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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

I look forward to his book on his time with Trump.... :lmao::lmao:
I really want one of these people to just let it fly, do a 180 and tell all the insider dirt about the administration.

I was hoping Spicer would do it, but he had too many years of being a toady to grow the necessary balls.

Maybe little Jeffy will be the one to drop the mic...I doubt it, but it'd be fun if he does.
 
Well...two years of no substance coming from Congress ahead of us...only a ton of bickering and executive orders. :not:

And that's different from the last few years how?


This is one of two things. Trump surrounding himself with, as the article describes them, "loyalists" that will protect him and his family finances (thanks for telling us where the money trail leads to Russia) or it's Sessions getting the hell out before the sh!t hits the fan.
 
The two toss-up Congressional districts were GA 6 (my district) and 7 - looks like 7 will stay Republican, while 6 appears to have flipped blue by about 2,000 votes. I'd be stunned by the result here in 6, considering they ran the failed Ossoff playbook, but I remembered this morning that Handel is, after all, a professional election loser. Assuming McBath is certified as the winner, it will be really interesting to see if she's reelected in two years (i.e. "blue wave" result versus an actual change in the makeup of the electorate). Fearless prediction: she won't be reelected if she votes hard left.

Handel (the R incumbent) conceded GA-6 this morning. Disappointing result, but she did the right thing. That's a potentially fascinating race in two years, depending on who emerges from the GOP primary. This was completely a "screw Trump" result.

The Governorship will stay with the GOP, barely - I really hope Kemp steers back to the center like Deal did eight years ago. Deal is the best Governor of the state in my lifetime (a list of folks that includes former President Jimm-ay Car-tah), though, so I've been prepared to be disappointed in whoever won this time. Fonking term limits...

Abrams (D), on the other hand, is refusing to concede, despite the fact that if every single outstanding absentee/provisional ballot was cast for her she still won't force a runoff. Her camp is talking about demanding a recount and then taking it to the courts. Grow. The. Hell. Up.

Down-ballot: We may actually have two or three runoffs for the lesser statewide offices - historically here in Georgia that means a GOP sweep.

Looks like two runoffs - I voted L in one of those, and I'll happily vote D in both runoffs.
 
NJ Democratic Senator Menendez eked out a win. Most Dems voted for him so as not to vote for Hugin who supports Trump, but feel he should have retired amid his fraud allegations and mistrial. The NJ Democratic party shit the bed when choosing to run him again.

Two house districts flipped to blue, NJ-11 was expected with Rodney Frelinghuysen's "retirement" and the other somewhat unexpected pickup was NJ-7 with GOP incumbent Leonard Lance losing. NJ-3 is on the bubble with Democratic challenger Andy Kim hanging on to a 2,600 vote lead over GOP incumbent Tom MacArthur who really angered his district in his efforts to repeal ACA and eliminate coverage for pre-existing conditions, he also refused to hold ANY town hall meetings or meet with his constituency. The district splits over two counties, Ocean which is reliably red and full of retirees but is nervous about Social Security & Medicare and Burlington which is more diverse, poorer, and tilts blue. Ocean County is working their way through several thousand provisional ballots and Burlington County is finishing up counting 26K mail in ballots and 2K provisional ballots. Andy Kim has claimed the win, MacArthur has said he's holding out for the certified election figures which might not be ready until Monday. If Kim wins, 11 of 12 House districts will be blue.
 
Ohio has become ever more deeper red with new right wingers taking over for Governor and Attorney general as well as a lot of downballot races keeping or getting new right-wing Trump sycophants. Expect gerrymandering and voter suppression to gear up for the 2020 election.
 
Has there been any protests or riots in response to the Democrats winning back the House of Representatives?

On a side note, there was a post on Facebook with a link ranting about how Democrats received more votes for senators than the Republicans, but the Republicans still control the senate. Reading the Facebook comments made me really worry about what people are being told in schools regarding how elections work, the constitution, and the history of the US. According to the posts, gerrymandering was the reason that the Republicans still held the Senate. I mean come on! I have not heard much about republicans being upset that they lost the house.

As I have noted multiple times, I don't support either party and I think Trump is doing a horrible job. But there is without question a double standard.



Having said all of that, there is without question gerrymandering for Congressional seats that in most cases favors the Republicans. I think that these districts need to be as simple as possible and whenever possible follow rational boundaries such as municipal or county boundaries. There are some congressional districts here in NC that snake around in multiple counties for the sole reason of giving the republicans an advantage. I am sure that there are examples that benefit democrats too. But I think that we could do a far better job of reshaping these districts to be neutral and rational. Some urban areas will likely have multiple and based on past voting will likely be liberal whereas there will be very large rural districts that will likely go conservative. In the end, I think it would give an edge to the Democrats, but it would be better than the map abuse that we have now.
 
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On a side note, there was a post on Facebook with a link ranting about how Democrats received more votes for senators than the Republicans, but the Republicans still control the senate. Reading the Facebook comments made me really worry about what people are being told in schools regarding how elections work, the constitution, and the history of the US. According to the posts, gerrymandering was the reason that the Republicans still held the Senate.

While there are probably some people confused as to how the senate is elected, there is a decades-old complaint about the senate in general and that residents of states like Delaware or Wyoming or Vermont or the Dakotas have an outsized amount of influence compared to states like New Jersey or Texas or Florida or California when you take the number of residents each senator is representing into consideration. I sort of agree but I have yet to see an idea for a solution (other than dissolving it?) that I really find palatable.
 
I sort of agree but I have yet to see an idea for a solution (other than dissolving it?) that I really find palatable.
We have a solution already.

It's called the House of Representatives, which represents populations, though gerrymandered they may be.

I understand people's concerns about the Senate election, but the checks and balances still work pretty well, in theory and, luckily, still in practice.
 
We have a solution already.

It's called the House of Representatives, which represents populations, though gerrymandered they may be.

I understand people's concerns about the Senate election, but the checks and balances still work pretty well, in theory and, luckily, still in practice.

I mean the House of Representatives is specifically to represent the people, it's in the name. The Senate is intended to represent the interests of each state, hence why all states have 2 senators. Originally, senators were appointed by each state legislature. The 17th Amendment in 1913 changed senate elections to a standard popular vote, mostly because the appointment by each state legislature became a giant mess and resulted in tons of deadlocked votes and disarray in the senate.

The popular vote is largely why the role of the Senate is misconstrued as "senators represent all people". They don't, and were never intended to. Their role was specifically to represent the interests of the state as a governmental entity at the federal level.
 
I mean the House of Representatives is specifically to represent the people, it's in the name. The Senate is intended to represent the interests of each state, hence why all states have 2 senators. Originally, senators were appointed by each state legislature. The 17th Amendment in 1913 changed senate elections to a standard popular vote, mostly because the appointment by each state legislature became a giant mess and resulted in tons of deadlocked votes and disarray in the senate.

The popular vote is largely why the role of the Senate is misconstrued as "senators represent all people". They don't, and were never intended to. Their role was specifically to represent the interests of the state as a governmental entity at the federal level.

The 16th and 17th Amendments were related in that the Federal Government was mostly funded by the states and therefore the job of the Senators was to represent the State Governments in terms of spending and Congress was intended to represent the people within any given district.

I think it is fine the way it is. Each State Government has 2 senators and we have proportional representation in the house. I do think that the electoral college needs to be revised in that the two EC votes the Senate Seats should be based on popular vote of the state, but each congressional district should be stand alone vote. However each congressional district should be designed to not be gerrymandered. Otherwise do away with the EC all together and run it as popular vote for the US, an do not release any presidential election results until all the polls close.
 
Trump is getting out of hand with his responses to CNN. I would support the media ignoring Trump for a while because he seems to have a need to be in the spotlight to feed his ego. None of the reporters questions were out of hand and while he did push the edge a little by not allowing them to move to the other reporters, the White House respond and Trump's actions are beyond unacceptable.

On the other side of the coin... WTF! The far left wing is out of control. Why are people threatening the lives of Tucker Carlson and his family.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/11/08/media/tucker-carlson-protestors/index.html

Where is the political outcry? If this was republican protestors doing this people would be loosing their freaking minds! But because it is liberal on conservative hate, it is ok.


Finally, Feinstein needs to stop trying to turn tragic events into political points. It was only hours after the shooting and she is talking about gun regulations, including an assault weapon ban... when the shooter used a handgun with an illegal extra capacity magazine.
 
Our senate race is close and the dem just pulled in the lead. So naturally the GOP is suing each county on how they count absentee ballots. They want the signature to be exact or not to be counted. You mean local county government doesn't know how to represent its own people and there should be a statewide standard? I hate elections. Whatever happened to voting and taking the results like a man (or woman). I guess that died when Bush's party sued over the Florida thing.

Trump is getting out of hand with his responses to CNN. I would support the media ignoring Trump for a while because he seems to have a need to be in the spotlight to feed his ego. None of the reporters questions were out of hand and while he did push the edge a little by not allowing them to move to the other reporters, the White House respond and Trump’s actions are beyond unacceptable.

On the other side of the coin... WTF! The far left wing is out of control. Why are people threatening the lives of Tucker Carlson and his family.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/11/08/media/tucker-carlson-protestors/index.html

Where is the political outcry? If this was republican protestors doing this people would be loosing their freaking minds! But because it is liberal on conservative hate, it is ok.


Finally, Feinstein needs to stop trying to turn tragic events into political points. It was only hours after the shooting and she is talking about gun regulations, including an assault weapon ban... when the shooter used a handgun with an illegal extra capacity magazine.

I'm not going into the gun thing other than to say reform is needed. Stupid people keep getting their hands on guns. We've talked it to death on this forum. Just call your representatives.


The local paper published a story from long ago (1987). The governor of the time had a problem with one of the reports because he kept asking tough questions (mostly about his corruption). So one day he calls the reporter a "non-person". At the next press conference the reporter is the first to ask a question. Governor ignored him and went to the next guy. The next guy asked the same question. Ignored and went to the next. The next guy did the same thing. It was a brutal press conference and one the press banded together and refused to be ignored, put down, or anything else. At the next press conference when the "non-person" asked a question. It was answered. I would love to see the national press core do the same thing.
 
Finally, Feinstein needs to stop trying to turn tragic events into political points. It was only hours after the shooting and she is talking about gun regulations, including an assault weapon ban... when the shooter used a handgun with an illegal extra capacity magazine.

If we put a moratorium on talking about gun control measures for a period of time after somebody was killed by a firearm, we'd be under a constant moratorium on talking about gun control measures.
 
307 mass shootings in 312 days.

Yes pResident tRump, there is no such thing as domestic terrorism or white terrorists.


:-c8-!:r:
 
Funny that how since Tuesday I've heard no mentioned of the migrant caravan.

I guess the Midterms did their job and got them to turn around, purge the middle eastern terrorists out, got rid of all the smallpox and other disease carriers, and MS-13 gang members went back to law abiding citizens.
 
Funny that how since Tuesday I've heard no mentioned of the migrant caravan.

I guess the Midterms did their job and got them to turn around, purge the middle eastern terrorists out, got rid of all the smallpox and other disease carriers, and MS-13 gang members went back to law abiding citizens.

The president has been too busy working with the House preparing that 10% tax cut for middle class families that he promised. He hasn't had time to rail against people 500+ miles away!
 
I'm not going into the gun thing other than to say reform is needed. Stupid people keep getting their hands on guns. We've talked it to death on this forum. Just call your representatives.

I agree 100% and would add mentally ill people should not have access to weapons. Personally I have called mine requesting universal background checks on the sale of all firearms and to allow for licenced doctors to put a flag on persons that they are treating for mental issues to prevent them from getting access to guns. I also encouraged them to increase funding and research to helping those with mental illnesses. What did you tell your representative?

If we put a moratorium on talking about gun control measures for a period of time after somebody was killed by a firearm, we'd be under a constant moratorium on talking about gun control measures.

Moratorium no, but at least give the coroner time to remove the bodies before demanding a ban on a weapon that was not even used. That is beyond stupid and I seriously question her mental stability for making such a statement when she did. She should be removed from office for incompetence.

Battle over funding Trump's border wall looms? I guess I don't understand what the issue is. Trump should simply call up President Enrique Peña Nieto, tell him to cut the US a check for about $25 billion and then go build the thing like Trump promised. Why deal with congress?

The wall is a really stupid idea... there are too many tunnels for it to be effective.

307 mass shootings in 312 days.

Yes pResident tRump, there is no such thing as domestic terrorism or white terrorists.


:-c8-!:r:

I agree that it is out of control and there is 100% domestic terrorism, regardless of skin color and avoiding it is as bad as Obama refusing to say "Islamic Terrorism". The question is what practical steps can be done to prevent it and why does it keep happening. I think that it is a combination of several factors include domestic terrorism, cultural and societal issues, and mental health issues. We need to focus on the reason that people are doing this rather than how they are doing this. Take the example of the kid getting his a$$ kicked by a band instructor. Watch other videos too. It is apparent that the kid had zero respect for authority and was never taught discipline. He came back to the class after leaving with the intent on picking a fight with the teacher and causing as much of a disruption as he possibly could. The saddest part of that is this is the generation that is in schools now. I just had a meeting with my kid's principal and she comment about how "cute" it was to hear my son say "Yes Sir" when I was telling him that his actions were not appropriate. It is really tragic when my special needs 6 year old has a better grasp of acceptable social interaction that many HS and College Students, or even many adults.

Funny that how since Tuesday I've heard no mentioned of the migrant caravan.

I guess the Midterms did their job and got them to turn around, purge the middle eastern terrorists out, got rid of all the smallpox and other disease carriers, and MS-13 gang members went back to law abiding citizens.

I wonder what would happen if a caravan of Americans marched up I-75 into Canada. Would we be invited in?






Finally, why is it that when there are "found" ballots such as an entire truck load in FL, it always boosts the democrat vote? Oh that is right, the democrats are slightly more corrupt than the republicans these days.
 
What behavior / tweets by HIM over the weekend :-o :p

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In saying, 'Our interests first, whatever happens to the others',
you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: its moral values."

French President Macron
 
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pResident tRump says to stop counting/recounting votes in Florida because the Republicans already won.

But there's laws that require this vote counting - mandate it. Huh? Go figure?
 
I agree 100% and would add mentally ill people should not have access to weapon
Finally, why is it that when there are "found" ballots such as an entire truck load in FL, it always boosts the democrat vote? Oh that is right, the democrats are slightly more corrupt than the republicans these days.

I told my rep my thoughts and prayers are with him as he tries to tackle this tough issue, but my vote went for the guy who is promising to do something about it.

I wish people would cut out some of the rhetoric about voter fraud. Don't start trying to shut down the election just because you have a slim lead. That's disrespecting all the votes that haven't been counted. I'm sure a large number of them happen to be military personnel overseas. If the county can't figure it out, send in someone who can, you know, an independent person, then do something to fix the county for the next election, but don't throw out someones vote.


I can respect the office, but I sure the hell don't respect a president who doesn't respect or even have half a clue about our constitution. This weekend is proof of that as he calls for shutting down the Florida elections. Um...states rights anyone? Not in the power of the federal government and actually the exact opposite of what our country is founded on. Maybe he could also show some respect to our soldiers. If they could suffer through the weather during The Bulge, I will gladly suffer through a little rain to lay a wreath at a tomb. First president to miss it while they were in DC.
 
I wish people would cut out some of the rhetoric about voter fraud. Don't start trying to shut down the election just because you have a slim lead. That's disrespecting all the votes that haven't been counted. I'm sure a large number of them happen to be military personnel overseas. If the county can't figure it out, send in someone who can, you know, an independent person, then do something to fix the county for the next election, but don't throw out someones vote.

NC had a stupid constitutional amendment on the ballot this year (which passed :-@) that will require voter ID now. Of course they already tried this legislatively, but got torched in court over it. So then they decided to try amending the actual state constitution to require it. Again, this will be turned over in court and we have wasted twice the tax payer dollars on frivolous crap. Voter ID fraud is incredibly rare, and no one bothers to concern themselves that somehow a dead brothel owner won his election bid.

My dad is a die hard Republican (Obama is the devil, Rush and Sean are my homeboys type of guy) and even HE agreed that the amendment was stupid and a complete waste.
 
NC had a stupid constitutional amendment on the ballot this year (which passed :-@) that will require voter ID now. Of course they already tried this legislatively, but got torched in court over it. So then they decided to try amending the actual state constitution to require it. Again, this will be turned over in court and we have wasted twice the tax payer dollars on frivolous crap. Voter ID fraud is incredibly rare, and no one bothers to concern themselves that somehow a dead brothel owner won his election bid.

Why shouldn't people have an ID to vote? I personally voted for it.
 
Why shouldn't people have an ID to vote? I personally voted for it.

Honestly, it's completely irrelevant if your position is FOR or AGAINST, the court has spoken. In all cases, voter ID laws were struck down by circuit appeals courts, and appeals to the Supreme Court were refused to be heard. Now, to be clear, the original NC Voter ID law targeted specific IDs from being used (those generally used by minorities and other typically disenfranchised voters) and that was the general crux of the denial.

The key for any new law will be keeping what constitutes a valid ID as wide open as possible. And it needs to be absolutely clear and concise because any gray area will be used to force voters to provisional ballots that will eventually be thrown out. I don't trust our state legislature to craft such a bill, so we will inevitably end up in court over the outcome again. Cooper will most likely veto any bill that comes across his desk anyways (although the legislature can always override the veto, hence why we had so many constitutional amendments).
 
Kansas and Arizona both have voter ID laws. You just have to show your ID when you vote. I'm not sure what all constitutes an ID since I just use my driver's license, but I'm sure it's a state or federally issued ID of some kind. I have mixed feelings on the whole thing. It's not exactly hard to show my ID, but I understand that some groups have trouble getting an ID like elderly and poor people. My problem is that the GOP is pushing the voter ID for the wrong reason. It's not there to solve a problem. It's there to suppress votes. Which just makes it wrong in my opinion. The really bad ones are like North or South Dakota (I forgot which one) ruling that an address is required on the ID because they knew Native Americans don't always have an address when they live on tribal land.
 
Kansas and Arizona both have voter ID laws. You just have to show your ID when you vote. I'm not sure what all constitutes an ID since I just use my driver's license, but I'm sure it's a state or federally issued ID of some kind. I have mixed feelings on the whole thing. It's not exactly hard to show my ID, but I understand that some groups have trouble getting an ID like elderly and poor people. My problem is that the GOP is pushing the voter ID for the wrong reason. It's not there to solve a problem. It's there to suppress votes. Which just makes it wrong in my opinion. The really bad ones are like North or South Dakota (I forgot which one) ruling that an address is required on the ID because they knew Native Americans don't always have an address when they live on tribal land.

That's my problem with voter ID laws as well.

Laws surrounding voting should be in place to make it easier for those who are legally eligible to vote to do so, not to make it more difficult and discourage those who might not have the resources (time) to jump through all the hoops. Unless the state is willing to issue a standardized "voter ID" to anybody who presents themselves to get one and make it extremely easy and free to do so (i.e. you can get it by mail, and at secretary of state/DMV, and at libraries, and at schools, and at post offices, etc.) it should not be a requirement. I forget which state it was (New Hampshire maybe?) but one of them a few years ago tried to require a voter ID and their list of acceptable forms included an NRA membership card but prohibited using college ID cards... which actually have a photo and are issued by the government in the cases of public universities.
 
That's my problem with voter ID laws as well.

Laws surrounding voting should be in place to make it easier for those who are legally eligible to vote to do so, not to make it more difficult and discourage those who might not have the resources (time) to jump through all the hoops. Unless the state is willing to issue a standardized "voter ID" to anybody who presents themselves to get one and make it extremely easy and free to do so (i.e. you can get it by mail, and at secretary of state/DMV, and at libraries, and at schools, and at post offices, etc.) it should not be a requirement. I forget which state it was (New Hampshire maybe?) but one of them a few years ago tried to require a voter ID and their list of acceptable forms included an NRA membership card but prohibited using college ID cards... which actually have a photo and are issued by the government in the cases of public universities.

That one with the NRA card vs. college ID card is why these keep getting struck down. You can't prioritize one ID over another, and that's what the appeals court has been very clear about. By extension, the Supreme Court declining to hear the case seems to imply they feel the same (although it's not a precedent setting decision, and that could change given the current makeup of the court).

And yes, the GOP typically makes this a case of widespread voter fraud, but in general such fraud is extremely limited. The whole ID thing is also problematic in that it would rely on workers at the poll to correctly judge what is a valid ID and what isn't, and while I admire poll workers for their dedication, sometimes these things are beyond their capabilities. Hence my fear of this being used as a tool to force people into provisional ballots, and then having those votes thrown out.
 
..... Maybe he could also show some respect to our soldiers. If they could suffer through the weather during The Bulge, I will gladly suffer through a little rain to lay a wreath at a tomb. First president to miss it while they were in DC.

Besides Bastogne,

I would add -

Valley Forge & Morristown
Chosin

and
the Tomb of Unknowns Guard
 
Why shouldn't people have an ID to vote? I personally voted for it.

Because....voter suppression. While you might not have a problem obtaining an ID (presumably your driver's license) many other people do for a variety of reasons. There is no uniformity as to what constitutes a government ID, which issuing authorities are acceptable, and the default is often a license or ID card issued by the DMV-except that isn't easy to get either ESPECIALLY clearing the 6 point system if you are older, poor, or an immigrant.

At the homeless shelter I used to manage, getting residents ID was a huge effort. Many people either never had an ID or lost their documentation such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, or other things that could help someone get ID. It was very much a chicken & egg problem-you need ID to get another ID or to obtain replacement documents.

In the recent elections...

Voters were purged if their address or name wasn't an exact match between their DMV ID and voter registration-if I lived in that state I would likely be purged every single year because there aren't enough characters to take my legal last name on my license and my mailing address varies depending on the type of verification system in use (DR MLK JR BLVD vs Martin Luther King Jr Blvd).

IDs rejected that don't have physical addresses listed on them. Let's say I live in a rural community or a reservation and my mail goes to a post office box, I'd be SOL because my physical house address isn't on the ID-in some places there are no street addresses. I used to have an address of Rural Route 7, Box #23....the EMS/Fire Department had a different address.

Etc. Etc.

The best happy medium would be the voter registration office issuing a voter card once a person's registration is approved, but it should be easy to request a replacement in the event it was lost.
 
...Voters were purged if their address or name wasn't an exact match between their DMV ID and voter registration-if I lived in that state I would likely be purged every single year because there aren't enough characters to take my legal last name on my license and my mailing address varies depending on the type of verification system in use (DR MLK JR BLVD vs Martin Luther King Jr Blvd)....

Those "exact match" rules scare me and I'd definitely be one of the people contacting my state reps if Michigan ever tried to constitute one. My first name is the common diminutive form of another name and over the years I've been pretty vigilant about making sure that my name is correct on everything I put it on but I inevitably find that people have entered me in as Xxxxxxxxx instead of Xxxx.... and this is on official things like pay stubs and W-4s and local tax documents and airline tickets. Sometimes it's some enterprising clerk who thinks they are correcting my mistake, sometimes it's a computer that defaults to the more common traditional form. To make things worse, I am a junior. That's entered as JR on my driver's license, Jr. on my W-4, not at all on my property taxes, etc. Am I supposed to rely on some unpaid and poorly trained poll worker to decide whether or not I can legally vote at my precinct after somebody in our city clerk's office forgets to include suffixes on their printout or because they have it as Jr. and not JR?
 
Because....voter suppression. While you might not have a problem obtaining an ID (presumably your driver's license) many other people do for a variety of reasons. There is no uniformity as to what constitutes a government ID, which issuing authorities are acceptable, and the default is often a license or ID card issued by the DMV-except that isn't easy to get either ESPECIALLY clearing the 6 point system if you are older, poor, or an immigrant.

At the homeless shelter I used to manage, getting residents ID was a huge effort. Many people either never had an ID or lost their documentation such as birth certificates, Social Security cards, or other things that could help someone get ID. It was very much a chicken & egg problem-you need ID to get another ID or to obtain replacement documents.

In the recent elections...

Voters were purged if their address or name wasn't an exact match between their DMV ID and voter registration-if I lived in that state I would likely be purged every single year because there aren't enough characters to take my legal last name on my license and my mailing address varies depending on the type of verification system in use (DR MLK JR BLVD vs Martin Luther King Jr Blvd).

IDs rejected that don't have physical addresses listed on them. Let's say I live in a rural community or a reservation and my mail goes to a post office box, I'd be SOL because my physical house address isn't on the ID-in some places there are no street addresses. I used to have an address of Rural Route 7, Box #23....the EMS/Fire Department had a different address.

Etc. Etc.

The best happy medium would be the voter registration office issuing a voter card once a person's registration is approved, but it should be easy to request a replacement in the event it was lost.

I agree that there are many in the GOP that feel that way. There is zero question about it. But I also see it being helpful as well.

Think about all the things over the course of your life that people need an ID for. Why not for something as important as voting. I could have gone home and changed my clothed showed back up and voted as my neighbor. All I needed to do was say my name, they pulled a sticker and put it on a piece of paper and asked if everything was still correct.

But in all seriousness, what else do you need an ID for? Don't you need one to register to vote?
 
So are there any other constitutional rights I should be carrying an ID for or just voting?
 
So are there any other constitutional rights I should be carrying an ID for or just voting?

You mean like buying a gun or a beer (if you might be close to 21). Many churches ask for ID for registration. Same with schools, colleges, or trade schools or to get a job once training is complete all in the effort to peruse happiness. Most communities require an ID for assembly permits and police officers request ID when issuing a search warrant as to not be in violation of the 4th Amendment.

So yea, there are a few.
 
You mean like buying a gun or a beer (if you might be close to 21). Many churches ask for ID for registration. Same with schools, colleges, or trade schools or to get a job once training is complete all in the effort to peruse happiness. Most communities require an ID for assembly permits and police officers request ID when issuing a search warrant as to not be in violation of the 4th Amendment.

So yea, there are a few.

But I don't need an ID to buy a gun. I can just buy one from a friend. I don't need one to carry it. One, the cops have no reason to question me (that whole search and seizure thing - another right I don't need an ID for), and two what will they site me for? Not having an ID? Improper carrying of a gun because I don't have an ID on me? Yes it makes life easier to have an ID and the cops will treat you better, but it's not required.
 
But I don't need an ID to buy a gun. I can just buy one from a friend. I don't need one to carry it. One, the cops have no reason to question me (that whole search and seizure thing - another right I don't need an ID for), and two what will they site me for? Not having an ID? Improper carrying of a gun because I don't have an ID on me? Yes it makes life easier to have an ID and the cops will treat you better, but it's not required.

Georgia's voter ID requirements: http://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/GAIDreqbrochure.pdf

Any problem with those?
 
But I don't need an ID to buy a gun. I can just buy one from a friend. I don't need one to carry it. One, the cops have no reason to question me (that whole search and seizure thing - another right I don't need an ID for), and two what will they site me for? Not having an ID? Improper carrying of a gun because I don't have an ID on me? Yes it makes life easier to have an ID and the cops will treat you better, but it's not required.

It sounds like it is quite a bit different in your state than the states that I have lived in. In NC, PA, and MI, both parties need a CPL for person to person sales of pistols and several others. That is a form of ID. Otherwise it needs to go through an FFL which requires a DL or something similar. Furthermore if you live in those three states, you are required to have a form of ID on you if you are carrying a gun. Depending on the type, the manner it is carried, and the intent (ie, hunting or personal protection), you many also need a licence do to so. To obtain that licence, you also need an ID.

So yes, without question, there are multiple constitutional rights that require an ID. Why not voting.

Back to the question, does every State in the US require that you have a valid ID when you register to vote?

Edit, Bubba, thank you for answering part of the question. I think that this is 100% acceptable.
Georgia's voter ID requirements: http://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/GAIDreqbrochure.pdf

Any problem with those?
 
Georgia's voter ID requirements: http://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/GAIDreqbrochure.pdf

Any problem with those?

I think for this to work, any place where you can register to vote should also be able to provide the voter ID. For example, where I am, the Health Department will potentially ask you if you're registered to vote (why? No clue. But it legitimately happened to me.), and if you're not, they'll give you the form to register. So if they're able to give me the form to register, they should also be authorized with the resources to provide me with the ID. In my case, I didn't need it, but it would be helpful for people that did!
 
Back to the question, does every State in the US require that you have a valid ID when you register to vote?

16 states have no ID requirement. The rest have some sort of requirement, although how strict it is and what it requires are completely different. They are divided into "required" and a "requested" categories. All of the "strict" ones allow you to vote on a provisional ballot and come back within a certain time period to present the ID and most have limited exceptions. Indiana had theirs tested in Supreme Court in 2008 and it passed their review as completely constitutional.

Again, ID requirements aren't bad, and good examples that have stood the test are out there, but they need to be crafted very carefully. Personally, I don't believe our legislature here (NC) has that capability and anything they do will be a disaster.
 
Proposal 1

Although it's been a while since I last stood at a zoning counter, it's been fun to provide basic facts and background to commenters wigging out because a few jurisdictions have decided to use their right to self-govern.

Someone even proclaimed that a community should be required to "follow the law." Well, no, the law's passage does not require you to provide for such a business (retailer, grower) in your community.
 
Overheard at lunch today - 2 elderly white ladies talking.

"I certainly didn't think I'd say this, but at least Obama was a decent man."
 
Georgia's voter ID requirements: http://sos.ga.gov/admin/files/GAIDreqbrochure.pdf

Any problem with those?

Looks normal to me, but I have ID and I have no trouble presenting ID. It all goes back to the reason I need to show my ID. Are you solving a problem like voter fraud or are you trying to reduce the amount of votes your opponent gets? At the same time, as much as I understand that it's difficult for some people to get ID, especially elderly or homeless, if you can't get access to ID you have bigger problems in life than voting. Besides, if you can't make it to your local DMV to get a state ID how are you going to make it to the voting booth? Still, it's the motive of the law more than the requirement of it that sets me off. I actually have no problem with presenting ID for guns. I just like stirring up Mskies. :D I think a national licensing program would be the best way to go. You do a thorough background check on the person then give them a gun license. Then they are free to buy all they want without the waiting period, but that's dreaming of sensible laws and that would require sensible politicians.
 
X-mas card
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