Voter Photo ID -- Is It Really Terrible?

[Aimless]

Average turnout in Western European elections is 65-70%, so getting rid of registration would make the American presidential turnout roughly the same as turnout for key European elections.

Ah I was hoping they'd aim for the 80%+ you see in Scandinavia

If I've understood you correctly, turnout is esp. low in elections where you have to vote on senators and representatives. Aren't those the elections where you'd hope for the greatest turnout, given that they're supposed to be more in touch with their constituency?

Tradition. I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes; a lot of people have the day off (it's a national holiday), and the polls are open all day.

Hmm that's surprising, because according to wikipedia it isn't much of a holiday:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electio...%29#Objections

Of course there's nothing to say the people who don't get the day off are likely to belong to some particular demographic.

Minorities and the poor are somewhat less likely to vote as a result (they're not as good at making sure they register on time). It probably wouldn't make a wild difference, but might lead to a 1-2% swing in favor of the Democrats.

I read that in at least one case (the only one I know of) it led to a slight advantage for Republicans! Regardless of which party benefits, it's nice if more voters benefit.

[Loki]

Ah I was hoping they'd aim for the 80%+ you see in Scandinavia

If I've understood you correctly, turnout is esp. low in elections where you have to vote on senators and representatives. Aren't those the elections where you'd hope for the greatest turnout, given that they're supposed to be more in touch with their constituency?

A) The federal government usurped most of the state and local powers over the last century, so that's not as true as it once was (when it was true, turnout for local and state elections was higher than for national ones).
B) People are more knowledgeable about national candidates than local ones due to the media attention given to the former and the amount of ads paid by them.