With DMVs Closed And Backlogged, People Who Want to Vote Are Struggling Even To Register | Talking Points Memo

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Abigail Burman is better equipped than most to deal with the wrenches that COVID-19 has thrown into the voting process.

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1339466
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Remember back in what I call the Kris Kobach reign of terror days? Where it seemed like every state was pushing for some sort of voter ID law to vote? Well this is why it’s hard, people move from one side of the country to another. And even when we’re not in the time of a global pandemic the lines at the DMV are long. The info you need to prepare for your visit never quite matches up to what the clerk asks for, even if it’s not for an ID.

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This is such a big issue. The registration deadline for Texas is long past, but people should not give up automatically. Sometimes they are already registered and don’t remember, either when they got an driver’s license or at an older address. Plus there are circumstances where they can vote with a limited ballot, e.g. if they have moved without reregistering.

In Texas, there is a lot more information at MyTexasVotes.com, and at their voter protection and assistance hotline, 844-TX-VOTES.

If you know anyone in Texas who is having issues or thinks they can’t vote, please direct them to those resources!

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Opt-out registration is the answer…anything that shows you are a resident, from getting a license to paying the power bill, automatically puts you into the registration process, and the state confirms the registration. Take the burden off the voter and put it on the state, which has resources to confirm a person’s identity. Make it nationwide, with states required to assist in identifying people who move into the state. Do that (with the right details obviously), register everyone and make sure their registration is updated, and all of this goes away.

We might not get more voters, but at least registration will no longer be used as a way to disenfranchise Americans…this whole idea of keeping people from registering to vote is one of the most anti-American things happening today.

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Can she vote in her old state with an absentee ballot up until the time she registers in her new state?

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Why does the GOP hate democracy? Never mind, I know.

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Unlikely, residency rules don’t allow you to do something like that legally. I mean, her registration is probably still on the books in the old state, but she doesn’t live there anymore…if she just moved there may be a grace period where it’s legal, but otherwise she would be voting where she doesn’t live. And, we really don’t want people doing that, which is why registration should be simple and easy so you can get registered right after moving.

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