Explain Like I'm 5 (ELI5)

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

submitted 1 month 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] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Governmental agencies typically dont share data like that so you would have to give them your address separately. Imo its partially a republican "hurr no big govt" and jim crow type deal where republicans want to keep poor people and colored people from voting (less likely to have the time to register or have a fixed address).

[–] [email protected] -5 points 1 month ago

Republican?

Funny, I remember Democrats 50 years ago being anti-establishment.

Make up your mind.