Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Voter turnout in US Message-ID: <1272@dciem.UUCP> Date: Wed, 12-Dec-84 17:39:16 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.1272 Posted: Wed Dec 12 17:39:16 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 12-Dec-84 18:53:06 EST References: <246@gargoyle.UUCP>Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 28 Summary: > Pondering on why voter turnout is so low in America, Richard Carnes states: > > > 1. Voters must register in person in the US, whereas in Europe I believe one > > may register by mail (I'm not up on the situation in Botswana). It cost me > > a fair amount of trouble to register, and I'm sure that's the case for many > > others as well. The comparative difficulty of registering probably accounts > > for a good chunk of the lower percentage in the US. > > I registered by mail, and so did many other people in Texas. Registration > laws are enacted by the states. There are 50 different versions (more if you > count the territories). > > Strike reason number 1. In Canada, pairs of people come around to the door to register you. Only if you are inadvertently left off the list do you have to do anything special about it other than confirm to the registrators who you are and whether there are other potential voters in the house. Don't strike reason number one. To send mail requires an action that affirms your interest in the process. If you are passively registered, you can decide on polling day that you do have a preference, after all. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt