LH, It isn't hard at all. Yesterday I re-registered to vote over the internet. Well, not really -- I registered, they send me a pre-printed card, I sign it and mail it pack (postage paid.) End of story. Never tried that before; it was nice.

I've never found registering to vote anything but absurdly simple. You can pick up forms at your post office or library (fill out and mail in), and during election season there's a "Register To Vote" booth in front of every grocery store. Or you can call or mail the local elections officials and ask them to send you one.

Not good enough for you? There's a federal form that you can send to almost any state to register to vote.

A month or two before the election, you get a booklet (at least here in CA, and that booklet can get quite big) explaining what's on the upcoming ballot, who's for and against, etc. It also tells you where your polling place is.

To actually vote, you don't even have to take your voter ID card with you. Bring any ID with your address, show up at the proper polling station and they cross your name off the list of registered voters.

Short of deliberate manipulation of the voter lists (as occassionally happens in some places), it's not any harder for poor people than it is for rich to register. Whining to the contrary is counter-productive, but we hear it a lot. If someone has to hold your hand for you and show you how to register when the big red white and blue "VOTER REGISTRATION" cards are staring you in the face at the post office while you wait in some interminable line... well, I lose sympathy.

Immigrants can't vote until they pass their citizenship class and test -- I hope that includes how to register to vote! Anyone know?

I like the idea of mailing out voter registration cards, but better yet I like the idea of same-day registration.