Voting

[earthdome]

9 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

Thanks Rod!  I have not voted since I moved here but want to this year.  It looks like this will make it easier.

I wonder how selecting a state for residency for purposes of voting would impact having to pay state income taxes. i.e. If you use California will they go after you for state income taxes.

[Tommy T.]

I believe they will. That happened to me when I had some friends let me use their address in Virginia for a mailing address. They tried to collect income taxes from me. I then had to send documentation and a statement that I did not have a residence there and was, in fact, a resident of another state with a driver's license to prove it. They did eventually back off after that...

[hk blues]

9 hours ago, earthdome said:

I wonder how selecting a state for residency for purposes of voting would impact having to pay state income taxes. i.e. If you use California will they go after you for state income taxes.

I suppose they should - if people want to vote in order to influence the result then it's only fair they pay for whatever policies they chose to support.

[OnMyWay]

10 hours ago, earthdome said:

I wonder how selecting a state for residency for purposes of voting would impact having to pay state income taxes. i.e. If you use California will they go after you for state income taxes.

California is already a pest to me for taxes and I am not registered to vote there, so California is out.  I will try Florida, where I have a house and there is no income tax.

Actually I seem to be still on the voter roles in Florida, but I have not figured out how to do it in the past.  Hopefully this info from Rod will make it easier.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Martyf said:

I never bother to vote.

I vote when I'm in Australia because voting is 'compulsory' in Australia (well sort of) for federal and state elections unless you've got a medical exemption or you're more than a certain distance from the polling place on the day of election (which applies when I'm in the Philippines).

I don't really need a "you failed to attend a polling center and have your name crossed off the electoral role" fine.

BTW that's all that's needed, line up, get your name crossed off as attending... you can submit a blank vote or not vote at all after that but you have to attend.

Edited February 22, 2020 by GeoffH

[Dave Hounddriver]

2 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

voting is 'compulsory' in Australia

How can they make voting compulsory and then call themselves a Democracy.  I believe it is the citizen's right, in a Democracy, to abstain from voting and staying home on polling day is exercising that right.  One might suggest that if everyone stayed home on election day and did not vote then the results would be disastrous.  Others might suggest that if everyone stayed home and not go to work then the results would be disastrous.  Since there is no law to compel everyone to go to work, neither should there be a law to compel everyone to vote, IMHO.

[hk blues]

4 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

How can they make voting compulsory and then call themselves a Democracy.  I believe it is the citizen's right, in a Democracy, to abstain from voting and staying home on polling day is exercising that right.  One might suggest that if everyone stayed home on election day and did not vote then the results would be disastrous.  Others might suggest that if everyone stayed home and not go to work then the results would be disastrous.  Since there is no law to compel everyone to go to work, neither should there be a law to compel everyone to vote, IMHO.

I mulled it over after the post and my 1st thought was the same -  it seems undemocratic to punish someone for not voting. But, given someone does not have to actually vote i.e. they can submit a blank or spoiled paper I suppose it's ok. 

Pros and cons i guess.

[GeoffH]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

How can they make voting compulsory and then call themselves a Democracy.  I believe it is the citizen's right, in a Democracy, to abstain from voting and staying home on polling day is exercising that right. 

I have asked the same question as have many people but you have to remember that Australia is a 'constitutional monarchy' and not a 'republic' like the USA.

Both are types of democracies but there are differences and one of those is how 'citizens rights' are handled.  I'm not an expert and I'm not going to attempt to explain the differences but as I understand it those differences are what result in the ability to require attendence at a polling station for elections.

You could probably think of it as being a 'residual right of the monarchy (as passed down to the government of the day)' that was exercised many years ago that resulted in the situation and you wouldn't be too far wrong.

Periodically it's been suggested that the situation should be changed but it never gets very far (I suspect that the incumbent governments just don't want to rock the boat).

Edited February 22, 2020 by GeoffH

[GeoffH]

I find myself wondering; in Australia when you are called up for jury duty it is compulsory to attend unless you have a legitimate reason to defer or a legitimate reason that you are incapable of either attending or performing the duties of a juror (at least for that particular case).  Is that also the case in other democracies?  In the USA? or in GB?

I ask because the principle is (to me at least) similar, in both cases it's regarded as a citizens responsibility towards the democracy they are a part of.

Comments welcome :)

Edited February 22, 2020 by GeoffH

[Queenie O.]

On 1/24/2020 at 6:23 AM, roddavis said:

For those that want to register to vote, got this the other day from the US Embassy.

 

 

 

 

United States Embassy Manila, Philippines
Message for U.S. Citizens:  VOTING IN 2020 U.S. ELECTIONS
December 26, 2019

 

Your vote counts!  Did you know that many U.S. elections for the House and Senate have been decided by a margin smaller than the number of ballots cast by absentee voters?  All states are required to count every absentee ballot as long as it is valid and reaches local election officials by the absentee ballot receipt deadline.    

Follow a few simple steps to make sure that you can vote in the 2020 U.S. elections: 

1.  Request Your Ballot:  Complete a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at FVAP.gov.  You must complete a new FPCA after January 1, 2020 to ensure you receive a ballot for every federal election for which you are eligible throughout the 2020 election cycle.  The completion of the FPCA allows you to request absentee ballots for all elections for federal offices (President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives) including primaries and special elections during the calendar year in which it is submitted.  All FPCA forms that are correctly filled out and include a signature and date are accepted by all local election officials in all U.S. states and territories.  

You can use FVAP’s easy online assistant to walk you through the FPCA at FVAP.gov.  The online voting assistant will ask you questions specific to your state.  We encourage you to select the option for receiving your ballot electronically (by email, internet download, or fax, depending on your state) as this is the fastest way for you to get your ballot.  Include your email address on your FPCA to take advantage of the electronic ballot delivery option.  Return the FPCA to your election office per the instructions on the website.  FVAP.gov will tell you if your state accepts the FPCA by email, mail, or fax.  If you must mail your FPCA, please see below for mailing options. 

2.  Receive and Complete Your Ballot:  States are required to send out ballots 45 days before a regular election for federal office and states generally send out ballots at least 30 days before primary elections.  For most states, you can confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. 

3. Return Your Completed Ballot:  Some states allow you to return your completed ballot electronically and others do not.  If your state requires you to return paper voting forms or ballots to local election officials by mail, then you can do so free of charge at the U.S. Embassy in Manila or the Consular Agency in Cebu.  Place your ballots in postage paid return envelopes or in envelopes bearing sufficient domestic U.S. postage, and address them to the relevant local election officials. 

You can also return your FPCA or ballot to your local election officials via international mail or professional courier service at your own expense. 

Researching the Candidates and Issues:  Online Resources.  Check out the FVAP links page for helpful resources that will aid your research of candidates and issues.  Non-partisan information about candidates, their voting records, and their positions on issues are widely available and easy to obtain on-line.  You can also read national and hometown newspapers on-line, or search the internet to locate articles and information.  For information about election dates and deadlines, subscribe to FVAP's Voting Alerts (vote@fvap.gov)  FVAP also shares Voting Alerts via Facebook (@DODFVAP), Twitter (@FVAP), and Instagram (@fvapgov). 

Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program's (FVAP) website, FVAP.gov.  If you have any questions about registering to vote overseas, please contact U.S. Embassy Manila's Voting Assistance Officer at +63-2-5301-2000 ext. 2567, or at VoteMANILA@state.gov. 

Remember, your vote counts!

That's good info to share Rod. 

My husband and I went online and applied in December,anxious to get our votes heard this coming election. I got and email saying that we had to apply again in 2020 so it won't be difficult to do it again. It's not a difficult process.