Out of State Plates (FL) and voting in RI?

Submitted by Bobisadrummer t3_ypq9re in RhodeIsland

So I saw a person with a Florida license plate voting today and it got me wondering, is there not some kind of fraud happening there? I understand people can own multiple homes, but don’t you have to have a primary residence, typically the location you reside at for the majority of the year? That primary location is where you’re supposed to be registered to vote, pay your state taxes and register your cars, right?

Edit: I doubt it was a rental since it had right wing "fuck biden" and thin blue line flag stickers. I also doubt it was a college student considering it was an elderly white dude, but hey, you never know. I didn't originally include these because I just wanted to know the rules regarding having RI as your primary residence (which is what you'd need to vote in RI) and having a vehicle registered in FL, which from what I've read requires you to have a FL drivers license. I didn't want biased answers swayed by political ideologies. I'm well aware that voter fraud is almost non-existent, though the few instances that have been reported on were by Trump supporters.

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sluttycat666 t1_ivk8bzm wrote

i quite literally have a rental car with florida plates and im still a registered rhode island voter lol

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivk9yt3 wrote

Cool, this question doesn't apply to you since you didn't register your vehicle in FL.

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katieleehaw t1_ivkcog9 wrote

Stop it. Their car is a rental with Florida plates, which is literally exactly what you could've seen this morning.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkep24 wrote

It's not their car... it's a rental. They're not responsible for the registration. You're really going to sit here and say every car w/ FL plates in our state is a rental? Really?

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StonksGuy3000 t1_ivkeyab wrote

I thought you just saw one person voting with FL plates, not 100.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkfulw wrote

Did you read my post? If so, did you skip the part where I said "got me wondering" It seems like a whole lot of you just straight up don't read up. I don't recall accusing anyone, maybe you can point it out for me?

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StonksGuy3000 t1_ivklsaz wrote

>it got me wondering, is there not some kind of fraud happening there?

Is this not an accusation in your mind?

If you'd like a more succinct answer to your question, it's as follows: NO

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivknchw wrote

Oh it definitely was, but that’s because the car with FL plates was driven by an old white guy with a “fuck biden” and a thin blue line sticker. I didn’t mention this shit cause I wasn’t trying to sway opinions or answer. I was trying to get unbiased answers which apparently this sub unable to provide.

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StonksGuy3000 t1_ivkuk1d wrote

Well, we gave you some unbiased answers, so hopefully that helps. Without knowing the full context of your experience, I and everyone else seemingly concluded that you shouldn’t be concerned about election fraud based on the available evidence.

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katieleehaw t1_ivkmvsx wrote

Oh stop it. You're being really annoying. You know what your post is about.

"Election fraud!!!!!"

Your actual question, or so you claim, has been answered already.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkoxqe wrote

No, you decided to make it about that. I specifically kept the post as politically neutral as I could by not including the “fuck biden” and “thin blue line flag” stickers in order to not have biased answers. I was looking for clarification because I always figured you had to have all of your registrations, voter and auto, in the state that’s your primary residence.

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katieleehaw t1_ivl895y wrote

You only have to have proved you live there and registered to vote. The car is a moot point. Yes, when you move states, you are supposed to switch it.

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katieleehaw t1_ivk7r35 wrote

Dude seriously? Could be a rental or a family member's car, or they moved here and haven't switched over their registration yet. Could be home with friends from college and someone else drove.

Why jump to "fraud?"

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivk9nlz wrote

Could be, but that's not what this question is about. My question is about people who register their cars in FL but vote in RI.

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katieleehaw t1_ivkciws wrote

People can move freely between states and sometimes getting something like auto-registration switched over doesn't take first priority? Or again, it may not even be the voter's car.

Yes, when you move you are supposed to change your registration.

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Sleuthiestofsleuths t1_ivknb0k wrote

Seems to make more sense people would want to vote in FL if they could, where their vote could help sway the results one way or the other. RI not being anything close to a swing state doesn't seem reasonable that anyone would go to the extreme of committing fraud just to vote here. And if you went to all that trouble, would you blatantly pull up to the polls in your out of state vehicle marked with plates that identify your fraudulent presence? Doesn't seem likely.

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkbd8k wrote

There are quite literally 1000's of non fraud reasons someone may be using a car with Florida plates. There are virtually no credible instances of voter fraud whatsoever.

RI already has asinine voter ID laws and the board of canvassers have strict policy on identity.

This is a non issue and my primary suggestion is get off of fox news and look at the many voter integrity organizations out there that extensively check for these things.

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brick1972 t1_ivkrmo2 wrote

Not sure whether you are just drumming up donations for the ACLU, but I think your black and white application here (any voter ID law is as bad as any other) actually purposefully ignores the work that people have been doing and continue to do.

The reason I mention this is that RI has indeed some of the most progressive voter standards that there are and a lot of people that don't just blather on the internet have worked hard to improve the system. Voter ID is required to cast a regular in-person vote, but *not* required for a provisional ballot. You can refuse to show your ID for any reason and still vote on a provisional. Is a provisional ballot a little bit of a pain compared to a regular ballot? Sure? But it's not preventing voting. As well, anyone can request a mail ballot which does not require an ID. And the state will provide a voter ID for no charge. Are these compromises, sure, but they are made not just to appease FOX news, they make the entire process run better.

Poll workers have an easier time with a scan system than with looking up registration rolls so Voter ID in this sense makes voting easier as it keeps the process moving. I know you will go ahead and say everything is bullshit but it also makes it easier to direct people to their proper polling place which actually does matter for things like city councils and state reps which are district specific nevermind for figuring out which polling places need more staff and booths, etc. So there is a lot of relief of burden on poll workers which is actually worth something. (note, my bias here as a regular poll worker (not this year needed a break after Covid year))

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Blubomberikam t1_ivksezd wrote

The mail in and provisional ballots are checked against signatures which are captured when getting an ID or registering, which requires one. It's not a work around for refusing to use an ID, just for refusing one at a polling place. I also was a poll worker.

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the_falconator t1_ivkdzsj wrote

>RI already has asinine voter ID laws

RI has reasonable bipartisan approved voter ID laws.

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkfc6y wrote

Sure. I'm sure the poor and disenfranchised people are super glad both ruling parties could come together

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the_falconator t1_ivkg5k5 wrote

There's a long list of acceptable documents and if you still don't have any of those you can get a free voter ID. If you do t have the ability to figure out how to get a voter ID you probably can't figure out how to vote either.

https://elections.ri.gov/voting/id.php

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkgmex wrote

Its still a barrier to entry to solve a problem that almost entirely doesn't exist at an individual voter level.

I'm not interested in arguing why voter ID laws suck.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkd69d wrote

>There are quite literally 1000's of non fraud reasons someone may be using a car with Florida plates.

Feel free to list some aside from Rental, College Student and Active Duty. There should be literally 9997 more reasons according to you.

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>There are virtually no credible instances of voter fraud whatsoever.

That's wrong, there's plenty of instances of voter fraud, most of them committed by republican voters and Trump supporters.

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>my primary suggestion is get off of fox news

Thanks for your suggestion, but I don't watch Fox News. Ironic that so many people here are jumping down my throat because I'm asking a question while then making their own assumptions. Good job!

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkdf1v wrote

I mean, you jumped to voter fraud based on a license plate so I don't know what you expected to come from this.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkdwbw wrote

No, I didn't. I asked "is there not some kind of fraud happening there?" I didn't say voter fraud.

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkfe9m wrote

And the argued with everyone who said "no".

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkhbxp wrote

No, I argued with people who came in here making assumptions and giving answers to questions not asked. Believe me, asking a question on reddit is the last thing I'd like to do. I tried to look up the rules regarding out of state auto registration (hence the entire second half of my post) but I couldn't find any solid info online. Silly me for assuming reddit could spend a second thinking before posting their replies.

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkhwj7 wrote

You put out into the world "is this fraud" and asked questions with lots of possible explanations but directed the conversation. People are overwhelmingly telling you it's incredibly unlikely it's fraud but you won't get off the hill.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkjcmc wrote

Yeah, I’m directing the conversation to the question I asked, so we don’t end up off topic like regarding shitty voter ID laws.

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degggendorf t1_ivl2a0a wrote

> Feel free to list some aside from Rental, College Student and Active Duty. There should be literally 9997 more reasons according to you.

Someone who just moved here and updated their license but not registration.

Someone borrowing a car from a friend of relative.

Someone disabled getting a ride from a friend or relative visiting.

Someone stole the plates from an FL car.

Someone stole a FL car.

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Business-Impress4792 t1_ivkg6zh wrote

College students often have cars with license plates from different states (crazy concept, I know) and it’s 100% legal as long as they’re on their parents car insurance still. AKA you can be a resident of Rhode Island (and therefore register to vote here) without having RI license plates

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Ok_Purpose_1606 t1_ivl15u0 wrote

There is one type of fraud happening here, tax fraud. Most likely they're a RI resident pretending to be a FL resident for the tax breaks not a FL resident pretending to be a RI resident for voting implications. Also, if you could vote in FL, I'm not sure why you would want to vote in RI instead. Your vote is going to mean a lot more in FL.

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BradlyTalent t1_ivkga27 wrote

I moved here from Maryland and got my license switched over to RI a full three months before I got my car switched over. So I was a RI resident driving around with Maryland plates for several months.

Heck, just got a new neighbor who still has NJ plates and she's been here longer than that...

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkhpiv wrote

That makes sense given how slow the DMV/RMV can be, even more so since the pandemic started. Thank you for the polite and constructive reply.

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BradlyTalent t1_ivkia51 wrote

That and I had to wait for Maryland to send me my title, which made it take even longer...

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[deleted] t1_ivk83q0 wrote

Media has everyone afraid of fraud and cheating. Peeps forget cheating has been happening before the internet. Probably a snowbird with primary residence here. Who knows really.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivk8fsg wrote

That's what got me wondering though. If their primary residence is RI, then why's their car (and their insurance) not registered here? Is that not fraud?

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[deleted] t1_ivk8o90 wrote

Florida does not require proof of residency to Erebus yet a car.

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degggendorf t1_ivl2etf wrote

> proof of residency to Erebus yet a car.

To what?

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivk9d1b wrote

Yeah, but you'll still need to insure it in Florida and auto insurance have you list the primary parking location, so if someone is registering their car in FL but living in RI, are they not committing insurance fraud?

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[deleted] t1_ivka8ky wrote

No. You can live in more than one place and register and insure your car in one place.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkblia wrote

Everything I'm reading says you need to have a FL drivers license to register a car in FL and there's only 8 states that allow you to register a car without that states drivers license, neither FL or RI are one of them.

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degggendorf t1_ivl2psd wrote

> you'll still need to insure it in Florida and auto insurance have you list the primary parking location

Insurance companies don't care where it's registered.

Heck, they don't even care if you own it.

They just want the check to clear.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivl2ztm wrote

That's not true. They want to know who's driving it and where its garaged because that's how they base their rates.

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degggendorf t1_ivl3lrc wrote

> who's driving it and where its garaged

Right, neither of which have to do with registration or ownership.

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aly-moon t1_ivkgzqt wrote

You do not have to have a majority residence to register a car in Florida. They do not require a proof of residency. Therefore you can register a vehicle tax free. Snd live here. No fraud

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aly-moon t1_ivkhwgl wrote

You can also do this in several other states... Vermont, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, North Dakota and Pennsylvania.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkiou0 wrote

So can anyone register a car in FL? From what I've read online, which I'm not sure of, (which I mistakenly came to reddit for clarification for) is that you have to have a FL drivers license. I've only switched my drivers license and auto registration once, 8 years ago when I moved from MA to RI. A few years ago I recall seeing articles about how police were going to be cracking down on out of state registration in Woonsocket and I always wondered how'd they determine if the owner was a resident or not.

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aly-moon t1_ivkk7q3 wrote

Ok so a few things... one, there are a few exemptions and ways for out of state people to register without and it actually gives directions on how to register with out of state licensing and has a whole section on snowbirds etc... weird. But it does. And how to hold a license if you don't reside in the state or multiple licenses. I haven't seen other states do that and the other states I listed made no mention of that as a requirement. Also alot of the time I know married couples that have a summer home one home here is in one name and the winter home there is in the other and they register all extended property there because Florida has no personal or income or property taxes.

On your second point... you know damn well those articles were a bullshit attempt by the police and dmv and traffic courts to shut people up. Anyone who has attempted to get anything done in any of those sectors knows they won't do a damn thing. Last week I received one of those automated speeding tickets for a license plate on a van neither of which I ever owned. And spent the better half of my week with the dmv and ep police... 🙄 this state feeds us alot of beautocratic bullcrap.

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Blubomberikam t1_ivkcovw wrote

How do you know the person who voted is the same person who the car is registered to? How do you know the car was a voter and not a poll worker?

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Gratefulrubin90 t1_ivkuw6p wrote

How is this "fraud" aren't people allowed to move to states with better infrastructure to better their lives?

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Coincel_pro t1_ivknsjk wrote

>So I saw a person with a Florida license plate voting today and it got
me wondering, is there not some kind of fraud happening there?

There are lots of reasons for a person to have an out of state plated vehicle that do not implicate them in voter fraud.

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All of your other questions are secondary and unknowable based on just your observation above.

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivkuzir wrote

That’s why I asked the question, and worded it in a way to not sway the perception of others. I didn’t include that the car had a “fuck biden” and thin blue line flag sticker, which indicates to me that it’s not a rental car. I didn’t include that it was an elderly white man, which means it’s pretty unlikely it’s not a college student. I just wanted to know if it was unusual that someone has their vehicle registered in a state thats different from their voting(thus primary residence) state. I tried to look up auto registration laws prior to making this post and didn’t see anything indicating that these two things were compatible.

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SloopD t1_ivl0snj wrote

I'm about to drive my rental car with NY plates to vote in Massachusetts! But, I work On RI... Oh wait... maybe I'm dead and I just came from the cemetery to vote... maybe I'm my evil twin and I'm going to vote twice... ....ooooohhhh

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Unique-Public-8594 t1_ivlcybz wrote

I trust the election process. More so because Putin wants us to not trust it, so, in part, it’s an act of patriotism for me.

I do wish they could announce some federal level check for duplicates (people attempting to vote in two different places). Maybe it exists but they prefer not to advertise that fact?

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Sovereign-State t1_ivlxixg wrote

Snowbirds exist. Would not be the last bit surprised if someone's grandpa lives six months out of the year in FL and registers his car down there to avoid auto taxes. My grandmother was one for years, lived at Aunts house when it was warm and lived with friends in FL when it was cold up here.

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listen_youse t1_ivm905g wrote

We don't know enough to bust this particular voter.

Nevertheless, the only form of voter fraud that is not vanishingly rare occurs when people who own more than one house vote in more than one place.

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UnivrstyOfBelichick t1_ivmale0 wrote

Uh oh you sound an ELECTION DENIER in the making

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Bobisadrummer OP t1_ivni70i wrote

I’m curious, what in my post would you lead you to think that.

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