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.

 

[Eaglelord17]

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.

Alternatively the government already knows who is a citizen. It should just be a matter of registering once online, (like Canada) showing a government issued ID (dvrs licence, etc.) when going to vote which is cross referenced with the pre-existing voter list, and away you go.

Intentionally trying to make the standard extremely high to suppress voting is not a good thing. Why must it be a passport or birth certificate? Seeking to disenfranchise new American citizens who don’t have the cash to spend on a passport?

 

[Brad Sallows]

Alternatively the government already knows who is a citizen. It should just be a matter of registering once online, (like Canada) showing a government issued ID (dvrs licence, etc.) when going to vote which is cross referenced with the pre-existing voter list, and away you go.

Intentionally trying to make the standard extremely high to suppress voting is not a good thing. Why must it be a passport or birth certificate? Seeking to disenfranchise new American citizens who don’t have the cash to spend on a passport?

Everything I've read so far indicates that passports and birth certificates would be options for proof of citizenship during registration. Voting (casting a ballot) would require proof of identity. That's where other ID comes in, driver's licence likely being the most common. Is there some confusion as to the difference between registration and voting, and the difference between the documentation required?