troubles with voting registration

[marta_bee]

I spent a lot of Friday getting various forms printed out, hunting through my folders for the documents I'll need, trying (unsuccessfully) to schedule an appointment with either the DMV or the passport office to accept my paperwork. I have a valid state-issued ID, but the state that issued it is NY and apparently that's not good enough to let me vote in NC. My passport would work, but it was lost in the move and expired anyway. I also can't move my voter registration online, which means I either need someone to sign saying I'm who I say I am, or go in person to do the form.

It's all doable, but won't be cheap and will involve taking off work. And it's also completely pointless. Another state already looked at my documents and said I was who I claimed. I've got to provide proof of residency to register anyway, and registering in one state automatically voids my registration in any other state. So requiring me to get a whole new ID is just making it unnecessarily more difficult.

That's what's so hard. Because I'll get through this, I can take time off and afford the costs. But I know each time you make something more difficult there are people who will just give up. And statistically, this really is more likely to impact people who rely on public transit or have other ID's like college ID's or benefit cards. The no out-of-state ID's thing seems targeted at college students in particular.

The fact that it's still this hard just feels unpatriotic, I guess. :-$

Comments

[independence1776]

It truly should not be that hard to register. Best of luck!

[just_ann_now]

My daughter (having moved from CA to MD, and a non-driver) will have the same situation here: hike to DMV, show all the docs, eventually receive state ID and voter registration card. It is a bother!

[shirebound]

The fact that it's still this hard just feels unpatriotic, I guess.

It sure does. Such a barrier of complications.

[marta_bee]

It's far from the most difficult part of a move, or even that I'll probably have to do this week. It just irks me because it's pointless, and it feels tied up in something I don't approve of in a big way. Thanks for understanding. :-)

[marta_bee]

I'm glad she's closer to you!

And I do feel like I'm letting this bother me a bit too much. It's really mot *too* difficult, it's just a bother I don't see the point of, and somehow that makes me resent it more. If that's enough to complain about it, it does mean I have the luxury of nothing worse going on at least. :-)

[marta_bee]

I'll get it done, no question. I just need to make photocopies of some of the documents and physically get there- the hard work is definitely finished now.

[azriona]

The new poll tax, I suppose.

I vaguely recall that I had issues voting when I was a college student, because I went to school in DC, but claimed Arizona residency. Arizona tried to block me from voting (since I didn't live there, technically), and it wasn't cleared up until my parents thought to contact their senator and complain about it. (John McCain at the time.) And it was cleared up FAST. Dad says the office didn't even ask if we were registered as Republicans.

[donut_donut]

I agree. The first time I voted in Indiana, they sent me home because my driver's license was from out of state, and I was shocked. Luckily I did have a valid passport, and I lived around the corner so I just walked home and got it. But if I hadn't had the passport, or if I had had kids back then to drag back and forth, I probably would have just given up.

There's really no valid reason to make it so difficult.