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DFW

(54,349 posts)
24. In Germany, your voter registration comes in the mail automatically, and they STILL make mistakes
Sun May 27, 2012, 07:28 AM
May 2012

My wife and daughters, as German citizens, get their voter registration automatically in the mail. All they have to do is go to their polling place and vote. Usually, anyway. One year, my wife went to vote, and was told she was in the wrong polling place, as she was registered as living in München, in Bavaria and at the other end of Germany. She insisted she had never lived in München, and the poll workers said their computers had her as living in München, so she lived in München. End of story. She blew up at them, told them to check their computers for our daughters, who were 3 and 5 years old at the time, to see where they lived. Their computer said that our daughters did indeed live here near Düsseldorf, in NRW. She then demanded they arrest her for abandoning her children or allow her to vote. They allowed her to vote (don't mess with my wife unless you're right and she's wrong).

Um. You mean it isn't? PDJane May 2012 #1
State by state. That's why the federal voting rights act was needed. Each state can change its laws. freshwest May 2012 #4
Not only state by state Ohio Progressive May 2012 #14
Which also allows for electoral fraud. Back in the day in Illinois, hedgehog May 2012 #19
In the meantime, only a massive voter out will allow such a provision to be made. GOTV. freshwest May 2012 #2
Unfortunately the Constitution says that elections are up to the states. Vincardog May 2012 #3
Which explains a lot. eom PDJane May 2012 #5
But if you amend the Constitution........... Proud Liberal Dem May 2012 #9
3/4 of the states have to ratify an amendment, catch 22. nt siligut May 2012 #10
Of course it will be difficult Proud Liberal Dem May 2012 #11
Some states just don't want to play fair siligut May 2012 #13
True Proud Liberal Dem May 2012 #15
Something has to happen to change it siligut May 2012 #17
A little bit more there LiberalFighter May 2012 #16
So is the drinking age Hippo_Tron May 2012 #22
Federal govt has room to regulate as to Federal Election Gothmog May 2012 #6
Sounds nice, but chollybocker May 2012 #7
Here's one workaround for that : hedgehog May 2012 #20
I agree Proud Liberal Dem May 2012 #8
Or at least a federal law requiring votes to be VERIFIABLE... polichick May 2012 #12
Also repealing Citizens United. It's kind of the opposite of voter suppression. Gregorian May 2012 #18
my solution to facist republican voter supression liberalnationalist May 2012 #21
I was about to suggest mandatory voting Jamaal510 May 2012 #23
In Germany, your voter registration comes in the mail automatically, and they STILL make mistakes DFW May 2012 #24
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