It's official, the election was stolen

[abaris]

The whole system is designed to fuck over poor people.  Unfortunately most of them won't give a shit because they have ID's, and they're republicans.

The paperwork to obtain a passport or ID card is just as much a pain in the ass in Europe. I spent a whole day obtaining my certificate of birth, certificate of citizenship to finally get to obtaining the new passport itself.

I don't see the difference in the paperwork as much as I see it in different work regulations, not allowing for dropping out for a few hours without losing money, public offices not being available everywhere, public transport not being available everywhere, as you already mentioned. If push comes to shove in our parts, the worst thing that could happen is taking a day of paid leave - out of the five weeks of paíd vacation that is the general law of the land in most if not all European countries.

It's also different because the US doesn't have anything like a central registry, you aren't required to have personal identification and you aren't required to register at your place of home. What Europeans often overlook is that major difference. Since I'm registered at a certain place, I'm registered to vote at a certain district office. And since I'm required to posess personal identification, I have to bring that with me in order to prove my identity and to be able to vote.