Explain Like I'm 5 (ELI5)

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ELI5 why do people in USA need to register to vote? (self.eli5)

submitted 4 months ago by verstra to c/[email protected]

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I'd expect the state to have a list of all its citizens and their basic personal info (age) which could be used to determine their eligibility for voting. In my country, we get a "invitation" to the vote, with your voter station and info on how to change it.

Instead, I'm seeing posts about USA's "voter rolls", which are sometimes purged, which prevents people from voting. Isn't this an attack on the voting system and democracy itself?

So why doesn't USA have a list of voters? Are they stupid?

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 4 months ago (14 children)

Because voting regulations are left to the State governments, and each state government does it slightly differently, often with designs that are specifically intended to disenfranchise specific voters.

Further, because of the Electoral College, it is very important WHERE you vote. If I live in New York, I can't vote in Pennsylvania. I get lumped together with everyone in New York.

So my registration ties me to a "permanent address" that aligns with a state, their electoral college contribution, and the rules they've put in place to gather, validate, and verify the vote, all mixed with manipulation over the years to swing the vote wherever possible (see: gerrymandering)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (4 children)

So if you’re on holiday in another state, let’s say… you can’t walk out of your hotel and vote? You have to be physically in your home state during election time to mark a ballot.

Wild.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

There are mail in ballots, but thats why republicans hate them so much. It means our votes get counted

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In particular there’s always been a way for the military to vote

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Sort of, it's common for some military ballots to arrive too late and not be counted.

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