How to Cancel Your Voter Registration
Note: The following is an article I wrote for another outlet, but figured I’d post it here too. We’ve done extensive work on the legal remedy of cancelling the voter registration, but here’s a short write-up discussing the process in more detail. Make sure to check out the Cancel Your Voter Registration page as well, if this is appealing to you.
By: Shane Radliff
August 9th, 2016
An anarchist participating in the political process is much like an atheist taking part in religious ceremonies. As absurd as that sounds, the former actually happens quite frequently.
In addition to the irrationality, the political process only lends credibility to the State and is also a form of passive acquiescence—that is, even if the individual does not believe in its existence, they are still acquiescing to the ceremonies and rituals of said institution. Reason being, rather than taking the initiative in creating their own freedom, they would prefer to wait every two or four years and hope that they are able to put their preferred “ruler” into power. In other words, the goal is to use the violent, coercive monopoly to bring about freedom.
There is also the issue of opportunity costs. Whether you are a voter or an aspiring political ruler, the time, money, and effort spent on politics is exorbitant, and reallocates resources from the economic means; that is, direct action.
The arguments against voting could have been fleshed out more, but they are easily accessible; consider what you’ve read so far to be a brief overview, with the focus being on the call-to-action.
Cancelling your voter registration (CYVR) is a method of direct action; more specifically, it is a legal remedy that can be used to implement strategic withdrawal. Rather than just being a non-voter or an ex-voter, cancellation essentially gives the middle finger to the State and tells them that you are not voluntarily participating in this corrupt cycle of subjugation.
This legal remedy has proven its efficacy in three states so far. I was able to cancel my voter registration in The Communist State of Illinois, Kyle Rearden was able to do so in Texas, and a reader of Liberty Under Attack was able to do so in Indiana.
In all three of those case studies, the process was fairly simply. It was in Illinois too, but the struggle for me was actually obtaining the proof of cancellation, which fortunately, I was eventually able to do.
So, how do you go about doing it?
The first step is to take a look at the document titled Voter Cancellation Legal Information, which contains the legal process for cancellation in 39 out of 50 states—the other 11 were difficult to find, if there is even an explicit process in the state law.
I’ll use Georgia as an example. In Title 21 (Elections), Ch. 2, Article 6, § 21-2-232(a) of the 2010 Georgia Code, it states:
“Removal of elector’s name from list of electors: (A) An elector may request to have such elector’s name removed from the list of electors by making a written request to the registrars of such elector’s county of residence. Upon receipt of such request, the registrars shall remove such elector’s name from the list of electors and shall confirm such removal by written notice by first-class mail sent to the address on the elector’s registration records.”
From my research, that seems to be the standard process—just make a written request to the voting/election “authority” in your county. In some states, they even provide a boilerplate form for you to fill out and mail in, making it even easier.
That said, what if the legal process for your state is not easily found or inexistent in your respective state law?
I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one on TV, but here’s what I would recommend.
The first step is to simply contact your local voting “authority” and see if they can give you any information (i.e. “Am I still registered to vote, and if so, how do I cancel my voter registration?”)
If you find out that you’re still registered and they are unable to provide information on cancellation (which wouldn’t be a surprise), then I would suggest just following the legal process that exists in most other states of the union—that is, send them a letter or head down to your local County Clerk’s office (or your town/county’s equivalent) and request that they cancel your voter registration. Make sure to include your name, birthdate, address, and signature, and make sure to request a receipt (proof of cancellation).
If none of that works, there is one final option. Depending on your state, if you don’t vote for a certain amount of time, they will automatically cancel your voter registration after a specified time listed in most state statutory law. This part will require you to do some basic research find said legal citations for your respective state.
If you decide that cancelling your voter registration is the correct next step, please consider sending me the proof so that we can document the results. Please redact any personally identifiable information to protect your privacy.
On the other hand, if you aren’t ready to cut this tie to the State, I would recommend you go on a circuit of political field trips to witness government firsthand, in its natural habitat.
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