Can You Still Register To Vote?

In case you think it is too late to register to vote this November, you might want to review the list below. And please tell your friends, share liberally, spread the word. There is no room for mistakes this time around. If you are not registered, get registered. If anyone you know is still not registered, get them registered.

In some states, these dates refer to the date your registration packet needs to be postmarked. You can get registration packets to vote at your local post office. In some states, these dates refer to the date your state needs to have received your registration packet. You'll have to check with your local post office for which is true in your area. The best news is that online registration is available in most states. Check the list below for the details of how they do it in your state. Whatever the option is, we have provided links for each state to make it easier.

Alabama by October 24th click here to register online
You'll need an Alabama driver’s license or non-driver's ID card to register online. You could also pick up a voter registration form at your local county board of registrars.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Alabama

Alaska by October 9th click here to register online
You'll need a valid Alaska driver’s license or state ID card to register online. You can also pick up the voter registration form at your regional elections office, an Alaska Division of Motor Vehicle office, and participating public libraries. If you chose to register in person you need return the form by Oct 9 to your regional elections office or other government office where you picked up the form.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Alaska

Arizona by October 10th click here to register online
You'll need an Arizona driver’s license or non-driver's ID card to register online. You can also pick up the voter registration form at your local county recorder and return it there as well.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Arizona

Arkansas by October 9th click here to get the right form to print and send in
Download and print the Arkansas voter registration form. You can also get a voter registration form in person at your local county clerk or at one of the following locations. Be sure to return your voter registration form by Oct 9th at your local county clerk or other government office where you picked up the voter registration form.

• State Revenue Office or Driver Services Office 
• Public library or Arkansas State Library 
• Public assistance agency 
• Disability agency 
• Military recruitment office 
• Arkansas National Guard 

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Arkansas

California by October 24th click here to register online
You'll need your CA driver’s license or CA ID card number, or last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register online. You can also pck up the form in person at your county elections office, any DMV, and many post offices, public libraries, and other government offices.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in California

Colorado by October 31 click here to register online
You'll need a Colorado state driver’s license or ID card issued by the Department of Revenue to register online. Voter registration forms are also available at your County Clerk and Recorder or at other locations such as the DMV, offices that provide public assistance, and Armed Forces recruitment offices. According to google, in-person voter registration is also available at voter service and polling centers from Oct 28 through Election Day, Nov 8.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Colorado

Connecticut by November 1 click here to register online
You'll need a current driver’s license, learner’s permit or non-driver photo ID card issued by the DMV, and a signature on file with DMV. You can also get the form from your local registrar's office, a public assistance office, public library, or any office that primarily provides services to persons with disabilities. If you chose to do this with paper, and not register online, your completed form must be postmarked or received by Nov 1 by your local registrar's office, a public assistance office, public library, or any office that primarily provides services to persons with disabilities.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Connecticut

Delaware by October 15th click here to register online
You'll need a Delaware driver’s license number or Delaware ID number. If you don't have one, you'll need your Social Security number to register online. You can also go in person and get the form at your local Department of Elections, DMV offices (when you apply for, renew, or update your Driver’s License or State ID), State Service Centers such as the Department of Health and Social Services, and many other government offices.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Delaware

DC by October 11th click here to register online
You'll need your DMV issued ID number or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register online. You can also get the form in person at your DC Board of Elections or at other city agencies, like the DMV and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. You the need to return that form to any of the above agencies by Oct 11, or at your early voting location between Oct 29 and Nov 5. You can also return your registration form in person at the DC Board of Elections by Nov 7 or at your polling place on Nov 8. If you are doing this in person you'll have to provide one of the following documents with your name and address:

• Government-issued photo ID 
• Current utility bill 
• Bank statement 
• Government check 
• Paycheck 

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in DC

Florida by October 11th click here to download and print registration form
Florida doesn't have online registration. You need to download and print the voter registration form. Your completed application must be returned in person by Oct 11 to any County Supervisor of Elections, any Florida driver’s license office or tax collector’s office that issues driver’s licenses and/or Florida ID cards, any “voter registration agency” where you get services, any office that primarily serves persons with disabilities, any military recruitment office, or any public library.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Florida

Georgia by October 11th click here to register online
You'll need a Georgia driver’s license or state-issued ID card, with a signature on file with the GA Department of Driver Services (DDS) to register online. You can also get the voter registration form in person by going to your local county board of registrar's office or election office, or any state or governmental office such as a public library, public school, county or municipal clerk’s office, and government revenue office.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Georgia

Hawaii by October 10th click here to register online
You'll need a Hawaii Driver’s license (or State ID) and Social Security number to register online. You can also pick it up at the Hawaii Office of Elections, County Clerk's Offices, state libraries, US post offices, state agencies, or satellite city halls, but you must return it Your completed form must be returned in person by Oct 10 to your County Clerk's Office.
Call (808) 453-VOTE (8683) to see if you are already registered to vote in Hawaii

Idaho by October 14th click here to get downloadable form and print
Idaho doesn't have online registration. You need to download and print the Idaho state voter registration form. If you need to or decide to do this in person, you can get the voter registration form at your county clerk’s office. You then will have to make sure you submit your completed form by Oct 14 to your county clerk’s office. You can also register at your early vote location between Oct 24 and Nov 4, or to your polling place on Election Day, Nov 8. For all of these in person actions, you’ll need to provide one of the following IDs:

• Idaho driver’s license 
• Idaho state ID card 
• Any document with your current address along with another ID that has your photo 
• Current, valid student photo ID card from a postsecondary school in Idaho and a current fee statement with your valid address 

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Idaho

Illinois by October 11th click here to get downloadable form and print
You need to download and print the Illinois state voter registration form and mail it in. You can also pick up a voter registration form at your State Board of Elections’ office, County Clerk’s office, or Board of Election Commissioner’s office. Either way you must return the form by Oct 11 to the State Board of Elections, the County Clerk’s office, or the Board of Election Commissioner’s office. If you miss the deadline, contact your County Clerk or Board of Election Commissioners to see where you can register in person through Nov 8.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Illinois

Indiana by October 11th click to get downloadable form & print - it downloads automatically
You need to download and print the Indiana state voter registration form and mail it in. You can also pick up a voter registration form at the Indiana Election Division, your County Voter Registration office, Bureau of Motor Vehicle license branch, Public Assistance office, or local public library. Your completed form must be returned by Oct 11 to your county voter registration office.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Indiana

Iowa by October 24th click here to register online
You'll need your Iowa driver’s license or non-operator’s ID and birthday to register online. You can also do it in person: Before Oct 29 · Pick up the form at your county auditor, a Motor Vehicle driver’s license station, or a County Treasurers’ office that issues driver’s licenses. From now through Nov 7 you can fill out the form the form at your early voting location. On election day you can fill out the form at your voting location. If you’re registering in person at your early vote location Sep 29–Nov 7, or at your voting location on Nov 8, you’ll need to bring one of the following:

• Iowa driver’s license 
• Iowa non-operator’s ID card 
• Out-of-state driver’s license or non-operator’s ID card 
• US passport 
• US military ID card 
• ID card issued by an employer 
• Student ID card issued by an Iowa high school or an Iowa college 

If the photo ID doesn’t have your current address in Iowa, you’ll also need another document that shows your name and current address:

• Residential lease 
• Property tax statement 
• Utility bill (including a cell phone bill) 
• Bank statement 
• Paycheck 
• Government check 
• Other government document 

If you are not registering online, you will need to turn in your form by Oct 29 to your county auditor or the other government office where you picked up the form. You can also fill out and return the form at your early voting location Sep 29–Nov 7, or at your Election Day voting location on Nov 8.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Iowa

Kansas by October 18th click here to register online

You'll need your Kansas driver’s license or non-driver’s ID card number to register online. If you're registering for the first time in Kansas, you'll also need to submit one of the following documents to prove your US citizenship (either by uploading a PDF of the document or submitting a copy by mail, fax, or emailing to the contact information on the website): 

• Birth certificate 
• US passport 
• US naturalization documents 
• Other proof of US citizenship issued by the federal government 
• Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number, or tribal enrollment number 
• Consular report of birth abroad of a US citizen 
• Certificate of citizenship from the US Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services 
• Certification of report of birth from the US Department of State 
• American Indian card, with KIC classification, from the US Department of Homeland Security 
• Final adoption decree showing your name and US birthplace 
• Military record of service showing your place of birth in the US 
• Extract from a hospital record of birth created at the time of your birth that shows your place of birth in the US 
• A driver's license or non-driver's identification card only if the agency indicates on your driver's license or non-driver's ID card that you provided satisfactory proof of US citizenship 

If you don’t have proof of citizenship, you can still register to vote by using this alternate form.

You can also do this in person in Kansas. You'll need to get the voter registration form at your county elections office and your completed form must be returned to your County Elections office by Oct 18.

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Kansas

Kentucky by October 11th 4 p.m. click here to register online
You'll need your Kentucky driver’s license or personal ID card number, and your Social Security number to register online. You can also get the voter registration form in person at your county clerk’s office but you must submit your completed form by Oct 11 to your county clerk’s office.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Kentucky

Louisiana by October 11th click here to register online
You'll need your Louisiana driver's license or special ID card number, and a residential address in Louisiana to register online. You can also get the voter registration form in person at the following locations:

• Any Registrar of Voters office
• Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
• Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services
• Any Louisiana public assistance agency that administers or provides services under the food stamp, Medicaid, WIC, FITAP programs
• Offices serving persons with disabilities (e.g., Deaf Action Centers and Independent Living Offices)
• Military recruitment offices

You need to return a completed registration form no later than October 11th.
Click here to see if you are already registered Louisiana

Maine by October 18th click here to get downloadable form and print
You need to download and print the Maine state voter registration form and mail it in. You can also pick up and return a form in person, but you will need to show proof of identity and residency when registering in person. To prove identity you can provide a:

• Government-issued photo ID
• Current US passport
• Military ID
• Driver’s license
• State ID
• Certified birth certificate
• Signed Social Security card
• Document confirming eligibility for public benefits
• Utility bill
• Bank statement
• Government check
• Paycheck
• Other government document that shows name and address

To prove residency, provide a document providing proof of your residential address. Examples include but not limited to:

• Maine Driver’s license or state ID card showing your current residential address
• A current income tax return showing your current residential address
• A piece of mail showing your current residential address
• A current resident hunting or fishing license showing your current residential address
• Proof of the receipt of any public benefit conditioned upon residency
• Other items that are up to the discretion of individual registrars, including a residency oath that you can take...seriously.

Call (207) 624-7650 or your registrar to check if you are already registered in Maine

Maryland by October 18th click here to register online
You'll need your valid Maryland-issued state ID or driver’s license number to register online. You could also download and print the Maryland state voter registration form and mail it in, or call the State Board of Elections (410-269-2840) to get a form, or contact your local board of election to request an application. We recommend registering online. If you decide to do it by mail or in person, you will need to return the form by Oct 18. You can also register in person at an early voting center in your county from Oct 27-Nov 3. You'll need your your Maryland state driver’s license or an ID card, change of address card, paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and new address.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Maryland

Massachusetts by October 19th click here to register online
You'll need your Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID card and a signature on file with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you want to do it by mail, you need to download and print the Massachusetts state voter registration form and mail your completed form by Oct 19 to your local election official. Here's the link to the downloadable and printable form. You can also get the voter registration form in person at the following locations:

• Any city or town clerk’s office
• Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Election Division office
• Registry of Motor Vehicles
• Military recruitment offices
• All state agencies that provide public assistance

You must return that completed form to those locations by Oct 19th but since your state does have online registration, you might want to take that easier route.

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Massachusetts

Michigan by October 11th click here to get downloadable form and print
You need to download and print the Michigan state voter registration form and mail it in. You could also pick up and deliver a completed form in person at the following locations:

• Your local Secretary of State branch office
• Your local county, city, or township clerk’s office
• Offices of several state agencies like the Department of Human Services, Department of Community Health, and Department of Labor and Economic Growth
• Military recruitment centers 

If you pick it up in person you still need to return the completed form by Oct 11 to your city or township clerk.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Michigan

Minnesota October 18th click here to register online
You will need your Minnesota driver’s license or Minnesota identification card number to register online. If you don't have one of these, you may use the last four numbers of your Social Security number. You can also pick up the registration form at your county election office. If you pick up a form in person, bear in mind you need to return your completed form in person by Oct 18 to your county election office or the following address:

Secretary of State
60 Empire Drive
Suite 100
St. Paul, MN 55103

You can also return the form on Election Day, Nov 8 at your voting location. If you register at your voting location you need to prove your residence using one of these options:

Option 1: Bring one of the following that is not expired and has your current address:

• Minnesota driver’s license
• Minnesota learner’s permit
• Minnesota state ID card
• Tribal ID with name, address, photo and signature

Option 2: Bring a photo ID (expired or unexpired) plus a second document that has your current address. Accepted photo IDs include:

• Driver’s license, or ID issued by any state
• Passport
• Military or veteran ID
• Minnesota university, college, or high school ID

Accepted documents with your current address include:

• Utility bill
• Banking or credit card bill
• Rent or mortgage bill
• Residential lease
• Current student fee statement

Option 3: If you're on your college’s housing list, show the election official your student ID
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Minnesota

Mississippi by October 8th click here for link to registration form
You have to mail in or drop off a registration form in Mississippi. If you don't have access to a printer, you can get a form in person at your county election office. Your completed form must be submitted in person by Oct 8 at 12 PM to your county election office.

Call your county election office to check if you are already registered in Mississippi

Missouri by October 12th click here to register online
You'll need your Missouri driver’s license number, Social Security number, and birthday to register online. To register online you'll also need to check the box that indicates you're registering from a tablet, mobile device, or touchscreen device. You can also visit your county clerk’s office to pick up an application in person, but you must return the completed from to your county clerk’s office by Oct 12th.

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Missouri

Montana by October 11th click here to get downloadable form and print it
If you are going to mail it in send your completed form by Oct 11th so it's received by Oct 14th at your county election office. You mail in date is soon approaching, but if you miss it, you can drop off a completed form at your county election office by Nov 7 (before noon). In Montana, you can also register at your polling place before voting on Election Day, Nov 8th.
Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Montana

Nebraska by October 21 click here to register online
You'll need your Nebraska driver’s license or state ID card to register online. You can also pick up the form from your county election office but be sure to return it there in person by Oct 28th. If you want to do it by mail, you can download the form here, and then you have to mail it in by Oct 21 to your county election office. Since you have the option of registering online, we recommend you do it now.

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Nebraska

Nevada by October 18th click here to register online

You'll need a Nevada driver’s license or ID card to register online. You can also pick up the form from your county election office, but you must return it completed by Oct 18th to your county election office. If you were going to mail it in, you had to do it by October 8th.

Click here to see if you are already registered to vote in Nevada

New Hampshire by November 8th

In New Hampshire you have to register in person but you can do it up to and including election day. You may only register by mail if you'll be temporarily absent or have a physical disability that prevents you from registering in person. If you fit that category, voter registration forms are available at your city or town clerk, at your local Supervisors of the Checklist during specified meeting times, and at the polls on Election Day, Nov 8.

Click Here To See If You Are Registered Already in New Hampshire

New Jersey by October 18th Click here to find and print your voter registration form

In New Jersey you can only register by mail or in person. You will need to fill out and print a voter registration application form for your county or contact your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections to request one by mail. You then need to mail the form to your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections no later than Oct 18th. You can also get a form IN PERSON at your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections but must deliver the form in person to your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections by Oct 18.
Click Here To See If You Are Registered Already in New Jersey

New Mexico by October 11th click here to register online
You'll need your New Mexico driver’s license or state ID card number, Social Security number, and birthday. To register online, the address where you’re registering to vote needs to match the address on file with the state Motor Vehicle Division. You could also pick up the registration form at your county clerk’s office or local Motor Vehicle Division office, but your completed form must be filled out, signed, and dated by Oct 11 and returned in person by Oct 14 to your county clerk’s office.
Click Here To See If You Are Registered Already in New Mexico

North Carolina by October 14th click here to download and print voter registration form

You can not register online in North Carolina. You need to download, print, and either mail, fax or drop off in person. You can also pick up voter registration forms in person at your county board of elections, Department of Motor Vehicles, Departments of Social Services, Departments of Public Health, or other offices that offer public assistance. However you get your form, you need to mail your completed form to your county board of elections postmarked no later than Oct 14th. If you fax you need to do so by 5 PM on Oct 14th. If you deliver the original to your county board of elections in person you need to do so by Oct 19th.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in North Carolina

North Dakota has no deadline 
You don't need to register to vote in North Dakota. Instead, make sure you meet all the voting requirements, and provide ID to vote on Election Day, Nov 8. Voting requirements in North Dakota:

• Be a US citizen
• Be at least 18 years old on Election Day, Nov 8
• Live at a North Dakota address by Oct 9
• Not be in jail or prison for a felony conviction
• Not be currently judged mentally incompetent by a court

Ohio by October 11th click here for downloadable form and print

You can not register online in Ohio, so print the form we have provided the link to. You can also pick up a form in person at your county board of elections, any BMV office, any county treasurer’s office, or any public library. Your completed form must be mailed and postmarked by Oct 11th and sent to this address:

Secretary of State of Ohio
Elections Division
180 E. Broad Street – 15th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

For faster processing, mail it to your county board of elections. Click that link to get the address for you specific county.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Ohio

Oklahoma by October 14th click here to get downloadable form and print

You can not register online in Oklahoma.  Your completed form must be postmarked by Oct 14th and mailed to this address:

Oklahoma State Election Board
P.O. Box 528800
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-8800

If you like, you could pick up the registration form at your county board of elections in person at your local DMV office, any public library, or any post office, but if you are not mailing it you still need to return it in person by Oct 14 to your county board of elections.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Oklahoma

Oregon by October 18th click here to register online
You'll need an Oregon driver's license or ID card to register online. You could also download and print the Oregon state voter registration form or call (503) 986-1518 to have one mailed to you. Your completed form must be postmarked by Oct 18th and mailed to your county election office at the address listed on page 2 of the form. You could also pick up the registration form at your county elections official, any public library, or any post office and if you want to turn it in in person you have to do so by Oct 18 to your county elections official.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in Oregon

Pennsylvania by October 11th click here to register online
If you have one, have your Pennsylvania’s driver’s license or PennDOT ID available to reference as you complete the application online. You could also download and print the Pennsylvania state voter registration form. Your completed form must be postmarked by Oct 11th and mailed to your county voter registration office at the address listed on the form or delivered in person to that same address. You can also pick up the registration form in person at your county elections office. 

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Pennsylvania

Rhode Island by October 9th click here to register online
You'll need your Rhode Island driver's license or state ID number to register online. You can also pick up the registration form at your local board of canvassers but must return the form to one of those offices by October 9th, so we recommend your online option.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in Rhode Island 

South Carolina by October 8th click here to register online
You’ll need your South Carolina driver’s license number or state ID card number to register online. If you’ve moved, you’ll need to update your address with the DMV before you can register to vote online. You can also pick up the registration form at your county voter registration office but must return it completed by October 8th.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in South Carolina 

South Dakota by October 24th click here to download and print registration form

You can not register online in South Dakota. You can pick up the form at your county auditor’s office or municipal finance office and must drop off your completed form by Oct 24 at the county auditor or other government office where you picked up the form. If you chose to mail it in, your completed form must still be received at your county auditor’s office by Oct 24.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in South Dakota 

Tennessee by October 11th click here to download and print registration from
You can not register online in Tennessee. You need to mail your completed form by Oct 11th to your county election office or drop it off in person by the same date.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Tennessee 

Texas by October 11th click here to download and print registration from

Surprise! You can not register to vote online in Texas. If you can't print the one we provided a link to, voter registration forms are available at your county voter registrar’s office or at other locations such as libraries, government offices, or high schools. You need to mail the form,or drop it off in person, by Oct 11th to your county voter registrar’s office.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Texas 

Utah by October 9th click here to register online
You'll need your Utah driver’s license number or state ID card number to register online. The street address you list on the voter registration form must be the same as the address on your driver’s license or ID to register online. You could also download the form, print, and mail it or drop it off in person. If you chose to mail it in, your completed form must be mailed by Oct 9th to your county clerk’s office. You can also pick up the registration form at your county clerk’s office in person. If you miss the mailing deadline, you can deliver your completed form in person by Nov 1 to your county clerk’s office.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in Utah

Vermont by November 2nd click here to register online
You'll need either a Vermont driver’s license, permit or DMV-issued personal ID number; or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register online. The registration deadline is Nov 2nd at 5:00 PM. You could also download and print the form if you would like to mail it in or drop it off in person. If mailing, your completed form must be postmarked by Nov 2nd and you must mail the form to your Town or City Clerk’s Office. If you would simply like to pick up your registration form in person, you can get the form at your Town or City Clerk’s Office but must also return the form to your Town or City Clerk’s Office by Nov 2nd.

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Vermont

Virginia by October 17th click here to register online
You'll need a Virginia driver’s license or special ID card, and a Social Security number to register online. You could also download and print your voter registration from here. Your completed form must be postmarked by Oct 17th to this address:

Department of Elections
1100 Bank Street, First Floor
Richmond, VA 23219

For faster processing, mail your form to your local Voter Registration Office. If you want to do this all in person, you can pick one up at your local Voter Registration Office or at other locations such as the DMV and Armed Forces recruitment offices and turn in the form by the close of business on Oct 17th. Your local Voter Registration Office can tell you the exact closing time in each county.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in Virginia.

Washington by October 10th click here to register online
You'll need a current Washington State driver’s license or current Washington State ID card to register online. You do have a little more time if you want to also do this in person and the online date has passed if you register by the close of business on Oct 31. You can find out the exact closing time for doing this in person from your County Election Office. To do so, you can either download the form first or pick up the form in person at your County Election Office or locations such as the DMV and other state agencies. 

Click Here to see if you are already registered in Washington

West Virginia by October 18th click here to register online
You'll need a West Virginia driver’s license or ID card number, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number to register online. You could also download and print the form here. If you do that, you will need to mail it in by Oct 18th to your County Clerk’s Office or drop it off in person by the same date to that same address. You could also pick up your form in person at your County Clerk’s Office or at other locations such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and Armed Services recruitment offices.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in West Virginia

Wisconsin by October 19th click here to download and print voter registration form

You can not register online in Wisconsin. You can download the one we provided a link for, and print that or pick one up in person from your municipal clerk’s office or at other locations such as Armed Forces recruitment offices. Whether you mail in your voter registration form or do it in person, you must include or show a copy of ID that proves where you live. The following IDs are accepted:

• A Wisconsin driver’s license or ID card
• Any other ID card or license issued by a Wisconsin government agency or unit
• An employee ID card with a photograph (but not a business card)
• A real property tax bill or receipt for 2015 or 2016
• A residential lease (doesn’t count if you submit the form by mail)
• A photo ID from a university, college or technical college with a fee receipt
• A photo ID from a university, college or technical college with an on-campus housing listing provided by the university, college or technical college to the municipality
• A utility bill dated within 90 days of when you register
• (Homeless voters only) A letter from an organization that provides services to the homeless that identifies you and describes the location designated as your residence for voting purposes
• A bank statement, a paycheck, a check or other government-issued document

By mail your completed form must be postmarked by Oct 19th and mailed to your municipal clerk’s office. In person you need to return the form by Nov 4th to your municipal clerk’s office.
Click Here to see if you are already registered in Wisconsin

Wyoming by October 24th click here to download and print voter registration form
You can not register online in Wyoming. If you want to do the whole process in person, you can do so by downloading, printing, and submitting the completed form by Oct 25th to your county clerk’s office. You can also pick up a form at those same offices. 

Registering by mail is a complicated process in Wyoming. To register by mail, you must download and print the Wyoming Voter Registration Form or call (307) 777-5860 to have one sent to you by mail. Then you must fill out the form in front of a notary or a person authorized to administer oaths. At that time you will be asked to present ID to the notary or other person authorized to administer oaths. Acceptable forms of ID are:

1 of the following:

• Valid Wyoming driver’s license
• Other state driver’s license
• A local, state or federal ID
• US passport
• School ID
• Military ID

Or, 2 of the following:

• Certificate of US citizenship or naturalization
• Draft record
• Voter registration card from another state or county
• Certified copy of birth certificate with an official seal
• Certificate of birth abroad issued by US State Department
• Other form of ID issued by an official agency

The notary or person authorized to administer oaths must also sign and date the form. Your completed form must be received by Oct 25th and sent along with a photocopy of the same ID or IDs you showed to the notary your county clerk’s office at the address listed on the form. 

Interestingly enough, you can also register on Election Day, Nov 8 at your polling place, and between Oct 26 and Nov 7th when you request and vote by in-person absentee at your county clerk’s office.

To see if you are already registered in Wyoming, Call your local county clerk’s office.

So that's it folks. Pass it on. Share the info. Time is of the essence. 

We Must Fix Voting

(Wallace Ingalls, 2014)

We must fix voting. 

What they’ve done just cannot stand. 

We must fix voting. 

Repair the laws in our fair land. 

We must fix voting. 

Our elderly and sick can’t wait in line. 

We must fix voting. 

To get IDs they lost with time. 

We must fix voting. 

Have early days, stay open late. 

We must fix voting. 

No crazy laws in Red Gov states. 

We must fix voting. 

We owe it to our founding fathers. 

We must fix voting. 

No one should have to wait for hours. 

We must fix voting. 

While they fill the air with hate. 

We must fix voting. 

It’s this Tuesday, don’t be late. 

We must fix voting. 

Suppression is Evil. 

We must fix voting. 

Treat black and brown as equal. 

We must fix voting. 

Kick obstruction in the ass. 

We must fix voting. 

Give them all their own dunce cap. 

We must fix voting. 

They want to take us back. 

We must fix voting. 

But facts and brains they lack. 

We must fix voting. 

Citizens United is a sham. 

We must fix voting. 

Let’s swipe votes from the Koch’s hands. 

We must fix voting. 

Their machines flip blue to red. 

We must fix voting. 

So all of this, yes, must be said. 

We must fix voting. 

So you must show up. 

We must fix voting. 

ALL our votes might be enough. 

We must fix voting. 

Not requiring ID. 

We must fix voting. 

Just use our numbers of Social Security. 

They run large crowds through Disneyland. 

So I would say, Oh, Yes We Can!” 

To make it work, and have our say, 

We must fix voting, and fix it today!

The Policy Geek

We Must Fix Voting

(Wallace Ingalls, 2014)

We Must Fix Voting

We must fix voting.
What they've done just cannot stand.

We must fix voting.
Repair the laws in our fair land.

We must fix voting.
Our elderly and sick can't wait in line.

We must fix voting.
To get IDs they lost with time.

We must fix voting.
Have early days, stay open late.

We must fix voting.
No crazy laws in Red Gov states.

We must fix voting.
We owe it to our founding fathers.

We must fix voting.
No one should have to wait for hours.

We must fix voting.
While they fill the air with hate.

We must fix voting.
It's this Tuesday, don't be late.

We must fix voting.
Suppression is Evil.

We must fix voting.
Treat black and brown as equal.

We must fix voting.
Kick obstruction in the ass.

We must fix voting.
Give them all their own dunce cap.

We must fix voting.

They want to take us back.

We must fix voting.
But facts and brains they lack.

We must fix voting.
Citizens United is a sham.

We must fix voting.
Let's swipe votes from the Koch's hands.

We must fix voting.
Their machines flip blue to red.

We must fix voting.
So all of this, yes, must be said.

We must fix voting.
So you must show up.

We must fix voting.
ALL our votes might be enough.

We must fix voting.
Not requiring ID.

We must fix voting.
Just use our numbers of Social Security.

They run large crowds through Disneyland.
So I would say, Oh, Yes We Can!"

To make it work, and have our say,
We must fix voting, and fix it today!

 

The Policy Geek

Lisa Lindo's Bio

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Twitter ~ @thepolicygeek

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Blocking Everything - The Lofgren Principle

(Mostly Blue, 2014)

Why do we care about midterms? What does it mean when people say we have to “hold onto the Senate?” Right now, the Democrats hold 55 of the hundred seats in the Senate. After this November, Dems may hold less than 50 seats, and that combined with the overwhelming presence of Republicans in the House, would mean Republicans would run the place. How did we get here, and why does it matter?

Showing Up Is 90 Percent Of Success
Conventional beltway wisdom tells us that when voter turnout is high, Democrats tend to do better in the exit polls. As a result, if you are an operative in the Republican Party, it would seem to be in your best interest to encourage voter turnout to be a bit lower, regardless of who your candidate is. Even before Obama's first term in office, Republicans had systematically attempted to make it more difficult to vote. Sure, we are all familiar with the basic tactics,

• Putting notes on cars claiming the date of election day has changed
• Defunding registration aid groups like Acorn
• Narrowing registration periods
• Closing formerly used polling places
• Ending early voting days
• Shortening the hours of service at the polls
• Threatening to show up as gun toting militias at polling places
• Fraudulently denying registration forms
• Losing ballots, oops
• Gerrymandering districts
• Residency requirements that disenfranchise university students
• Voter ID laws requiring birth certificates and hoop jumping

For those of you who don't understand why Voter ID Laws could be hurtful, consider this. Republicans in Wisconsin legislated the necessity of photo IDs. Simultaneously and systematically, Wisconsin planned to close down DMV offices in Democratic constituencies, and lengthen the hours of operation of DMV offices in GOP constituencies. Disconcerting, isn't it?

Even with all of that nastiness, Gallup says that voter turnout in midterm elections has ranged narrowly between 38.1% and 41.1% since 1994. For Americans, many of whom are completely unaware of what midterm elections are, that's actually a pretty high percentage of eligible voters.

If you are Karl Rove, or The Koch Brothers, however, that's too much voter participation. The question is, how do you go about getting the American public so disillusioned that they won't vote at all? How do you get the American public to think their votes don't even matter?

What needs to be understood here, is that undermining Americans’ belief in their own institutions of self-government remains a prime GOP electoral strategy. They want us to believe that our votes don't matter, and that the whole thing's rigged.

The pesky truth remains that billions are spent in an attempt to sway the voters one way or the other, so if you follow the money, voting turns out to be awfully important.

If You Break It, You Can Buy It
In recent years, ideology, especially right-wing ideology, has become the dominant factor in congressional elections. In addition to the “government is the problem” meme that most wear like a suit of armor, the Kochs spend billions of dollars making sure that message is pounded into every brain anywhere near a TV. “Career Politicians Are Bad!! And I, only I, can save you from the idiots in Congress!!” Railing against imagined foes in Washington has become a sure fire way to get yourself a seat there. Railing against government in general, now that’s a more sinister issue, and there is more to this than meets the eye.

From GOP Congressional staffer, Mike Lofgren, author of, The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted, we get an insider's insight into why running on what you would repeal, instead of running on what you might get accomplished, has worked, and will continue to work for Republican candidates moving forward. We call this, The Lofgren Effect, and now we're gonna break it down.

1. Break It. ~~ In order to just keep the country moving forward, and functioning, Congress's first duty is to negotiate and pass a budget, annually. Passing a budget used to be a relatively straightforward job. Each January, the president would submit a proposed budget listing every line-item in the budget—all the specific things funded by the federal government that required an appropriation. Congress would adjust these numbers up or down as it saw fit, and the House and Senate would finish their work by July 1, when the new fiscal year began.

In 1974, Congress layered a new budget responsibility on top of the appropriations process, a process that had worked fine for almost 200 years. Now instead of getting right to work on appropriations bills after the president’s budget comes out, Congress debates the broad outlines of the budget, establishing guidelines for appropriations committees to follow, who in turn redebate the spending options. Because this is time-consuming, the beginning of the fiscal year was moved from July 1 to October 1, which as we all know is a deadline mostly ignored by Congress these days.  As it has been harder and harder for Congress to fund the government in any timely way, it has also forced a rethinking of government's priorities. To start with, when you think your job is to obstruct government, you drag your feet on everything, and even welcome government shutdowns, consequences be damned.

Each member of Congress is elected by the people to make judgment calls about what programs to fund and which ones not to, but as we all know, Congress, as a whole, hasn’t done that job properly in years. The result has been less and less oversight of federal spending, with programs that should be axed continuing indefinitely under continuing resolutions, while urgent national priorities are starved for resources. Instead of going through the budget line by line and making necessary adjustments, programs have been cut across the board via “sequestration,” which cuts vital programs, as well as those we could easily live without.

2. Block It. ~~ The same day President Obama was being sworn in, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, declared that his greatest legislative priority was – Jobs for Americans? Rescuing the financial system? Solving the housing collapse? – no, none of those things. His top priority was to ensure that Obama should be a one-term president. Evidently Senator McConnell hates Obama more than he loves his country, and a whole bunch of Republicans agree with him.

3. Destroy The Good. ~~ In the good 'ol days of a functioning Congress, voters fully expected their representatives to “bring home the bacon.” That is, to find ways of getting the federal government to fund needed construction projects, or open additional military installations that would bring jobs and income to their districts. A critical result of the abolition of pork from the budget is that the congressional leadership lost an important tool for cajoling members into making difficult votes. Loyalty could often be bought for the price of a new road, or bridge, or dam in someone’s district. Now nothing gets done, and the Republican caucus couldn't be happier.

Once the concept of a functioning US government seems out of reach to most Americans, their trips to the voting booth become less and less frequent.

Then Fill The Vacuum With Stupid
To those millions of Americans who have finally begun paying attention to politics and watch with exasperation, it may have come as a shock that the Republican Party is so full of lunatics. To be sure, the party, like any political party on earth, has always had its share of crackpots. Yes, even Democrats have their share of machine politicians, careerists, corporate bagmen, and egomaniacs. Nothing, however, quite matches the modern GOP.

The Neocon crackpot outliers of two decades ago have become regular speakers at CPAC, and the backbone of leadership in the GOP today: Steve King, Michele Bachmann, Ted Cruz, Paul LePage, Russell Pearce, Gordon “Dr. Chaps” Klingenschmitt, Chuck Wooten, Steve Lonegan, Art Robinson, Louie Gohmert, Lenar Whitney, Jim Brown, Buck McKeon, and Allen West, to name a few. The Congressional directory now reads like a casebook of lunacy. As Rachel Maddow puts it, "They should put a bell around these guys, or something, so you can tell when they are coming."

These front line Republicans deliver misinformation daily to the eagerly awaiting news stations. And when anyone refutes any of it, the public just sees a brawl, and tunes out. Why not? After all, to a low-info fair-weather voter, when both major US political parties are pointing fingers at each other, the Dems and the GOP really do start to look alike. And that's exactly the way the Koch brothers want it.

Laying Tacks In The Road To Democracy
In his “Manual of Parliamentary Practice,” Thomas Jefferson wrote that “it is less important that every rule and custom of a legislature be absolutely justifiable in a theoretical sense, than that they should be generally acknowledged and honored by all parties. These include unwritten rules, customs and courtesies that lubricate the legislative machinery and keep governance a relatively civilized procedure.” In other words, the only thing that can keep the Congress functioning is collegiality and good faith. The norm, the absolute least thing we should expect from our members of Congress is reasonable debate, skilled negotiation and problem solving techniques, and of course, Up or Down votes.

During periods of political consensus, for instance, the World War II and early post-war eras, the Senate was a “high functioning” institution: filibusters were rare and the body was legislatively productive. It’s safe to say that these days Congress couldn’t have agreed on even our Bill of Rights.

Far from being a rarity, virtually every bill, every nominee for Senate confirmation, and every routine procedural motion, is now subject to a Republican filibuster, thus requiring a supermajority 60 person yea vote for anything to pass. Under the circumstances, it is no wonder that Washington is gridlocked. Conservative ideology insists there must always be a winner, and a loser. No more win-wins in Congress anymore. That’s a no-no. As Hannah Arendt observed while steeped in German World War II politics, “a disciplined minority of totalitarians can use the instruments of democratic government to undermine democracy itself.”

When Obama took office in 2009, senior editor at The New Republic, John P. Judis summed up the modern GOP this way:

“Over the last four decades, the Republican Party has transformed from a loyal opposition into an insurrectionary party that flouts the law when it is in the majority, and threatens disorder when it is the minority. It is the party of Watergate and Iran-Contra, but also of government shutdowns in 1995, 1996, (and 2013), as well as the impeachment trial of 1999, (and the presidential law suit of 2014). If there is an earlier American precedent for today’s Republican Party, it is the antebellum Southern Democrats of John Calhoun who threatened to nullify, or disregard, federal legislation they objected to, and who later led the fight to secede from the union over slavery.”

Today's Republicans intentionally sabotage government programs by denying them adequate resources, and then complain that the programs don’t work. By stalling budget approvals, and habitually threatening government shutdowns, each government agency never knows exactly what its budget is. In the last six years, virtually every agency of government has had to deal with wildly fluctuating estimates of how much money it will have to spend. Once establishing apparent incompetence, Republicans can then justify further reductions in resources to those programs, leading to more problems.

Perfidy is the permanent state of disloyalty, of pretending you care about the future of the country, and then tripping over yourself trying to block any functioning processes from running at all. That’s the GOP. Pretending to care most of all about America, and then doing whatever they can to destroy any continuity of government, with the express goal of pointing at all of it, and saying it failed.

After a while, the luster involved with voting for people who say government is the problem wears off. Congress’s approval rating is down to around 15%. But in the hallowed halls of Congress, the guys with the red ties couldn’t be happier. ‘Cause maybe you might not show up to vote, and they’ll have a better chance of winning. Insane.

The Lofgren Principle
To put it simply, one side – or a sizable faction of one side – has deliberately attempted to damage the reputation of Congress to achieve its political objectives.

Lofgren cautions,

“Don’t let all this obstruction for the sake of obstruction fool you. The GOP knows what it’s doing. As Republicans succeed in obstructing Congress from doing its job, it further lowers Congress’s favorability rating among the American people. By sabotaging the reputation of an institution of government, the party that is programmatically against government would come out the relative winner."

"The media are also complicit in this phenomenon. Ever since rabidly ideological talk radio and cable TV political propaganda has taken over the national discussion, the “respectable” media have been terrified of any criticism for perceived bias. Hence, our once trusted news sources now hew to the practice of false evenhandedness. Paul Krugman has skewered this tactic as being the “centrist cop-out.” “I joked long ago,” he says, “that if one party declared that the earth was flat, the headlines would read ‘Views Differ on Shape of Planet.’”

The constant murmur coming from main stream news of “there the two parties go again!”, combined with the hazy confusion of low-information voters, means that the long-term Republican strategy of undermining confidence in our democratic institutions has reaped electoral dividends.

Although we are quite proud of our less than 50% voter turnout, the United States has nearly the lowest voter participation among Western democracies; this, again, is a consequence of the decline of trust in government institutions – if government is a racket, and both parties are the same, why vote? And if the uninvolved middle class declines to vote, it increases the electoral clout of a minority that is constantly being whipped into a lather by three hours daily of Rush Limbaugh or Fox News. There were only 44 million Republican voters in the 2010 mid-term elections, 25 million less than voted in Obama in 2008. But those 44 million midterm voters effectively canceled the political results of the 2008 election of President Obama, giving the Republicans control of the House. Will it even be worse come this November election? Are we also going to lose the Senate? As we mentioned, the GOP only needs to gain 6 seats more than they have now to get that accomplished. According to all sources, it's going to be close.

This Lofgren tactic of inducing public distrust of government is not only cynical, it is schizophrenic. For people who profess to revere the Constitution (i.e. the rabid Tea Party flag clingers), it is strange that they so caustically denigrate the very federal government that is the material expression of the principles embodied in that document. Most Republican office holders, and office seekers, seem strangely uninterested in the effect of Citizens United. They never mention the repeal of Fourth Amendment protections by the Patriot Act, the weakening of habeas corpus and self-incrimination protections in the public hysteria following 9/11, or the unpalatable fact that the United States has the largest incarcerated population of any country on earth. If anything, they opt for more incarcerated persons, as imprisonment is a profit center for the prison privatization industry, which is itself a growth center for political contributions to these same politicians.

Conservatives prefer to rail against those government programs that actually help people. And when a program is too popular to attack directly, like Medicare or Social Security, they prefer to undermine it by feigning an agonized concern about the deficit. Or they refer to Obama as the Food Stamp president, complaining that if you feed someone, they won’t learn to feed themselves. That concern is largely fictitious.

Fiction is the stuff of Conservative daydreams, and Republicans continually play on the public’s ignorance of this fact. According to a September 26 Bloomberg poll, 59 percent of people incorrectly believe the deficit is rising versus just 10 percent who know that it is actually falling.

The basics are straightforward and unambiguous: The Congressional Budget Office reported that the federal budget deficit will fall to 2.8 percent of GDP this year, almost one-third below what it was in 2013. As a percent of GDP, not only will that be the lowest deficit since 2007, the drop from 9.8 percent in 2009 to 2.8 percent in 2014 is the largest five-year reduction in federal red ink since the end of World War 2, that is, in almost 70 years. Nonetheless, the perception that the deficit is still growing has been fed by Republicans, including on his way out House Minority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who recently said the deficit is growing, and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who said last month that we have trillion-dollar deficits.

They can’t win on facts, so they make up their own,. And their constituents who believe in the “government takeover” show up to vote, while the ones who can’t believe what they are hearing throw up their hands, and give up, thinking, "How could my one vote possibly help fix this mess?"

Voting Doesn’t Matter And Other Myths
This legislative assault is moving in a diametrically opposed direction to 200 years of American history, when the arrow of progress pointed toward more political participation by more citizens.

Republicans are among the most shrill in self-righteously lecturing other countries about the wonders of democracy, giving the world that chance to vote on the direction their future will take them; exporting democracy (albeit at the barrel of a gun) to the Middle East was the signature policy of the Bush administration, and look where that left us. But domestically, they don’t want 'those people' voting.

You can probably guess who 'those people' are. Above all, anyone not likely to vote Republican. As Sarah Palin would imply, the people who are not Real Americans. Racial minorities. Immigrants. Muslims. Gays. Intellectuals. Basically, anyone who doesn’t look, think, or talk like the GOP base. Among the GOP base, there is constant harping about somebody else, some “other,” who is deliberately, assiduously and with malice aforethought subverting the Good, the True and the Beautiful: Immigrant Children. Commies. Socialists. Ragheads. Hispanics. Atheists. Blacks. Fags. Feminazis. The list may change with the political needs of the moment, but they always seem to need a scapegoat to hate and fear.

While Democrats dismissed the fears of the white working class as racist or nativist, Republicans went to work. To be sure, the business wing of the Republican Party consists of the most energetic outsourcers, wage cutters and hirers of sub-minimum wage immigrant labor to be found anywhere on the globe. But the faux-populist wing of the party, knowing the mental compartmentalization that occurs in most low-information voters, played on the fears of that same white working class to focus their anger on scapegoats that do no damage to corporations’ bottom lines: instead of raising the minimum wage, let’s build a wall on the Southern border (then hire a defense contractor to incompetently manage it). Instead of predatory bankers, it’s evil Muslims. Or evil gays. Or evil abortionists.

Beware The Words You Use. People Will Listen
You know that Social Security and Medicare are in jeopardy when even Democrats refer to them as entitlements. “Entitlement” has a negative sound in colloquial English: somebody who is “entitled” selfishly claims something he doesn’t really deserve. Why not call them “earned benefits,” which is what they are because we all contribute payroll taxes to fund them? That would never occur to the Democrats. Republicans don’t make that mistake; they are relentlessly on message: it is never the “estate tax,” it is the “death tax.” It wasn’t “affordable healthcare for all,” it was “death panels for sure.” Healthy popular rage is instead harmlessly diverted against pseudo-issues: crazy inflation, the second amendment, Planned Parenthood, birtherism, gay marriage, abortion, and so on, none of which stands to dent the corporate bottom line in the slightest. In fact, in some cases, such as the sale of gold, guns, and bullets, business is booming.

The GOP talking points machine cynically feeds the worst instincts of our fearful, and angry, low-information political base with a nod and a wink. It isn’t even clear how many GOP officeholders actually believe the stuff they spew. Red meat is their friend, and they never speak to a group without having some to throw out to the masses.

All of these half-truths and outright lies have seeped into popular culture, who now accept this misinformation as dogma. My vote doesn’t count. The tactics of the GOP are important indicators of an absolutist, authoritarian mindset that is increasingly hostile to the democratic values of reason, compromise and conciliation. This mindset feeds on polarizing division, conflict, and the crushing of opposition, and Crossroads USA has been very explicit that this is has been their principal recommended campaign strategy.

God Is In The Details
In addition to all of that extreme lunacy, there is a constant undercurrent of religious righteousness. Pandering to fundamentalism is a full-time vocation in the GOP. Beginning in the 1970s, religious cranks ceased simply to be a minor public nuisance in this country, and grew into the major element of the Republican rank and file. Pat Robertson’s strong showing in the 1988 Iowa Caucus signaled the gradual merger of politics and religion in the party. Since then, it’s seeped into ‘wars on christmas’, and ‘prayer in schools,’ and ‘America Is A Christian Nation.’ The results are all around us: if the American people poll more like neanderthals on questions of evolution versus creationism, on scriptural inerrancy, the existence of angels and demons, and so forth, that result is due to the rise of the religious right, its insertion into the public sphere by the Republican Party and the consequent normalizing of formerly reactionary, or quaint beliefs. We are, after all, only slightly more than 300 years away from our own salem witch trials.

Still, over 300 years later, all around us is a prevailing anti-intellectualism and hostility towards science, evolution, and progressive growth; it is this group that defines “low-information voter” – or, perhaps, “misinformation voter.”

Some say the rise of politicized religious fundamentalism may have been the key ingredient of the takeover of the Republican Party. Politicized religion provides common use dog whistles which rationalize, in the minds of followers, the GOP’s rhetoric. End of Days is now, Obama is the anti-christ, we will all be redeemed, the rapture is upon us. This sort of thinking has led, inexorably, to such phenomena as Jerry Falwell once writing that God is Pro-War, or God is Anti-Gay, or God is Anti-Immigrant. It’s mother’s milk to the misinformed climate change deniers, and those who think President Obama is a godless Muslim. It is the apocalyptic frame of reference of fundamentalists, their belief in an imminent Armageddon, that psychologically conditions them to steer this country into conflict, not only in foreign lands, but also in the realm of domestic political controversy.

The Republican Party is becoming less and less like a traditional political party in a representative democracy, and becoming more like an apocalyptic cult. This trend has several implications, none of them pleasant. Our country has been hijacked by terrorists who aren’t concerned about the life of the hostage they’ve seized. And these mostly men that we elect to serve, stoop awfully low in order to gain their seats of power.

Protecting The Least Of Us, WWJD
In the modern GOP; it hardly seems conceivable that a Republican could have written the following:

“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things…a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.” (That was President Eisenhower, writing to his brother Edgar in 1954.)

Lofgren further warns, “If you think Paul Ryan and his Ayn Rand-worshipping colleagues aren’t after your Social Security and Medicare, I am here to disabuse you of your naiveté. They will move heaven and earth to force through tax cuts that will so starve the government of revenue that they will be “forced” to make “hard choices” – and that doesn’t mean repealing those very same tax cuts, it means cutting the benefits for which you worked.”

No Leaders For You
Of course it always helps if you can also deny the government agency administering a program a permanent leader, as Republicans in the Senate have routinely done during both terms of Obama’s presidency. This has forced agencies into a constant state of “automatic pilot,” unable to move forward and deal with issues arising within its jurisdiction, thus leading to problems that justify abolition of the agency, and the programs it administers.

“The United States continues to operate without a complete diplomatic toolbox to exert our leadership and advance our security and economic interests across the globe…” reports Secretary of State John Kerry. A Senate backlog in confirming ambassadorial candidates has left the United States without permanent ambassadors in 40 countries. And in many countries where we had existing ambassadors, those men and women have moved to their next assignments, while their replacements languish in the confirmation process. How could the Republicans constantly rail against our standing in the world, and yet not allow us vital links between our government and the rest of the world? As hard as it is to believe, our Congress has been taken over by a party that wants us to fail internationally, as well.

“Obama can’t lead.” Tell us that one again, while you refuse to deploy his emissaries? “Obama is inept in the art of government.” Explain that please, GOP, while you deny him his appointees indefinitely, and refuse to fund his initiatives.

The Lofgren Effect
American historian Bruce Bartlett shares, “Once one understands Lofgren, it is very easy to implement in a variety of situations—as long as one cares nothing about the proper functioning of government.” Make government look so corrupt that no one wants to vote. So simple in its usefulness, and so damaging to the United States.

If Republicans have perfected a new form of politics that is successful electorally at the same time that it unleashes major policy disasters, it means twilight, both for the democratic process, and America’s status as the world’s leading power. For the first time in American history, we had our national credit rating downgraded because of GOP obstructionism. Is that the path we are going to continue on? A slow degrading of the value of our country at the hands of a political party that has no intention of even attempting to make things better for its citizens.

We usually think of incompetence as being the result of ineptness, stupidity or ignorance. But in the case of this Congress, it is often intentional and deliberate, part of a long-term strategy by some Republicans to undermine government itself. Thankfully, Lofgren exposed the tactic of filibustering all legislation in the Senate, and all nominations to administration positions, regardless of merit. In Lofgren’s words:

“A couple of years ago, a Republican committee staff director told me candidly (and proudly) what the method was to all this obstruction and disruption. Should Republicans succeed in obstructing the Senate from doing its job, it would further lower Congress’s generic favorability rating among the American people. By sabotaging the reputation of an institution of government, the party that is programmatically against government would come out the relative winner."

"A deeply cynical tactic, to be sure, but a psychologically insightful one that plays on the weaknesses both of the voting public, and the news media. There are tens of millions of low-information voters who hardly know which party controls which branch of government, let alone which party is pursuing a particular legislative tactic. These voters’ confusion over who did what allows them to form the conclusion that “they are all crooks,” and that “government is no good,” further leading them to think, “a plague on both your houses” and “the parties are like two kids in a school yard.” This ill-informed public cynicism, in its turn, further intensifies the long-term decline in public trust in government that has been taking place since the early 1960s – a distrust that has been stoked by Republican rhetoric at every turn (“Government is the problem,” declared Ronald Reagan in 1980)."

An ABC News/Washington Post poll confirms that the strategy has been working.

So What Are We Saying
The goal of today's Republican Party is to strangle, and ultimately abolish useful government programs on the grounds of being ineffective, just so they can continue to claim that government is ineffective. Once that perception takes place, the goal becomes establishing in the minds of Americans that their votes are useless. Why participate in a broken system? And once that wafts over the fields of America, mission accomplished. No matter how hard Democrats might work to campaign, to form platforms, to create legislation, to improve the lives of millions of Americans, none of that matters if the base stays home, forgets to vote, and the Dems lose control of Congress.

Luckily, it’s getting a little harder to keep the people ignorant. Far from our old Massachusetts colonial cousins, we have the internet, and social media, so it’s getting more and more difficult to keep the general population out of the conversation.

Whatever happens, we can be sure that Republicans will continue to operate on the plan exposed by Lofgren—at least until there is another Republican president. What can a citizen do? You can vote, and you can encourage others to vote. That's exactly what you should be doing.


Source: Mike Lungren’s Truth-Out article, Goodbye To All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left The Cult and Bruce Bartlett's Financial Times Article, Republicans and Lofgren Corollary