[ghaff]

> not being registered was the biggest reason people didn’t vote, above apathy and political disengagement.

And it seems likely they didn't make the (often minimal) effort to get registered because of apathy or political disengagement.

[Loughla]

Let's have this thought experiment played out.

What did it look like for you to get registered to vote?

[ghaff]

Well, I get a form every year from my town to confirm my particulars. I sign it and send it back. I guess if I weren't registered I'd go down to the town hall and do so. If I couldn't for some reason, I assume I could call the town clerk, and they'd send me a form in the mail. When I go into Cambridge around election time, I frequently see various tables set up to register people.

Obviously registering (and voting) is harder for some people than others but registering to vote is not, in general, an arduous process.

[Loughla]

>I guess if weren't registered I'd go down to the town hall and do so.

What if your job wouldn't let you off during the town hall's regular hours? What if you don't have transportation? What if you don't have the necessary forms of identification?

> I assume I could call the town clerk, and they'd send me a form in the mail

What if you're not already registered and cannot just fill out a form to send in? What if you have to provide proof of residency in the form of a bill in your name and current address that matches your ID? What if you don't have an ID because you can't get to the DMV because you can't get time off work to go get it, or you don't have transportation, or you don't have internet access to set an online appointment with the DMV, or your credit is bad enough that the bills are only in your roommate's name to avoid headache with those companies?

I guess my point is, it's very flippant to just say, "well it's easy for me, so it's probably pretty easy for everyone else, so it must be apathy as the only solution."

[mikkergp]

> I guess my point is, it's very flippant to just say, "well it's easy for me, so it's probably pretty easy for everyone else, so it must be apathy as the only solution."

Right but the data suggests that apathy is the primary reason. I think we should make it easier to vote, but it’s not empathy if the people you’re trying to empathize with don’t actually feel that way.

[ghaff]

As I wrote, it's doubtless harder for some than others. But, yes, I do think in general most people who don't get registered would probably (for perhaps understandable reasons) decide that it's too much of a burden to vote as well. If it's literally impossible for someone to get registered, it's probably equally impossible to vote anyway.