Interesting concept from a caller to a normally RW station in Cleveland

[zbdent]

Okay, so the radio station is 85 % right-wing, not including the time spent playing the Cleveland baseball games.

WTAM 1100 in Cleveland.

Anyway, back to the point.

On Saturday mornings (I guess all the RWers are sleeping off their drunks, prior to returning home to their wives from their mistresses), they have a guy who is rather moderate, may even be slightly left. Who knows, I don't get to listen much.

A caller explains this idea for getting people in to vote.

Charge somehow for not voting. Essentially a reverse poll-tax.

Like five bucks a year for NOT VOTING in an election year. Show proof of voting (basically, in my neck of the woods, you sign by your name on the rolls), and you get your money back or something.

That would get a bigger turnout, hmmm?

[Justice]

1. Hmm.

Not to be negative about it, but it would cost money to administer - b/c someone would have to manually take people off the list to tax $5.

[merh]

20. Gee, don't we have a problem with accurate record keeping of voter

rolls now? Seems to me it just another reason to "accidently" remove someone from the voting roll. It would be impossible to administer and oversee, just like voters rolls are now.

[wuushew]

2. Bad idea

plus the fees are regressive and would hurt the poor non-voter.

[bluestateguy]

5. Then the poor non-voter should vote

Solves that problem!

[wuushew]

8. Yes the $5 almost covers the lost wages they forfeited from work

99% of desired result would occur if we simply had a national voting day, preferably on the weekend.

[wtmusic]

13. Oh come on

It takes 10 minutes to vote. So they'll have to get their lazy ass out of bed ten minutes earlier, and do their civic duty.

A non-voting fine is a great idea.

[against all enemies]

3. Bush will give poor people $10 not to vote, so they make $5

It's the only money they would ever see from him.

[zbdent]

11. Kinda like the $300 that the working poor were lucky to "qualify" for?

especially if they're not one of the "lucky ducks" who pay no taxes because they lost their jobs?

Or the $400 per kid advance; Not too bad, but you might just have to take out a loan to get your kid educated at the private school because your public school is seriously underfunded. And the homeowner bitches about the taxes on their nice home with the great property value (when they sell it! They hate the appraisals until the very day they try to get the most for it when they sell, then they bitch and moan about being taxed on the profit over $250K from the sale).

[qanda]

4. Maybe just give the people who have voted a credit

That way no one is charged anything.

[HEyHEY]

6. I think not voting should be illegal - but give a "None of the above"

Option - odd while on another thread people are saying felons shouldn't be allowed to vote - we're talking about making not voting illegal

[bluestateguy]

7. I have always supported mandatory voting

It really is not asking that much from our citizens to be a part of the political process once every 2 or 4 years.

[troublemaker]

9. The right to vote includes the right not to vote

(That's why it's a right)

So, since not voting is *equally* protected the question can be inverted; is it okay to charge people $5 to vote?

[zbdent]

10. remember the words "poll tax"?

I used them in the original post!

The poll tax had been done, mostly by conservative Dems in the old South, before the sixties had them all bolt to the Repukes.

[Fovea]

12. I would prefer

a poll credit, in the form of a notorized slip that you submit with your 1040 for a $50.00 refund. Let's say you could submit a total of three for a year, including state and local elections.

Also, we should really make a serious effort to secure and standardize voting in all 50 states. We should offer a secure storage system for all voting info, along with a smart card for the voting machine.

[trag]

14. I like that idea!

But I don't think the right would buy into it. They would never hold office if everybody voted. Wouldn't that be awesome! :) Could lead to other parties gaining members too I think. Even create new ones. My goodness this could change America as we know it. That's just my opinion though, I'm probably wrong.

[Fovea]

17. The smart card could even be kept at the polling place

so no one could 'sell their vote'
but there would be an archived record of your last n number of votes.

I think this might be a secure system for the local level, and is rather lo tech.

[the Kelly Gang]

15. mandatory voting with a small fine for not is better for democracy

as unappealing as it is..there are so many other laws that encroach upon your freedom..mandatory voting in the countries were it exists is the one thing the right wing belly-ache the most about get ridding off..because the poorer wroking classs are always tempted to not vote if they don't have to..too much other hassle in their life..mandatory voting would sweep any Republican government to hell.

[bobbieinok]

16. I worry when someone has to be coerced to vote

many don't vote because they don't see the relevance, etc.....

so DUers, democrats could go one-on-one and convince them

but hey vote and get $, prize etc or don't vote and pay penalty

...wouldn't you just end up with people voting for familiar name or some random pattern???

of course I can remember my parents 'laughing' in the 40s and 50s in OK when James Patterson running for state rep would change his name so that it would appear on the ballot 'James Will Rogers Patterson'....the ploy worked very well

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Don't they do this in Australia? I'd start first with other reforms

most notably federal election holidays, paper trails and voting box transparency, and preferential voting. Those three things would be a good way to drive up interest in participating in the process again.

[Cat Atomic]

19. Was this on Tenenbaum's show?

I heard him yesterday while driving to the store. I think he's syndicated, but I'm not sure (I'm in Califnornia, so if he's not syndicated I guess it can't be the same guy).

Anyway- he had a caller who brought up the same idea. He said that's how they do it in Australia.

I think it's a fantastic idea, personally. And we should vote on Saturday, not Tuesday.

[duhneece]

21. Many have times in their lives when other priorities are more pressing

My son is working 2 jobs, going to college fulltime, has a wife and a 2 year old. He just doesn't have the time to become educated enough to cast an INFORMED vote. His suggestion is to let grandmothers only do the voting!
Seriously, there are people who are dealing with a diagnosis of a terminable/life changing disease in themselves or loved ones; people who are dealing with death by suicide of loved ones; having family/loved ones become involved in legal fights, maybe resulting in prison time, auto accidents, ...Over our entire lifetimes, we may have times that other things are more immediately pressing.
Of course we should have the right not to vote. period.
(And I very STRONGLY suggested to my son that he trust his mom and vote Democratic based on my very strong suggestion!)