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ForwardBound t1_ivpkjot wrote

I'll preface this just in case by saying I'm VERY happy that Q4 passed and there was never any doubt for me that it should pass.

I talked to a friend who put forward two half-baked ideas for why they were voting No, both of which ended up being this person's crazy views on immigration. The first was that he said "I'm ok with immigration, if it's done properly." So, they were thinking that getting a driver's license was a benefit that should be reserved for tax-paying citizens and residents. When I told this person that undocumented people do pay taxes and that as high as 40% of Americans actually don't pay income taxes, they moved onto the next point, which was that this could lead to voter fraud. I explained that there are already groups of people who can hold driver's licenses but can't vote (green card holders), so there isn't much danger here, but then the conspiracy theory of "dead people voting" came up, as well as a more general "with all the weird voting stuff that's come up in the past several years, you can't be too careful." Obviously this is insane.

Long story short, this question of driver's licenses was conflated with myths about immigration, and that generated at least one 'No' vote. Perhaps there were more like this.

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Academic_Guava_4190 t1_ivr5gjt wrote

Very interesting since idk any MA polling places that ask for your driver’s license to vote

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DanieXJ t1_ivrmxam wrote

It's now automatic when you get a license. You're also registered. And, if you do it on paper/online manually then you need an ID to register. But, hey, whatever could go wrong if the RMV is in charge.........

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GreenPylons t1_ivs14zb wrote

So how do the hundreds of thousands of work/student/etc. visa holders and legal permanent residents who currently get drivers licenses avoid registering to vote?

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Academic_Guava_4190 t1_ivrr33o wrote

Wow you are angry. God forbid an immigrant might get to vote bc they might vote Democrat. Good Lord.

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immoralatheist t1_ivtj8hd wrote

>which was that this could lead to voter fraud

Fuck Baker for pushing this nonsense.

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Wtf_is_this1234 t1_ivprbg0 wrote

If undocumented people are paying taxes, it's usually because they stole someone's documents to get through e-verify. I think there's a lot of people who are willing to whitewash the truth about the problems that go along with illegal immigration. Now sure you could certainly take the position that we should just hand out legal status to anyone with a pulse who wants it, but that's not really a fair system either, nor is it one which most countries can reasonably have.

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metallzoa t1_ivpu004 wrote

>If undocumented people are paying taxes, it's usually because they stole someone's documents to get through e-verify.

Wrong. You don't need to steal anybody to pay taxes, you clearly know nothing about what you're saying. IRS issues a tax number for whoever is not eligible for a SSN. Opening an LLC and getting an EIN # is also allowed for them, which is what most do.

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Wtf_is_this1234 t1_ivqnbuo wrote

Yeah I'm sure someone handed a wad of cash every day is applying for an EIN and opening an LLC.

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