[Newfie]

Looks like Trump is attempting to do something to normalize voter registration after all.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ris-kobach


The article is clearly anti Trump in tone. So I would not tak the following on face value. However, at least some of it is a good start. I particularly like the "proof of citizenship bit." One would think there is some national database of who is and is not a citizen. Apparently not. Maybe it's time. I don't know enough about the other elements to comment.

"A “proof of citizenship” requirement for voter registration, which was highly controversial and eventually struck down by the federal courts when Kobach tried it in Kansas ahead of the 2016 election.

An expansion of an interstate crosscheck system, despite evidence that it erroneously flags legitimate voters hundreds of times more often than it does actual fraudulent voters casting ballots in more than one state in the same election.

Comparing voter lists with a database of enrollees in a federal benefits program for immigrants as a check against noncitizen voting, even though the database does not track citizenship.

A revision of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which has repeatedly stood in the way of Kobach’s ambitions in the past."

[vtsnowedin]

"The National Voter Registration Act allows Americans to register to vote at state motor vehicle offices with no more documentation than they would need to get a driver's license.

"

That is perhaps why on my last license renewal I had to appear in person and have my birth certificate plus a utility or tax bill to prove who I am. Rather silly actually as I have been sending them tax returns and payments from the same address for forty two years.

[Newfie]

Ah yes, but it it is ILLEGAL to ask for proof of citizenship. Too much burden on the voter! They can ASK if you are a citizen, but not require proof.

[Newfie]

Ah ha and Eureka! I found the thing that initially confused me (a target rich field I might add).

In addition to Motor-Voter requirements there is something called “REAL ID” which, if I understand it right, requires states to verify your citizenship/visa status before issuing a drivers license. Whether or not this is ever enforced, (some states have adapted it already, some are dragging their feet, some resist) is not clear. MAYBE this program will reintroduce some credibility to our voting system.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/REAL_ID_Act

The DHS rule, Section 37.13(b)(3), specifies that the validity of birth certificates, presented to document the date of birth or to prove U.S. citizenship, should be verified electronically, by accessing the Electronic Verification of Vital Events (EVVE) system maintained by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS), rather than directly with the issuers of the birth certificates (such as state vital records agencies).