YES! - Every American should be guaranteed the right to vote.
98%
NO! - Our current system of voter registration works just fine.
2%
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Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
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I am amazed that this is a question!
Isn't this what we fought for?
Yes, we have civil liberties, but we also have civil obligations and voting needs to be one of them.
Shame on the GOP for trying to disenfranchise millions of American!
Stan near Seattle, WA
Agreed. Not just the "right", the responsibility.
Voting rights shouldn't be left to individual states because political extremist will stop at nothing to win.
the scotus says there is no constitutional right to vote
says money is speech -
isn't your vote speech?
to get a driver's license you need 3 forms of id
yet those 3 forms of id
aren't good enough to vote -
you need a driver's license
Just got my Driver's License renewed -- and there was no Birth Certificate requirement -- the only proof of birth-citizenship. Grandfathered for decades, I don't think I've ever had to prove birth in the US for a licence to drive.
And I don't think anything in my Voting Registration History File is based on any "Birth in US" citizenship. Fact is, if randomly stopped on the street, I could NOT prove my US Citizenship -- not with any ID that I carry. I'd have to find, or apply and pay for copies of my birth-papers.
I helped a guy who'd lost all his ID. (Like many older citizens he was generally doing okay without it). It took us more than $50 and 3-months to recreate his paper-trail -- overcoming two Catch-22 bureaucratic blockages. IE: To get a State photo-ID you need "your Sosh" CARD, (an unsecure printed reminder); and to replace your Social Security reminder card ("Not for Identification"), you need a State Photo-ID. GOTCHA.
Voter "registration" does work just fine, but when that "registered" voter goes to the polls, that's where the problems start, thanks to the Republican voter suppression laws requiring specific types of ID to vote, which in some states a gun license takes precedence of a passport as "legal". After $74,000,000 and 7 years of GW Bush trying to find voter fraud, they found 35 over that period of time, so it's not reasonable for states to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on these laws to prevent a problem that's almost virtually non existent. May well benefit us more to work on election frauds, which seem to be rampant.
We need to move to a system like what exists in Canada. There is a database of every citizen over the age of 18. If you are in that database, you vote. No need to change registration every time you move within the country.
I was denied the right to vote and to participate in our democracy. Because of a county election clerk's error and an ommision on a voter registration application I was told that technically I'm not here.
I have been registered to vote here in Santa Cruz Ca since mid 80's. Errors or ommissions should not be reason to deny us our rights. Time should not run out for us. Federal laws with a process of protection would solve these disparities.
I could not run for city council as planned. bushforsccouncil.99k.org But, I have to say that I am here. I have an EBT card. I buy food here. The govt. can track where and what I consume for food. They can't get a voter application right? Technically I'm not here?
We need a federal law to declare election day a federal paid holiday. So we can celebrate our democracy rather then stand in the rain after work to vote. We need weekend long voting. Remember the day when the republicans stole our election of Gore. Remember when chief justice Reinquist with his "Cheshire" cat smile spoke, "Did you really think we were going to allow you to count the votes"? This is an assault on our democracy. We must protect our rights to vote!
While the right to vote will always be on the top of individual rights, it seldoms come to mind, because 1) we vote (sometimes) less than once a year, and 2) we assume it's automatic. There is no "right to vote". . (https://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2020/10/because-we-dont-have-right-vote) and people don't understand this just like they always assumed majority vote always wins, state electors have to follow the state's majority vote, and many other traditions not written into law, that sadly we're learning due to the evil party on the right, who will cheat, lie, win at any cost.
Unfortunately like so many mis-interpreted or absent constitional rights/laws, it takes a "constitutional amendment" . . i.e. 2/3 of Congress + 3/4's of the states to ratify a constitutional amendment, and while the R-party of "originalists" would never allow this when it works against their agenda, we have to have end-around laws passed in states, like the National Popular Vote Interstate Pact to fix this ancient, false Electoral College. I would like to hear Thom's take on how we could pass a Federal (some states won't cooperate) law that protect every person's right to vote, at the consequence of Federal fines and imprisonment.
["Agreed. Not just the "right", the responsibility."]
One would think so, and points out my observation, that every American believes this is top of the list, unless they have a "convenient" argument the R-party uses.
["I am amazed that this is a question!"]
Interesting concept, "responsibility" to vote. . with consequences. . like a fine? Or incentives, like a tax-break? Never happen though.