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zappini3 karma
Update: I appreciate you pointing out the misc rules each state have. It's a huge issue. There's always variation and everything keeps changing. One negative consequence is people talking past each other.
I very much support states being the incubators of democracy. I also support citizens gleaning good ideas and updating their own state. As an example, my friends worked a decade to update our state's ex-felon voting laws, rules, and procedures, bringing our rules much closer to the national norm.
Again, thank you for your efforts.
zappini0 karma
Hi Brian. Thank you for your efforts. (I've done some registration and GOTV. Thankless!)
zappini0 karma
While states administer elections, the feds make the rules.
For example, HAVA [2002] formalized our current VRDB systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help_America_Vote_Act#Computerized_statewide_voter_registration
A lot has changed in 17 (SEVENTEEN) years. Perhaps it's okay to try to keep up.
zappini0 karma
Why doesn't the USA have a nation-wide voter registration system? Kept up to date automatically? Like every other mature democracy?
There are now multiple demographic databases. Why aren't they used as our VRDB (and by extension a complete census)?
From memory: Facebook, Palantir, LexisNexus (nee Seisent), the 3 big consumer credit agencies, NSA, ChoicePoint, NGP, VoterVault, etc. Soon, we'll have RealID.
These databases track every person living and dead in near real time. Add an "eligible to vote" field, and voila: nationwide automatic, universal voter registration.
Wouldn't this completely moot the annual voter registration fraud food fight?
zappini4 karma
This is the correct, counter-intuitive answer. With any rule change, there are winners and losers. Term limits benefit lobbyists and administrators.
I used to be for term limits until I started attending public hearings, townhalls and saw first hand how the game is played. Inexperienced legislators get eaten for lunch by career administrators and lobbyists.
Now I believe legislators, at all levels, should be paid full time professionals with much more support staff.
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