Can Hillary & Obama supporters stop bickering long enough to answer this question-PLEASE

[1corona4u]

If there is a student, going to school in Iowa, but is from Illinois, where is their drivers license from? If it's from Illinois, couldn't they then go home to vote, again, on Feb 5th, in Illinois, thereby having 2 votes? Or, do they have to have an Iowa License? I mean, the only angle I see as unfair, is if they actually get their votes counted twice.

THAT, should piss everyone off, regardless of WHO the candidate is.

[cuke]

1. Their DL should be from Iowa

which legally is their state of residence, but the problem you point out is a possibility.

[1corona4u]

2. Then, maybe it's time we voted via our SS card, not where we live.

Oh, and, I think, if they were scanable, regardless of the state you lived in, they should be scanned at each election, thereby allowing a person to only vote once. No card, no vote.

[cuke]

4. No, a DL (or non-drivers ID) should be used to vote

[1corona4u]

6. But, it should be scanned to allow a person to ONLY vote once.

Look, I don't care how it's done really, but this bullshit possibility of them being able to vote twice, really pisses me off, and you know it will happen.

[cuke]

14. Yes, I agree with you

It is a problem and there are many ways to deal with it

[maddiejoan]

3. I agree

That would be the issue at hand.

My only other concern is --who is picking up the tab to ferry in the kids from out of state?

If you consider yourself an Iowan, but are out of state --I don't think it's fair game to be trucked in free of charge by a candidate.

They should pay their own freight.

[maximusveritas]

5. No, you can only register to vote in one location

Voting twice would be illegal. That's not an issue here.

[1corona4u]

8. Yes, it is.

How the hell would anyone in ILLINOIS, know that someone already voted in Iowa? How would they know that? There's NO way to check it.

[Sparkly]

21. If their license is from Iowa, how could they vote in Illinois? nt

[1corona4u]

27. Umm..gee...I don't know....

I've held licenses in 2 states, when I was younger...it can be done.

[Sparkly]

44. Really? I always had to surrender one to get another. nt

[Texas_Kat]

12. It would be illegal to vote in 2 different states, but

since there is no 'cross-state' check of voter rolls, there is no way they'd be caught.

[1corona4u]

15. Exactly.

[maximusveritas]

16. So what's the point?

That's the way it's always been. I don't think there's a good solution that won't disenfranchise more people than it prevents from breaking the law.

[1corona4u]

18. Uhh, yeah there is...

as has been mentioned, either a scanable voters card, drivers license that is scaned at the time of voting, and it goes intoa nationwide database, to allow for cross checking.

This is just so fucked up. Time to make sweeping changes in the way we vote. I'm writing to Joe Biden right fucking NOW.

[aquart]

23. That sounds more like a disaster than a solution to me.

I want fewer computers involved, not more.

[1corona4u]

26. Yeah, right.

ANYTHING would be better than this hobbled-together system we have now.

[maximusveritas]

24. A national database?

You really think people are going to go along with that? Do you realize how it sounds? Before you go crazy calling for "sweeping changes", you need to look into how it would possibly disenfranchise voters. That's why it's the Republicans are proposing the things you mentioned and Democrats who oppose them.

[1corona4u]

28. How would it disenfranchise anyone?

Votes could be sorted by a number of factors. State, district, precinct, etc.

[maximusveritas]

35. Take a look at the stats

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2007_11/012502.php
African-Americans and the poor are far less likely to obtain a form of voter ID for various reasons. So you'd be disenfranchising all those voters with this

Or take a look at this roll call for a bill that would institute a photo ID requirement:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00184

Every Dem voted against it and a few Repugs as well. The Presidential candidates didn't vote, but I'm sure they would if they could.

[sandnsea]

22. Some states don't require ID

Some states have same day registration. There's lots of opportunity for people to break voting laws. But gee, they don't. It's just a Republican ploy to cast aspersions on the Democratic Party. It's a shame some of our own candidates have sunk so low as to pick up their smear campaigns.

[1corona4u]

29. Now, how the hell would you know they don't....

that's just an assumption on your part. And you know what they say about assuming...

[sandnsea]

34. 50% don't care to vote at all

We can barely get people to the polls at all, let alone to TWO polling places. These is a phony controversy, plain and simple.

[sandnsea]

7. If they break the law

You do realize these are the kinds of arguments Republicans use to enact all kinds of laws intended to make it more difficult for people to vote, which always affects minorities and the poor who coincidentally vote Democratic. By your logic, anybody from Illinois could vote twice so why are you picking on students?

[1corona4u]

11. Don't start with the inuendo about republican BS...

I am specifically asking about the STUDENTS, because that's the hot button issue right now, and I'd like an answer. A viable answer. DO they have to have an IOWA drivers license to vote in Iowa?

[sandnsea]

20. So you only care about the "hot button issue"

because somebody got you stirred up about the "hot button issue", which isn't an issue at all. Kind of like the Republicans do and yes I am going to remind people when one of our candidates is engaged in Rovian campaigning.

[1corona4u]

30. Let me state this one more time...

It's an issue for me, and a lot of others. If you don't think so, then you're free to move on to another topic.

[1corona4u]

36. Welcome to my list.

[Catherine Vincent]

9. Is this illegal? nt

[1corona4u]

13. If they vote twice it is...

[MethuenProgressive]

10. I would hope the students only vote once.

But I feel they might be tempted to vote as many times as they can get away with.

[1corona4u]

17. Well, I wrote to the Des Moines register, this morning..

this needs to be an issue for the state right now, regardless of which candidate is doing it.

[Why Syzygy]

19. I don't think

you can have a drivers license from two states. I've always been asked to surrender my out of state license when I've moved. When I was in college, I voted in my college state.

[1corona4u]

31. I did it...when I moved from Missouri to Illinois....

I just told them I had lost it.

[ellacott]

25. Every state has a Sec. of State Website

That has vote information on it. This is what it says about Non-Iowa Resident Attending College in Iowa.

Non-Iowa Resident Attending College IN Iowa
If you are from another state (i.e. Illinois) and are attending college in Iowa (i.e. Iowa State University), you may register to vote in:

your Iowa college town or
your home state (hometown) and vote absentee
(You cannot register to vote in both locations)
Your decision of where to register to vote will determine which candidates and what issues appear on your ballot.


For more information about registering to vote and elections, contact your county auditor or the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.

http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterreg/reg_to_vote.html

[1corona4u]

33. Thanks for that info....

i'll read it and see if they actually check who votes where...and how many times.

[Mass]

40. Does it matter for other states and elections or is it only a problem with Obama for you.

[1corona4u]

41. No, for all, as I said in the OP.

[MonkeyFunk]

32. it's a (small) potential problem

for all elections, not just the Iowa democratic caucus.

Plenty of people have homes in two states - most notably NY and FL. Republicans always bitch that these people are voting twice, but nobody ever offers any evidence.

If it does occur, it occurs in such small numbers that any effort to remedy it would be grossly out of proportion to the actual incidence.

[1corona4u]

37. There's that R word again....

which is probably why, although I am now a registered democrat, I am an Independent. I hope you're right though...

[Mass]

38. The point is that it is a general issue, not only for the Iowa Caucus.

If you are that concerned, you should ask for Biden to propose a law that fixes that nationally. He is on the Judiciary Committee and very strong on these issues (though Biden would probably tell you that he trusts people).

This is typically a non-issue.

[1corona4u]

39. I did....just about 5 minutes ago...

and youre' right. It' a general problem, and I know it too, because I am IN Florida. I've witnessed a LOT of concerning things here, which is why I asked about Iowa.

[riqster]

42. Requiring a photo ID to vote is a serious problem for the poor

...elderly, and disabled. It can be very costly to acquire the required documents, travel to the government office, and so on.

There have been studies of fraud committed by individual voters, and they have come up with very few documented cases. The reason people say the "R word" in conjunction with the issue is: Reeps have been using 'voter fraud' as a bogeyman to pass restrictive laws limiting the franchise-in fact, part of the DOJ brouhaha is about that practice, which was started during the current Administration. One reason for the Reep efforts: the above-mentioned groups tend to vote Dem, and have little visibiity in the national media. The Reeps can raise this Strawman, pass laws, disenfranchise a group that will likely support their opponents, and get away with it.



Head over to the Election Reform section for a series of threads on the topic.Bradblog and McClatchy have also done some good reporting on this issue.

[zulchzulu]

43. Here are the rules for voting in Iowa's caucus

Check it out:

1. An eligible elector wishing to vote in elections in Iowa shall register to vote as required by this chapter.

2. To be qualified to register to vote an eligible elector shall:

a. Be a citizen of the United States.

b. Be an Iowa resident. A person's residence, for voting purposes only, is the place which the person declares is the person's home with the intent to remain there permanently or for a definite, or indefinite or indeterminable length of time. A person who is homeless or has no established residence may declare residence in a precinct by describing on the voter registration form a place to which the person often returns.

c. Be at least eighteen years of age. Completed registration forms shall be accepted from registrants who are at least seventeen and a half years of age; however, the registration shall not be effective until the registrant reaches the age of eighteen.

d. Not claim the right to vote in more than one place. A registrant shall be presumed to revoke any earlier claim of residence for voter registration purposes.

3. If a person who meets the requirements set forth in subsection 2 moves to a new residence, either in Iowa or outside Iowa, and does not meet the voter requirements at the person's new residence, the person may vote at the person's former precinct in Iowa until the person meets the voter requirements of the person's new residence. However, a person who has moved to a new residence and fails to register to vote at the person's new residence after becoming eligible to do so shall not be entitled to vote at the person's former precinct in Iowa.

4. A citizen of the United States who lives outside of the United States has the right to register and vote as if the person were a resident of a precinct in Iowa if the citizen was an eligible elector of Iowa immediately before leaving the United States. A citizen who was not old enough to register to vote before leaving the United States but who met all of the other requirements for voter registration at that time also has the right to register and vote as if the person were a resident of a precinct in Iowa. This right applies even though while living outside the United States the citizen does not have a residence or other address in the precinct, and the citizen has not determined whether to return to Iowa. To qualify to vote in Iowa a United States citizen living outside the United States shall:

a. Comply with all applicable requirements of sections 53.37 to 53.53 relating to absentee ballots for members of the armed forces and other citizens living outside the United States.

b. Not maintain a residence, shall not be registered to vote, and shall not vote in any other state, territory, or possession of the United States.

c. Possess a valid passport or identity card and registration issued under authority of the United States secretary of state, or, if the citizen does not possess a valid passport or card of identity or registration, an alternative form of identification consistent with the provisions of applicable federal and state requirements.

5. If a United States citizen living outside the United States meets the requirements for voting, except for residence, has never lived in the United States, and has a parent who meets the definition of a member of the armed forces of the United States under section 53.37, the citizen is eligible to register to vote and vote at the same voting residence claimed by the citizen's parent.

6. The deadlines for voter registration shall not apply to a person who has been discharged from military service within thirty days preceding the date of an election. The person shall present to the precinct election official a copy of the person's discharge papers. The person shall complete a voter registration form and give it to the official before being permitted to vote.

http://www.legis.state.ia.us/IACODE/2003/48A/5.html