When I registered to vote, years and years ago, I had to do it thirty days in advance and bring in a couple of forms of identification and proof of where I lived, such as a bill with my name on it. Now we have same day registration and who knows what proof.
I don’t know why federal registration would be any easier than registering with the state or county. The locally, the better.
I’ve never actually registered to vote in Canada. I just check off the box in the tax form and Elections Canada updates their list. I got curious and looked it up. Apparently the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship shares their list of new citizens and permanent residents each year with Elections Canada. They take this info and add new citizens to the list and cross out any permanent residents that somehow got on the voter list. However, they never actually ask for proof from anyone registering via the tax form. If I don’t receive a voter’s card in the mail. I can register at the polling station with a photo ID with proof of address (and just swear I’m Canadian).
So my next question – do you need to bring proof of citizenship to each time you vote or is the registration enough?
My preference for federal registration is they are able to co-ordinate with different ministries to update the voter list each year through tax returns, citizenship, and permanant resident information. If you do this on a local level, it’s impossible for the agency to update citizenship lists and a change of address/moving forces a citizen to re-register.
On the list of truly bizarre voting requirements — my daughter was allowed to vote in the UK general election simply because she had her own residence when she studied abroad for a semester (as opposed to living in a dorm with other foreign students). They register voters by going door to door ensuring the list is up-to-date and registering anyone who is not on the previous list (Canada used to do this prior to the income tax checklist method). She told them she was Polish/Canadian — it didn’t matter. So she voted for the Scottish National Party.
HRW, certainly in Michigan, and I imagine anywhere else in the US, you do not need to bring proof of citizenship each time you vote. Being registered is enough.
Laws vary from state to state about whether or not you need proof of identification to vote.
In Michigan, to vote in person, you need either to present photo ID or to sign an affidavit saying you do not have one. I believe for absentee ballots the signature on the envelope is supposed to be compared to the one of file before the vote is counted.
It’s basically the same in Georgia as what Kevin said. We show our driver’s license (photo ID), we fill out a form, they find us on the registered to vote list, check us off, and we are givrn the card to stick in the slot on the machine to vote. The machine records the votes and (after all the questions left over about integrity of the machines), the machine prints out a copy of our ballot which we check over to be sure it is correct. Then we put that copy in a lock box and turn in our voting card. Then we are handed a nice sticker showing we voted in the Peach State. Ditto on signatures on absentee ballots i think everyone has to have photo ID of some other way of showing they are who they say they are to register to vote.
No ID requested when you vote in person in California. You’re listed in their registration “book” by address and you sign your name next to your entry.
Most of us also bring our sample ballot with our names printed on them, but that’s not required. I’m not sure how it’s handled if someone isn’t listed in the registration book.
But you can vote if you’ve recently moved (and you’re still under your old address somewhere else) — provisional ballot is what it’s called.
____________________
What Is a Provisional Ballot?
A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in a special envelope prior to being put in the ballot box.
Who Casts a Provisional Ballot?
Provisional ballots are ballots cast by voters who:
Believe they are registered to vote even though their names are not on the official voter registration list at the polling place.
Vote by mail and instead want to vote at their polling place or a vote center, but they did not receive their ballot or do not have their ballot with them (and the elections official is unable to verify that they have not returned their vote-by-mail ballot).
We have mail in voting here. You can go to a voting site if desired but for the most part residents vote by mail. If you vote in person you must show your state id whether that be a license or resident id.
I always drop our ballots off at the box place at the police station. They have cameras and is probably most secure. Once the election committee receives our ballot we get an email…then another telling us our vote has been counted.
Boris Johnson is a trend setter isn’t he? So who is taking his place?
We mostly vote “by mail” here, too, of course, and I also drop my ballot off at a polling place. But I do miss the ambiance of going into the neighborhood polling places and seeing all your neighbors. I used to love doing that. It’s somewhat lost its appeal for me, sadly, as the nation has been going through such a tough and divided period right now. 😦
After voting by mail in 2020 because of Covid, I’m back to in-person voting. Even if I don’t see anyone I know, there’s something about the ritual that warms my heart. I know that’s very subjective.
I like the ritual. Although I’m starting to appreciate advanced polls – no lines. I’m not sure if mail in ballots are possible here. There’s enough polling stations and advance polls that there’s rarely a line-up. Those long line ups I see on TV during American elections never happen here. Then again our ballots are far simpler than yours.
The signature card bit puzzles me. My signature is a scribble and never appears the same way twice. Why the need for a signature card?
I’m surprised Boris lasted this long. What I do like about the British House of Commons is there is far less party discipline than in Canada. A party can vote against their own leader and vote him out. It happened to Thatcher and now to Johnson.
Apparently it’s Jimmy and Roselyn Carter’s 76th wedding anniversary. Whatever you think of his presidency, he is by far the best person to be president. And definitely the best ex-president. Congrats to the couple.
We do not have a card we sign, but the election judges have a binder with all registered voters. When you sign next to your name, you are saying you are who you say you are. I imagine the signature can be challenged. Everyone’s signature has certain characteristic even when you try to change it. Handwriting experts are used in courts. Also, if the person has signed the book another person cannot come and try to vote with that name.
I seldom vote when I am not known by at least one of the judges.
Wandering Views 
When I registered to vote, years and years ago, I had to do it thirty days in advance and bring in a couple of forms of identification and proof of where I lived, such as a bill with my name on it. Now we have same day registration and who knows what proof.
I don’t know why federal registration would be any easier than registering with the state or county. The locally, the better.
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Thanks Peter and Kathaleena;
I’ve never actually registered to vote in Canada. I just check off the box in the tax form and Elections Canada updates their list. I got curious and looked it up. Apparently the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship shares their list of new citizens and permanent residents each year with Elections Canada. They take this info and add new citizens to the list and cross out any permanent residents that somehow got on the voter list. However, they never actually ask for proof from anyone registering via the tax form. If I don’t receive a voter’s card in the mail. I can register at the polling station with a photo ID with proof of address (and just swear I’m Canadian).
So my next question – do you need to bring proof of citizenship to each time you vote or is the registration enough?
My preference for federal registration is they are able to co-ordinate with different ministries to update the voter list each year through tax returns, citizenship, and permanant resident information. If you do this on a local level, it’s impossible for the agency to update citizenship lists and a change of address/moving forces a citizen to re-register.
On the list of truly bizarre voting requirements — my daughter was allowed to vote in the UK general election simply because she had her own residence when she studied abroad for a semester (as opposed to living in a dorm with other foreign students). They register voters by going door to door ensuring the list is up-to-date and registering anyone who is not on the previous list (Canada used to do this prior to the income tax checklist method). She told them she was Polish/Canadian — it didn’t matter. So she voted for the Scottish National Party.
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HRW, certainly in Michigan, and I imagine anywhere else in the US, you do not need to bring proof of citizenship each time you vote. Being registered is enough.
Laws vary from state to state about whether or not you need proof of identification to vote.
In Michigan, to vote in person, you need either to present photo ID or to sign an affidavit saying you do not have one. I believe for absentee ballots the signature on the envelope is supposed to be compared to the one of file before the vote is counted.
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It’s basically the same in Georgia as what Kevin said. We show our driver’s license (photo ID), we fill out a form, they find us on the registered to vote list, check us off, and we are givrn the card to stick in the slot on the machine to vote. The machine records the votes and (after all the questions left over about integrity of the machines), the machine prints out a copy of our ballot which we check over to be sure it is correct. Then we put that copy in a lock box and turn in our voting card. Then we are handed a nice sticker showing we voted in the Peach State. Ditto on signatures on absentee ballots i think everyone has to have photo ID of some other way of showing they are who they say they are to register to vote.
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Sorry for the typos. Puzzle fof the day!
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No ID requested when you vote in person in California. You’re listed in their registration “book” by address and you sign your name next to your entry.
Most of us also bring our sample ballot with our names printed on them, but that’s not required. I’m not sure how it’s handled if someone isn’t listed in the registration book.
But you can vote if you’ve recently moved (and you’re still under your old address somewhere else) — provisional ballot is what it’s called.
____________________
What Is a Provisional Ballot?
A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is placed in a special envelope prior to being put in the ballot box.
Who Casts a Provisional Ballot?
Provisional ballots are ballots cast by voters who:
Believe they are registered to vote even though their names are not on the official voter registration list at the polling place.
Vote by mail and instead want to vote at their polling place or a vote center, but they did not receive their ballot or do not have their ballot with them (and the elections official is unable to verify that they have not returned their vote-by-mail ballot).
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I’ll kind of miss Boris Johnson’s hair.
Always so fascinating to me. But my life is boring.
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We have mail in voting here. You can go to a voting site if desired but for the most part residents vote by mail. If you vote in person you must show your state id whether that be a license or resident id.
I always drop our ballots off at the box place at the police station. They have cameras and is probably most secure. Once the election committee receives our ballot we get an email…then another telling us our vote has been counted.
Boris Johnson is a trend setter isn’t he? So who is taking his place?
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They’d better have interesting hair.
We mostly vote “by mail” here, too, of course, and I also drop my ballot off at a polling place. But I do miss the ambiance of going into the neighborhood polling places and seeing all your neighbors. I used to love doing that. It’s somewhat lost its appeal for me, sadly, as the nation has been going through such a tough and divided period right now. 😦
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After voting by mail in 2020 because of Covid, I’m back to in-person voting. Even if I don’t see anyone I know, there’s something about the ritual that warms my heart. I know that’s very subjective.
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I like the ritual. Although I’m starting to appreciate advanced polls – no lines. I’m not sure if mail in ballots are possible here. There’s enough polling stations and advance polls that there’s rarely a line-up. Those long line ups I see on TV during American elections never happen here. Then again our ballots are far simpler than yours.
The signature card bit puzzles me. My signature is a scribble and never appears the same way twice. Why the need for a signature card?
I’m surprised Boris lasted this long. What I do like about the British House of Commons is there is far less party discipline than in Canada. A party can vote against their own leader and vote him out. It happened to Thatcher and now to Johnson.
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I really like the ritual of in-person voting too – but the convenience of dropping a pre-filled-out ballot off is enticing.
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After voting absentee for 20 years–and having a problem with a South Bay election long ago, DJ–I always vote in person.
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Apparently it’s Jimmy and Roselyn Carter’s 76th wedding anniversary. Whatever you think of his presidency, he is by far the best person to be president. And definitely the best ex-president. Congrats to the couple.
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The best ex-presidents keep mum, for the most part, especially when it comes to offering criticism of their successors.
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We do not have a card we sign, but the election judges have a binder with all registered voters. When you sign next to your name, you are saying you are who you say you are. I imagine the signature can be challenged. Everyone’s signature has certain characteristic even when you try to change it. Handwriting experts are used in courts. Also, if the person has signed the book another person cannot come and try to vote with that name.
I seldom vote when I am not known by at least one of the judges.
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