If you want to migrate here legally, you will have to apply for permanent or temporary residency. You will be registered to vote (insofar as you would be eligible to cast them) as soon as you do.
So the difference in the US is if you move to a different voting area, there’s nothing requiring you to report your location to the government, so they would have no way of knowing that you live there.
Depends on to which level of government you are talking about.
If I have a job I’m paying federal income tax. Most states also have an income tax, but not all.
If I own property, I’m probably paying some sort of real estate tax to the state xand/or county. If I’m renting, probably not.
If, for example, I’m out of work and move back home with my parents, there may not be a clear government record of where I live. Because of how large the US is, that could be a move of 1000+ miles from my last legal residence (would be for me anyway)
It may work in a lot places, but may be more challenging in states that don’t have a state income tax. At least in the US, voter registration is handled by the State government, not the Federal government.
We would also need to account for eligible voters who are not paying taxes, (like college students, who may be living out of state to go to school, but I think would normally be expected to vote at “home”)
Well, considering it’s quite a simple concept and has worked without problems in many places for many decades, I think we can exclude the possibility that it may be “challenging” (except insofar as it may be challenging to convince voters and politicians to do it).
Yes of course, just not in a separate step. Every legal resident is automatically registered to vote.
So if I moved to your town, how would the people at the polls know I was a legal resident?
If you want to migrate here legally, you will have to apply for permanent or temporary residency. You will be registered to vote (insofar as you would be eligible to cast them) as soon as you do.
So the difference in the US is if you move to a different voting area, there’s nothing requiring you to report your location to the government, so they would have no way of knowing that you live there.
Nothing? So you don’t have to, say, pay taxes?
Depends on to which level of government you are talking about.
If I have a job I’m paying federal income tax. Most states also have an income tax, but not all.
If I own property, I’m probably paying some sort of real estate tax to the state xand/or county. If I’m renting, probably not.
If, for example, I’m out of work and move back home with my parents, there may not be a clear government record of where I live. Because of how large the US is, that could be a move of 1000+ miles from my last legal residence (would be for me anyway)
Right, so the government needs to know the address of most people for taxation purposes.
So then why not register them to vote while they’re at it?
(It’s because they want to suppress the vote.)
Not a terrible idea.
It may work in a lot places, but may be more challenging in states that don’t have a state income tax. At least in the US, voter registration is handled by the State government, not the Federal government.
We would also need to account for eligible voters who are not paying taxes, (like college students, who may be living out of state to go to school, but I think would normally be expected to vote at “home”)
Well, considering it’s quite a simple concept and has worked without problems in many places for many decades, I think we can exclude the possibility that it may be “challenging” (except insofar as it may be challenging to convince voters and politicians to do it).