this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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politics

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Doesn't most of the world already work like this? I have to identify myself to vote in my country, it's the obvious way to prevent people from voting more than one time.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago

I live in a country where every citizen automatically receives a government id at the age of 12. We have to bring that id when we go to vote, but even if I were to lose the card at the worst possible time, there are contingency measures to allow me to still cast my vote. The idea is to get as many people as possible to vote, the id card greatly facilitates this process, but it's not used as a tool to keep people from voting.

In the usa (and the uk, and maybe other countries as well), citizens are not automatically granted an id card. Instead they have to acquire + maintain some accepted means of identifying themselves if they want to vote. And there some Americans saw a great opportunity: what if they made it so that certain minority groups would have a statistically harder time acquiring and maintaining identification that was deemed acceptable? And what if the state government could arbitrarily purge voter lists based on data mined information? The voter id requirements are used not only for facilitating the voting process, but also for suppressing undesired votes.

If you want some examples of usa voter suppression: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The key is what id would be acceptable.

They'll raise the bar until only ids most people (they don't like) don't have and they have already destroyed the public service so getting one will ve very very hard and/or expensive

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Interestingly, it may backfire on them. For example they cite Real Id or passport.

So passport only people who travel internationally bother to get. The rural MAGAs are less likely to get this.

For Real Id, it's more likely since that can be done with your license, however most people I know who do not fly have not bothered, because it's a hassle, they have to find DMV acceptable materials for a feature they don't even need (if you aren't flying, you still won't need real id for much of anything).

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[–] [email protected] -4 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Yeah I don’t get it either. Every election I voted in I’ve had to have id. It’s been like this for a long time and it hasn’t shifted so that we need proof of ethnicity or some other bs people here are suggesting will happen next.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Are people really not aware of the issues with voter ID laws? Do we really need to go over this basic shit again?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (9 children)

What are these issues? Every other country in the world ids voters.

I'm not Trump fan by any means but it's hard to argue against voter ID. Americans in general seem to live in 3rd world when it comes to IDs with your social security number shit etc.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

@drmoose @prole The UK only just brought it in a few years ago, against the advice of the Elec Commission as we don't really have any fraud and we don't have universal ID cards so it's complicated to know what you'd need to bring. Mostly it's passports or driving licences which relies on people having the cash to drive or travel, and their name matching the voter roll. If someone is turned away for not having ID they might not come back.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Maybe its time to join the 21st century and issue citizen ids?

No wonder identity theft and scams are so rampant in the US.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We have citizen IDs. If you really don't understand the issue. Open a history book. I'll even give you a starting point. Read about Jim Crow laws.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 weeks ago

Nah that's not a justification. Just fix your country instead of running away from your problems. Seriously americans are spineless as fuck.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

@drmoose it was discussed in the 00s (in the UK!) but was massively polarising and got dropped. People didn't like the idea of having to carry something that proved who they are.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (10 children)

That's just crazy to me. How can society function when people are afraid to identify themselves to officials they should be trusting and relying on.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

But what about that president from Kenya?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

then comes proof of ethnicity or something

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

wouldn't put it past them to do that. a big hurdle that keeps getting taller.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago

I think if we get through this, we'll look back at this in horror.. for about 60 years, and then we'll have a crop of neo-trumpists because no one ever seems to learn anything.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

The Constitution leaves the matter of election of electors to the states.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Call your local & state officals about this. The federal government does not run elections. It's the state and local officals that do even for federal office. They are the ones who chose to follow or not follow a blatantly illegal order

Trump is threatening to pull unrelated federal funding if they don't, but he's been pulling funding for many states anyways for zero reason. Make sure your local & state officals know you'll have their back if they don't bow down

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The US system is so weird, federal elections are handled at a lower level of power and differently depending on which state you live in, it makes no sense. You guys need an independent body handling federal elections so everyone's vote is handled the same way no matter where they live... And paper ballots, fucking hell you guys need to go back to paper ballots.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I think the states handling election in theory makes sense. It's a decentralized system that is harder to undermine. An independent body may bring consistency, but I don't think that helps at all in combatting Trump's tampering.

Also, many states are using paper ballots and always have been.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

Decentralization isn't always better, it's not as efficient and, in this case, it makes it so people's ability to choose their president varies by state and in red states there's scheming to prevent the Democrats from gaining ground.

With an independent body and equal access to voting for all, Trump wouldn't have been elected in the first place.

You say it's harder to undermine but it's getting undermined while we don't have issues like we see in the USA right next door in Canada.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

This isn't for control of the presidency but Congress. Unless Congress goes along and rejects the electorates sent by the states, the electoral college works the same. It sets us up for another constitutional crisis where the president gets to say certain Congress people are illegitimate.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

If this isn't your line for outright riots America then I struggle to think of what is.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Problem is, when the riots do eventually start, there will be no going back. One way or another this will be a completely different country in probably less than a year.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

good. let's get this shit over with.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

Tik tok ban

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

So? The idea itself is not inherently bad. If I want to vote in Germany I go to the local polling station, show my ID (proof if citizenship) and hand over my voting documents (so I can only vote once, also the volunteers will mark me on a list) and I vote. And no, I don't have to register to vote.

Your problem is that your common way of identifying is your damn drivers license and not an ID card like in nearly every other country.

Not defending this big, orange, walking, talking and shaking with his little hands, asshole. Just saying, not all of your problems are caused by him. Many of them are inherent to your political system.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

A social security card is practically a national id card but without your picture. I'm a little surprised we've gone so long without one.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

A social security number/card is not exclusive to citizens. Green card/permanent residents, for example, usually get them - particularly, if planning to/already working.

Any kind of national/citizen id would need a whole new process and require it be provided to 100% of existing citizens. Time-consuming and certainly a cost associated with the process.

It's one of those "in theory" easy things, but a lot more difficult in practice, I imagine.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago

Just start now to give out an idea to anybody that reaches voting age. Don't bother about the older ones.

It will take time, but it does not overload your system

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sure, without any context or respect to history this will be just fine. Lol

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago

Not to long ago we killed millions and wanted world domination. We changed our laws so this does not happen again Because law can be changed

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