10 AM and expect to see you on Monday the 10th at 11 AM. Voter registration is no different. There is a widely publicized date given as a deadline so that officials can make sure that the newly registered are in fact eligible to vote in that precinct or district.

There's no conspiracy. It's done for very good reasons and reasons that have been in place for a long, long time. It's a very sound practice.
If it's a very good reason and sound rationale why is it so different from state to state?
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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I have been following the goings on in Florida and I'm struck by the desire of the Florida Gov. to not extend voter registration in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. The FL dems were able to get a one day extension until today and now the court has issued a further extension for an additional full week to allow displaced voters the ability to register.

I have a hard time finding a justifiable reason to limit when someone can register. Those displaced were primarily in urban centers along the east coast. These would be people who traditionally lean heavily towards democrats.

What am I missing here? Why do so many states put limits on registering?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/12/polit...deadline-until-october-18/index.html?adkey=bn

Florida could have made registration possible up to and including day of the election. They didn't so they should live with the deadline they previously set. If you want to pass a new law that sets the date later or pre-build a contingency allowance into the law in case of hurricane, etc. then I would support that if I lived in Florida.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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If it's a very good reason and sound rationale why is it so different from state to state?
Because states have the power to do so. Pretty simple actually.

If Ohio has a different rationale than Michigan it's no skin off my nose. I live and vote in Michigan. If I lived in Ohio I would comply by their rules. I can't vote in Ohio so their rules are their rules. If they don't like those rules they can change them same as in any of the 57 states in the nation.
 
Jan 25, 2011
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Because states have the power to do so. Pretty simple actually.

If Ohio has a different rationale than Michigan it's no skin off my nose. I live and vote in Michigan. If I lived in Ohio I would comply by their rules. I can't vote in Ohio so their rules are their rules. If they don't like those rules they can change them same as in any of the 57 states in the nation.
So your argument is they do it for very good reasons and those reasons are completely arbitrary because they can and that's that.

ok then.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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Florida could have made registration possible up to and including day of the election. They didn't so they should live with the deadline they previously set. If you want to pass a new law that sets the date later or pre-build a contingency allowance into the law in case of hurricane, etc. then I would support that if I lived in Florida.
The population in Florida is rising rather rapidly. They are fifth in the nation for population growth. If they are to ensure that people registering are in fact entitled to vote in Florida, they will need the time to do so. In a state with a declining population I could perhaps agree with you that registration could take place very late in the game but under the circumstances that Florida is experiencing, I don't.

Regardless, the deadline has been extended. Problem solved. Any smart governor would let a Judge handle that decision.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
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So your argument is they do it for very good reasons and those reasons are completely arbitrary because they can and that's that.

ok then.


Mostly correct. They can and that's that, whether their reasons are "arbitrary" or not is irrelevant. Article 1, Section 2, Clause 1 and the Tenth Amendment gives states the power to determine processes for how to determine the eligibility of electors (i.e. voters). That's why states have wildly different rules for voter registration including the time requirements to do so. The existing deadline of 10/12 isn't any more "correct" or less arbitrary than the extended date. It could be October 12, or 31, or any other date just like the state could issue a drivers license with an expiration date of 4 years, 8 years, or whatever amount of time they want. They don't need to prove whatever decision they make on either voter registration deadline or length between drivers license renewals isn't "arbitrary" or have a justification for whatever they choose.
 
Feb 4, 2009
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I have to say that its never a good idea to wait until the last minute to do anything however many people occasionally do (including me). After a major weather event its not crazy to extend the deadline a few extra days. This is where our Government fails lately, the Governor wanted no extension but offered a one day. I'll bet that Democratic group that wanted the exception wanted 4 extra days but the inability to compromise made a judge decide and the one week extension is probably the maximum figure that they really didn't expect to get.
A private compromise would have been a much better solution like 48 hours but I'll put out a PSA letting everyone know there will be extended hours or something similar.

I fail to see why having more people registered to vote is a bad thing.
 
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Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
35,787
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What am I missing here? Why do so many states put limits on registering?

1: For vetting and verification of information? Probably a good idea to leave a space between last day to register and an election.
2: Leftover imposition of limits based on a pre-internet era where physical paper-copies of records required manual labor to find, print, and mail/transmit and this could often require coordinating with other offices, agencies, or other states entirely. Where the idea it could take weeks would not be unusual.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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If it's a very good reason and sound rationale why is it so different from state to state?

Does this map with the huge variation in deadlines for voter registration look like it's some sort of diabolical plot to limit voting or simply the result of states setting varied dates for whatever reasons (arbitrary or not) they came up with? Is Florida being "more" arbitrary by having the deadline be 29 days before the election or is Hawaii because there it's 30 days? Or Virginia with their odd 22 day before requirement?

voter-registration-deadlines-2008.png
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,966
55,358
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I have to say that its never a good idea to wait until the last minute to do anything however many people occasionally do (including me). After a major weather event its not crazy to extend the deadline a few extra days. This is where our Government fails lately, the Governor wanted no extension but offered a one day. I'll bet that Democratic group that wanted the exception wanted 4 extra days but the inability to compromise made a judge decide and the one week extension is probably the maximum figure that they really didn't expect to get.
A private compromise would have been a much better solution like 48 hours but I'll put out a PSA letting everyone know there will be extended hours or something similar.

Yes it would have been far better to compromise, as when it comes to voting you don't want to make these things appear partisan. Sad that they couldn't come to some sort of agreement and the judiciary was forced to make Scott do it.

I fail to see why having fewer people registered to vote is a bad thing.

I think you mean more people registered to vote?
 

AnonymouseUser

Diamond Member
May 14, 2003
9,943
107
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Come on guys, this type of inconvenience only affects law-abiding citizens. There's plenty of other ways the Democrats can make up for the loss:


 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
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Yes it would have been far better to compromise, as when it comes to voting you don't want to make these things appear partisan. Sad that they couldn't come to some sort of agreement and the judiciary was forced to make Scott do it.

I think you mean more people registered to vote?

Honestly what seems partisan is changing the date. Again if you want to make the legal deadline for registration much later or even same-day for the next election then have at it, the state of Florida has that power.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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If I moved to another state in mid-November of this year, as soon as I was able to provide the required proof of residency I could then register to vote for the 2020 presidential election and all other races on that ballot. In other words, I have a lot of time to get registered.

There are people that put things off to the last minute. Sometimes on an habitual basis. Set a deadline and they will make it if they are truly interested or committed. That's how life works. If you set a Tuesday deadline for registering to vote, somebody will want in to be Wednesday. If you then change it to Wednesday, somebody will want it extended to Thursday and so on. Our society runs on deadlines and timetables and for very good reasons.

Some people go through life behaving like adults and some people behave like kids. I feel that adults run things better and that means deadlines and timetables. This means that some people are unhappy. Let me find my little violin.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,966
55,358
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Honestly what seems partisan is changing the date. Again if you want to make the legal deadline for registration much later or even same-day for the next election then have at it, the state of Florida has that power.

Not really. I think we can all agree that having as many legal voters registered as possible is a nonpartisan positive for any state. If a state is willing to give X days for people to get registered and then a number of those days are removed because of a natural disaster/act of god it seems perfectly reasonable to give them some extra time to make it up.

Regardless the outcome would inevitably be construed as partisan because the two parties were unable to agree on it and the decision had to be forced on them by a higher legal authority. Only by both parties agreeing (regardless of what they agree on) would the stench of partisanship be removed.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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Not really. I think we can all agree that having as many legal voters registered as possible is a nonpartisan positive for any state. If a state is willing to give X days for people to get registered and then a number of those days are removed because of a natural disaster/act of god it seems perfectly reasonable to give them some extra time to make it up.

Regardless the outcome would inevitably be construed as partisan because the two parties were unable to agree on it and the decision had to be forced on them by a higher legal authority. Only by both parties agreeing (regardless of what they agree on) would the stench of partisanship be removed.

You know that a much shorter way of saying what you just did would be; namely just agree with me that Florida should have a later deadline for voter registration and skip all this extension bullcrap. And yes, more registered voters is a good thing but I disagree with disregarding your own laws to do so.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
87,966
55,358
136
You know that a much shorter way of saying what you just did would be; namely just agree with me that Florida should have a later deadline for voter registration and skip all this extension bullcrap. And yes, more registered voters is a good thing but I disagree with disregarding your own laws to do so.

No, I don't agree with that. I think that exigent circumstances should be taken into account as they were in this case. It appears that federal law requires it, so we would not be disregarding our own laws.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,862
31,346
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Come on guys, this type of inconvenience only affects law-abiding citizens. There's plenty of other ways the Democrats can make up for the loss:



lol--James O'Keefe nonsense. Not surprised you swallowed the bait and the hook on this one. :D
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
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No, I don't agree with that. I think that exigent circumstances should be taken into account as they were in this case. It appears that federal law requires it, so we would not be disregarding our own laws.

Disregarding our own laws like the deadline for voter registration? Hell, why not just throw out any and all voter registration deadlines why you're at it then since the same reasoning applies in any other state, why bother with the rationale of a hurricane if the highest priority is maximum voter registration? But of course you won't do that, you'll continue to pick and choose what laws to follow or which to disregard based solely on what you perceive is in your political benefit.