CAN-USA Tariff Strife (split from various pol threads)

[PrairieFella]

"or birth certificate". Not much point going on and on about passports when the fundamental document is there, too.

If someone loses a birth certificate, it can be replaced. If a voter lost all acceptable ID before an election and showing ID were required, there are processes for replacing those, too.

Providing proof of citizenship to register, and proof of identity at a polling place, are not horrible bars for voters to clear. I'm curious why it's such a bad policy for the US, but perfectly acceptable in many other countries.

Its effectively a poll tax. Passports arent cheap. Getting a birth certificate presumes you can afford a day off work, get done to the office with the proper substantiation you need to prove your identity and pay the fee and hope they receive it in time. The countries that do require standardized voter ID either make getting said ID low cost and easily available or just automatically issue them outright at the age of majority. I can get behind standardized voter ID in that scenario.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Its effectively a poll tax. Passports arent cheap. Getting a birth certificate presumes you can afford a day off work, get done to the office with the proper substantiation you need to prove your identity and pay the fee and hope they receive it in time. The countries that do require standardized voter ID either make getting said ID low cost and easily available or just automatically issue them outright at the age of majority. I can get behind standardized voter ID in that scenario.

If it's possible to lose a birth certificate or a passport, it's possible to lose anything.

"Providing proof of citizenship to register, and proof of identity at a polling place, are not horrible bars for voters to clear. I'm curious why it's such a bad policy for the US, but perfectly acceptable in many other countries."

Yet the "safety concerns" for democracy in the US go on. Americans are too stupid and/or careless.