Thread by @konstantlykatie

Went to vote today in the advance polls for #KingTownship today. Hadn't received my registration card in the mail but I went anyhow because #democracy.

I had some questions too.

Upon arriving, I was told that I wasn't registered for #municipal voting, and that it was up to me to make sure that I was registered for every election.

So I filled out my document and registered at the polls. Then I voted, as you do.

Now, my address has been the same for the past 16 years. I've been eligible to vote for the last 6.

So why are my parents the only ones in our household who receive voter cards? Why isn't this data already available? 🤔

I wanted to confirm whether I would get a #registration card next time.

The response? "I just collect the info and send it to #MPAC. If they update the information, then you should receive one."

I also asked why the Ontario #election registration data wasn't shared, because my data was available for the recent provincial election.

Same answer: apparently the governments work in silos.

Now, here are just a few of my thoughts post-vote:

1. Governments need to do a better job registering people to vote. We have citizenship #data. Census data. We (often) have Drivers' License or Ontario ID data. We have SO MUCH DATA. Why aren't we using it?

2. Also, de-siloing! Voting registration data should be shared across all levels of government so that if you're eligible to vote in one election, you can vote in the others. There's no reason why we can't #consolidate our records.

3. Young people know about #voting but the process hasn't been made personal to them. We should be automatically registered to vote in all municipal, provincial, & federal elections as soon as we're of age.

Design the system to #support new voters, not discourage them.

4. Stronger #local coverage of municipal election season and overall priorities would be quite ideal for encouraging people to get involved, especially in smaller municipalities.

Partly a need to revamp #online presence? It's hard to find public spaces for these conversations.

But, in general, I think there's a lot to say about having a voter #registration card directly addressed to you show up in your mailbox.

It's a powerful moment.

We can do better.

Unroll this please! @threadreaderapp