Is it Legal to Pay Voters to Register in Your State?

Posted Wed, 08/13/2008 - 11:53 by standingup
I honestly never thought I would be asking if it is legal to pay a person to register to vote. Watch the video and you'll see why I am asking it now. If you aren't able to see the video here, use this link to go directly to it on ABC/Channel 7 I have always stood on the side of the fence of voting being a right. Others believe voting is a privilege. I do not know which side of the fence paying people to register to vote falls. Something about it just doesn't sit right with me.

Comments

Federal Office

by susie dow - 08/13/2008 - 13:50
I can see having an incentive to vote in Federal elections...but, and it's a very big but, I think the right to vote in federal elections shouldn't be usurped by State laws and that the right should be transportable for life. I have no idea if that's even feasible or practical but it seems silly that the right to vote in federal elections needs to be renewed when someone moves. Local elections, I can understand the need for some sort of registration process. But registration for federal elections should be good for life.

Election Day

by roxy - 08/13/2008 - 17:57
should be a paid Holiday celebrating democracy. Maybe we need to take a page from Australia and have some kind of law that forces people to exercise their right to vote ... ----- ePMedia ... get the scoop with us!
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. ~ George Carlin
ePMedia ... get the scoop with us!
If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. ~ George Carlin<

I don't know how they could

by standingup - 08/13/2008 - 19:10
separate federal from state and local. I think it would make more sense to have the same standard election laws for the entire country but that would drive the states rights people crazy. But we have made the system too more of a problem than necessary. I would like to see a much higher rate of participation in elections. It's unbelievable that the U.S. doesn't have a higher percentage of eligible voters exercising the right to vote. Ideally, people would register and vote because they feel a sense of duty to be involved in our democratic process. Offering money to a person just so the person will register seems to be the wrong way to go about it to me.

It doesn't pass a smell test

by cho - 08/13/2008 - 14:59
for me. Buying votes and all that.

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