Question about voter registration.

[Baitball Blogger]

We have a considerable number of retirees in Florida who come from somewhere else. Elections in different states don't always coincide with each other, especially with something like what's happening in Wisconsin tonight. What kind of security measures are taken to avoid dual registration--or rather, registration in two different states where an individual owns properly in both states? i.e. Let's say that someone in Florida rushes back to Wisconsin for just that one day to register and vote, and then still has a month or so to register in Florida to vote in the national election?

[DURHAM D]

1. A little concern trolling this evening?

[Baitball Blogger]

5. I think it's rude to regard a concern as trolling.

This is the first time I heard of same day registration. I wonder what the potential abuse would be, since that's what we should be proactively be looking at on this website.

[SoCalDem]

2. No need to rush back.. They just vote absentee

and claim that they are "snowbirds" whose permanent residence is Wisconsin.

I'm sure that this does happen.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Hmm...this shouldn't be too difficult to track with computers.

I hope someone looks into it to see if it's a real problem. I just thought about it because of all the one day registrations. I had no idea such a thing existed before today.

[SoCalDem]

7. In the Bush Gore debacle, we discussed this and the general consensus

was that it probably did happen, but during all the drama, I doubt that any party-politicos ever did much research on local levels.

It would also require that every retiree's "home address" registrar's office would have to be investigated.

There was so much "stuff" going on during that whole mess...like soldiers' absentee ballots being counted/accepted even though they were seriously late. (this was PRE-9/11)

[Baitball Blogger]

9. I remember those military absentee ballots.

That was a mess back then.

[TheWraith]

3. What you're describing is, as a rule, illegal.

If you own property in two states, or reside in two states, you're expected to pick one or the other to have your voter registration in, specifically the state where you have residency, i.e. spending 51% of your time.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. That makes sense to me.

But I can see the potential for abuse.

I found this link and if I read it right, you can register for the Florida Primary until July 16, 2012.

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/calendar/elecdate.shtml

[TheWraith]

8. Sure, it's possible. I'd imagine that it even happens.

But the number of people who can or do do that, I would imagine, is so low as to be an asterisk.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Not so hard in Florida where we have a large number of snowbirds.

[Retrograde]

11. Like Romney, who owns property in many states but votes in one

Massachusetts, where he stays in his kid's basement. And according to the tax returns he released that's his legal residence.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. As long as he keeps it to one.

The problem is when you have so many elections scattered throughout the year.