Canadians get registered to vote through their income tax returns.

palintology

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Wed Oct-01-08 10:56 AM
Original message

Canadians get registered to vote through their income tax returns.

Just an idea which could work well in the U.S. ...

While filing their income tax, Canadians are asked on their income tax forms
whether they want to 'register to vote'? Yes / No

You can answer the same question for your spouse, even if he/she has no income.

This information is transferred to the Federal government and the Provinces.

In other words ... probably 80% of adult Canadians get registered to vote at
their most recent address, updated every April.

It's such a simple idea !

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ingac70

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Wed Oct-01-08 10:59 AM
Response to Original message

1. Sounds great to me, but...

individual states handle the election process and have their own rules (like in some states felons can't vote)

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Lucy Goosey

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:03 AM
Response to Reply #1

5. That's another weird thing to me about the US system - that States have different...

laws for Federal elections. Shouldn't it be standardised across the country?

What do I know, though? I'm from Soviet Canuckistan, after all.

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palintology

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:06 AM
Response to Reply #1

7. It would be up to the states ...

If they want to use that Federally collected voter registration data.

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Lucy Goosey

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:01 AM
Response to Original message

2. We also have Elections Canada officials come to our doors...

We have an election coming up on 14 Oct., and I'm in a brand new apartment building, and election employees came by to give me the paperwork to make sure I can vote in my current district.

We also don't register to vote with our party affiliations listed. That's one of the things that I find particularly strange about the US system, to be honest.

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eshfemme

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:02 AM
Response to Original message

3. Also, some college students would be missed too.

If they were claimed as dependents by their parents but did not file an individual tax form of their own and were of voting age.

Also, some people work out of state and have to file for both a federal and 2 state forms (I know this because my mom worked out of state in NJ so had to file taxes with both NY and NJ).

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Lucy Goosey

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:05 AM
Response to Reply #3

6. True, but there are other ways to register in addition to the income tax forms.

The tax forms are just the most convenient.

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palintology

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:09 AM
Response to Reply #3

8. I would restrict the voter registration only to ...

I would restrict the voter registration only to Federal income tax returns.

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Beregond2

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:02 AM
Response to Original message

4. The whole idea of registration is asinine.

A citizen should automatically have the right to vote, wherever they are living. You show proof of residence in that place, and that should be it. An ID card or driver's license should be sufficient. Registration is just a way to keep people from voting.

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gcomeau

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:20 AM
Response to Reply #4

9. Ummm... no.

I have a California driver's license.

I'm Canadian.

See the problem?

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palintology

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:41 AM
Response to Reply #9

10. social security number shows citizenship.

In Canada, probably the U.S. as well(?), foreigners are given social security numbers
which start with the digit nine. When you become a citizen, the first three digits
are moved and become the last three digits in your social security number.

Anyway ... when you file your income tax, you have to file with your social security
number, and therefor the government can figure out from that number who is a citizen or not.

Smart eh?

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chicagoexpat

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Wed Oct-01-08 11:53 AM
Response to Original message

11. Nearly every civilized nation in the world takes it as an obligation of the gov't to know who its

citizens are & lets'em participate.

France, I think, has a system not unlike the US's, but that's about it

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