Here in Canada it is really easy to get on the voter's list so you can vote. How hard is the procedure in the U.S. for registering? I see articles in the press that politician blame their opponents for keeping people (the poor, blacks? )from registering, when you register do you have to say whether your Republican, Democrat or Independent?

I'm surprised that you even have to register at all. Over here you're automatically registered from the day of your 18th birthday on. Is there some advantage with having people register themselves?

In Jersey the onus is on people to register. A form comes through the post and you need to enter the names of all eligible people in the household. You have a chance to check the electoral list later in the year to ensure that your name is on it, the onus is on the voter to check, it is too late when it is time to vote to complain about being left off.

We have exactly the same situation here, Sue. The Government advertisements are thrown at you from all sides in rapid succession too.

It's very easy to register here and certain groups are authorized to register voters. I believe they have the legal obligation to register anyone and ensure that the forms reach the proper authorities though. You will see tables in front of the malls or shopping centers set up with various organizations ready to sign you up. The League of Women voters is one of the most common associations that do this. They are not partisan.

However, one problem at this tense moment in time is that sometimes there are groups that are biased towards one side or the other and, accusations have been leveled at the one side that they have thrown away the registration forms of the other side if it's not the party they wish to register. It's going on at the moment unfortunately and I won't bother saying who's accused which party. It will probably happen to the other one before the polls open though that would be rarer to hear.

I have also read about people being hired on a part time basis to go out and register voters in several places by an organization that works for party x and then, they are actually told not to bother with bringing in party Y registrations if they wish to keep the job.

One reason people don't register (you can also do it when you get your driver's licence and you're given a form at that time), is that they fear getting called up for jury duty.
Jury duty may create a hardship for you as not all employers are legally bound to give you days off. The compensation for doing your civic duty is barely enough for you to park downtown in my area. So, some people think twice and this is a shame.

What is the rationale for having voters register according to party? It seems to me to negate the secret ballot. Do those who have no party affiliation not get to register? We of course have members of the various parties, who vote for the leaders of the parties, but who are just plain ol' citizens when it comes to the general vote.
Here we are registered by someone coming to the door and taking the names of eligible people living in the house. If you get missed by this, you can register at the poll, though. I believe you have to have a phone bill or something like that, that shows that you really do live in the riding.

Yes, people can register to be members of any party or non-partisan. The advantage of registering with a certain party is that you can then vote in the primary elections earlier in the year to help decide the candidates for each party.

Other reasons people do not register to vote is that a great many people prefer to "stay off the grid" as it were. Registering to vote is a pretty blatant admission of your own existence. If a person wishes to remain more anonymous (as many, mostly paranoid or criminal persons do), registering to vote is probably not a great idea.

The final date for registration has already passed. You would never be able to register at the polls. In addition to many boothes set up in every mall, at various businesses, etc., a person can also register at the Election Commission office. Also, groups can go door-to-door with voter registration forms.

The reason you can choose to register with a party is so that you can vote in that party's primary elections (where you choose what candidate your party will nominate for the general election).

You don't have to choose a party and in some states, you can vote in whatever primary you wish, even if it's for the opposing party.

Just to add more confusion to the voting game, the news had a story about people registering in two different states and being able to vote twice. It is not uncommon for snow birds (those with two homes, one where they live in the winter and one for the rest of the year) to be registered in different states although they usually vote in only one state.

True,the advantage to registering in a party is to vote in the primary.
Here's a citation from the League of Women Voters that is non partisan on how you can do a registration drive.

"REGISTER EVERYONE: Groups that are handing out voter registration application forms must help everyone to register. They may not provide forms only to people who agree to join their political party. These groups are required to give a voter registration application form to anyone who requests one if the group "has sufficient forms" (at least one blank form)."

The breaking news is that Republican sponsored groups such as Sproul and associates are recruiting employees to register voters then, irregularities have been reported such as a script they are supposed to recite to rule out Democrats or sympathy with Kerry.
Of course the group denies any of these rumours and says that these accusations are just politics..however, it's coming in from several states and people who were teachers and others looking for part time work to supplement their income. I saw ads recently here in my area. It might not be obvious which party they represent to a job seeker as the name isn't obviously Republican party.

I have yet to hear the Democrats accused of doing the same but, perhaps it will come.

Well it all seems so complicated for the average person, but I guess that's what the founding father's wanted. I believe the reason for the electoral college was so that the uneducated masses wouldn't have a direct say in who gets elected President, am I wrong in that?

Our systems (Canada & U.S.) are quite different so to compare how elections are held wouldn't be a valid point. But here for federal elections when you fill out your income tax forms there is a box you can check off that allows Revenue Canada (our Internal Revenue Service) to give the information that Elections Canada needs to put you on the voters list, name address etc. When an election is called you automatically get a voter's card sent to you. It tells you where to vote and you take it with you to hand in for your ballot. You may still be asked for ID but not usually. If you don't check the box off and you want to vote, you have to go to the electorial office in your area and they fill out the form after you produce ID that showes you live in the area. If you don't do that, on the day of the election you can find out where you are suppose to vote go there and produce ID that shows your address and your given a ballot.

Sadly even making it that simple the voter turn out most elections is dismal.