Community Forums

fixn2gocamp · 12-12-2011, 09:13 AM

This was a previous thread, but not active since 2008. Does anyone have any current information on states that allow full time RV'ers to register to vote thru their mail service address? We are currently residents of Louisiana, our vehicles are registered here, we pay taxes here, we have LA drivers licenses, we have a mailing address here, not a PO box, but because its a UPS store, the registar of voters does not recongnize it. They want us to commit fraud by "claiming" a physical street address. Even through we don't "live" there or receive mail there. We were thinking of Texas (Escapees), or Florida (Good Sam) and even SD but heard that voter registration is being challenged by those addresses as well. If I'm going to be forced to change states, I might as well go where there are no state taxes. Are we truly this disinfranchised as full time RV'ers? Seems incredible to us that we pay taxes in the state of LA, not to mention federal, but cannot register to vote. Even homeless people and illegal aliens can register using shelter addresses. Most prisoners can vote until convicted of felonies, and even THEY have some respresentation as some group is trying to get them voting rights again.

Seriously?

Barbaraok · 12-12-2011, 09:55 AM

It isn't being challenged in Texas. It has already been through the courts and upheld for Escapees. Not sure it would hold for other types of mail forwarders, but it does for Escapees since they have an RV park at our address, Rainbow Drive is an actual street in Livingston that is full of RV sites that we all can use if we are there.

Barb

fixn2gocamp · 12-12-2011, 10:04 AM

Thanks Barb, that is interesting to hear....I will call Escapees. We thought they used a "PMB" on the address which is a "private mail box" and the Polk County Register says you cannot use a PMB or PO as a physical address. May have gotten old/bad info there from the website. We had been thinking about joining Escapees anyway, this might be the push we need

vegascouple · 12-12-2011, 10:05 AM

Obviously, the new voter registration laws are to keep minorities and the elderly from voting. It's funny how sometimes legislation that is passed quickly and without much thought creates unintended consequences! We may well find ourselves in the same situation. Our drivers license and vehicles are registered in South Dakota with a mail forwarding address. Our mailing address which is a physical address on property we own is in another state. We kept our voter registration there. If we have to show ID we won't be able to vote!

Old Sarge · 12-12-2011, 02:47 PM

I do not believe it is "fraud" if one simply does not include "PMB" or "PO" in their address. Even the UPS store has a physical address. Whenever reporting your address it should simply be:

John Smith
1234 #5678 Anywhere St.
Anycity, Anystate xxxxx

Most of the SD mail forwarding services have a physical address and at least one that I know of has a campground as well.

Respectfully,

RJay · 12-12-2011, 03:10 PM

I just got off the phone with my mail service in SD and they have heard nothing about any voting restrictions/changes for us. We are still 11 months away from voting so anything can happen but as it stands we just have to call and get an absentee ballot. The mail services are usually on top of these issues so I'm sure you'll be hearing from them if there are any changes.

fixn2gocamp · 12-12-2011, 03:45 PM

Vegas, I agree with you completely!! RJay, SD is one of the places we are considering, and you are correct in that SD doesn't have an issue with it at this time anyway, so we were considering them as a residence state. I hope this is just a Louisiana issue but it's frustrating. Old Sarge, I agree with you that it's not fraud to leave off a PMB, etc....however the computers at voter registration at least in LA know where the UPS/FedEX/Mailboxes Etc are...when I gave her my street address as XXXX Blank Street #000, she said, you can't live there, it's the UPS store. Otherwise, I would have just gone with it.

I just want to pay my taxes in my "home" state and vote. Such a crime apparently. Haven't researched SD or FL yet, but the cost of vehicle registration in TX is pretty steep....still might be a good deal in the long run if we can get to vote.

Barbaraok · 12-12-2011, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fixn2gocamp

Thanks Barb, that is interesting to hear....I will call Escapees. We thought they used a "PMB" on the address which is a "private mail box" and the Polk County Register says you cannot use a PMB or PO as a physical address. May have gotten old/bad info there from the website. We had been thinking about joining Escapees anyway, this might be the push we need

We all use # instead of PMB, but there was a court case in 2002 that decided in favor of Escapees.

I just looked at the Polk County web site and didn't see anything like you cited above. We're registered with our Rainbow Drive address. BTW. The percent for Escapees is at the Care Center at Rainbow's End, on election day you can walk from your rig over to vote if you are there.

Barb

Mr_D · 12-12-2011, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Sarge

I do not believe it is "fraud" if one simply does not include "PMB" or "PO" in their address. Even the UPS store has a physical address. Whenever reporting your address it should simply be:

John Smith
1234 #5678 Anywhere St.
Anycity, Anystate xxxxx

Most of the SD mail forwarding services have a physical address and at least one that I know of has a campground as well.

Respectfully,

That's what I do but if they check the address through the PO it'll show up as a PMB.

paz · 12-13-2011, 06:25 AM

The following information on registering to vote in SD is taken from the Alternative Resources web site:

* Must register 15 days before election
* Address requirement: Your Personal Mailbox Address with us does not qualify as a residential address.

To vote you need to spend at least one night at a Motel or RV Park in Minnehaha County and use that address as your voting residential address.

In SD, you must spend 1 night in a motel or campground in your county of domicile in order to be able to register to vote. You register to vote using the address of the motel or campground as your voting address. Absentee ballots can subsequently be sent to your mailing address (mail forwarding service) or can be mailed anywhere else you may happen to be located.

ralphie · 12-13-2011, 07:51 AM

Wow, new twist on an old issue and I thought I knew all the answers about legal domicile; silly me. I see from your post that you're trying to do the right thing vis-a-vis domicile, but something quirky in LA law (or a misreading of the law) is preventing you from voting, and that stinks IMHO. Ask the registrar of voters to walk down the hall and ask the commissioner of revenue (or whatever they're called in LA) how it's possible to collect taxes from you from the same address. Stupid bureaucrats! Seriously though, do you have a friend's address in town who would let you use their address? If so, I would first discuss this with the bureaucrats to make sure they're not going to come up with some other version of their interpretation of the law. I would, as suggested by the registrar of voters, just come up with a ficticious address to use for voting. And yes, it's pretty sad that some people advocate for criminals and homeless people and folks like you get the shaft.

wa8yxm · 12-13-2011, 09:12 AM

My regisered address is a house (my brother) my mailing address is a box (#156) (note lack of the rest of the address)

My absentee ballot goes to 156, It is then forewarded to me and sent back to .. Strangely enough,, a PO box.