LWV: An Independent Call For Voter Rights Reform

The problem is that we are not sure any of those would be Constitutional. There are some rather strong implications in the Constitution that much of the voting process is left up to the States.

Hmmm. So it was okay for southern states to have poll taxes & questionaires...

It was for many years, and most states had religious qualifications for voting and holding office. Those were obviously not providing equal protection of the law, and they were finally stopped by the Federal voting act. If States were requiring only minorities to stand in line for 8 hours, the voting rights act would apply, but that isn't that case.

Shouldn't states be required by the federal government to provide mimimum standards for voting requirements, especially for election to federal office?

Which clause of the Constitution gives the Federal Government the authority to do that?

My guess would be that it should be an Amendment to the Voting Rights Act.

The Voting Right Act is an act. It is not a part of the Constitution; BTW, it is being challenged in the Federal Court system right now. Rand Paul and others claim that it is Unconstitutional.

So let it go to the SCOTUS. As far as federal elections are concerned, there's something called the Commerce Clause.

If you can't vote, you aren't a citizen and owe the state nothing.

Or they owe YOU nothing.

Both. They reject me, then we are independent.

Larry, foreigners have to pay taxes, and they aren't citizens.

Taxation without representation. I remember it well.

In the past, the big problem was getting people to go vote in the first place. I don't trust people who try to make voting more difficult.

For sure, but too many people STILL don't have "Time" to bother to vote....

Could have sworn there's a law mandating employers must let people off work to vote if the person's shift would prevent them from being able to vote.

Susan, That is simply no longer ever the case, with early and absentee voting available.

Are you sure? Even with those states which are strongly limiting early and absentee voting?

It must be true - She saw it on the internet. LOL.

Truth is what you believe it to be. The sorta ex used to argue that truth is absolute but it isn't really or we would all be in agreement. I had a woman tell me that on the east coast, "they" want you to pass on the right on shoulders to keep traffic moving. That was her truth. I just didn't believe it having been passed on the right halfway through a right hand turn. Even science is only true until it's proven wrong which is why all science is called theory.

It's perfectly possible that the voting law was rescinded and I just haven't heard about it yet. I don't pay as much attention as I should.

Can you tell I'm nipping the wine tonight? I've been thinking hard about the second amendment. Seems to me that our founding fathers didn't put it in the bill of rights because they believed we would have to hold the government they were creating at bay. Why would they set up such a government? It doesn't make any sense to knowingly set up a worse government than the one you are replacing. I think they put it in there because they had damned good reason to believe we would have to hold the British monarchy at bay at that time. They weren't going to let us go easily. Our government was designed to benefit and look out for the interests of us. They were fed up with our country existing solely for the monarchy to milk for their own benefit and the hell with our needs.

I suppose that time off for voting varies from state-to-state, but I'm not aware of any such laws being abolished completely. The meaning of the 2nd Amendment will probably be argued forever. I've seen quotations from the founders that can be interpretated many different ways. Have a nip for me, Susan! LOL.

As to your 1st paragraph - I would say that perception is reality to all of us. lol.

I like my version (naturally) much better than the NRA types claim that the founders knew the government would be out to get you but that they would be so frightened of your gun they would leave you alone.

Next time I take to nipping, I will have to ponder the nature of the freedom gun owners have that the rest of us lack.

Do you think that the NRA dude looks like the kind of guy who has to pull a gun on a woman to get it on?

Hah! I think that the NRA is good at creating mass paranoia among people who don't know better & getting them to buy more guns from their gun manufacturing backers.

I think the NRA excels at exploiting pre existing paranoia.

Yeah, that's more accurate.

If we don't see some kind of reforms soon, we are completely sunk! I an SOOOooo with the LWV!

I can't see our gridlocked Congress passing anything anytime soon, Thomas. We'll have to fight back at the GOP on a state-by-state basis. I agree with you, as patience is NOT one of my virtues.