Why is voting so difficult in the States?

Michael_UK

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:17 AM
Original message

Why is voting so difficult in the States?

In the UK, I'm puzzled at why voting is so difficult. I've never faced queues when voting (when turnout has been around 60%). We don't have the registration problems either.

Why is this?

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The Velveteen Ocelot

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:19 AM
Response to Original message

1. It shouldn't be so hard, and usually it isn't.

This year the Forces of Darkness are trying to make it difficult. Republicans want a low voter turnout -- what the hell kind of party likes it when people don't vote?

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Michael_UK

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:23 AM
Response to Reply #1

3. I like the quote

"Republicans support democracy only if democracy supports Republicans"

Anyway, good luck today, I'm staying up late to watch the results.

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Kolesar

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:23 AM
Response to Original message

2. In the US, the parties run elections as opposed to civil service workers

I gather that in other countries, there are federal & local employees who manage registrations throughout the year. The US uses partisans on Boards of Elections.

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SheilaT

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:34 AM
Response to Original message

4. How do they do it in the UK?

How do you register, is it hard to find out your designated polling place, who are the poll workers?

We have a bizarre system requiring registration, voting in a specific place that may be changed without warning from election to election, and the poll workers are volunteers, mainly retired people.

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Michael_UK

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:47 AM
Response to Reply #4

7. In the UK

Edited on Tue Nov-02-04 07:48 AM by mh8782

The local council sends out forms asking who lives in each house. Every house gets a form - you fill it in, and before the election you receive your card - you can also vote by post if you wish.

You're told where to vote, and you turn up and walk in and vote (with your card). The people who organise the voting are civil servants, and so perhaps there's a difference there.

You can pop along to the local council if you've been missed out, but here, I've never heard of voting problems like those in the US. (There was a problem when all-postal voting was tried once).

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Memekiller

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:38 AM
Response to Original message

5. In the US, we have REPUBLICANS...

They don't like winning elections on issues or campaigning. They prefer to subvert the system rather than playing by the rules. But even they can't suppress numbers this big, baby!!!

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Kokonoe

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Tue Nov-02-04 07:39 AM
Response to Original message

6. It's designed to be difficult

It suppresses voting by the masses of lower class. Otherwise the ruling class would be outnumbered.

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