I think the real issue is voting in national elections. I don't vote in local South Dakota elections, and if there is a local issue or candidates on the November 2008 ballot I won't vote in those contests either. However, I DO want to vote in the presidential election this year and don't think that right should be taken away because we've chosen to full time.
We have to find a way around this issue before all of us who choose this lifestyle are disenfranchised--or can't get a driver's license because of the new "Real ID" law.
The do have a current and active campain and letter writting campain going, and that's the sample letter that busnut referred everyone to. So that letter/campain is current and we need to all participate. I'd also like to suggest, and I'm a big offender on this as I'm a computer nut, but send a real letter instead of an email. Congress hasn't joined the computer generation yet and a letter carries more impact than an email.
John Ewing
2007 Allegro Bus 42QRP ("TisIt")
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What goes around comes around - always treat others the way you'd like them to treat you.
My wife and I are on the road for at least 6 months of the year. As we dont have any children we are in need of a mail service while we are on the road. The problem being-we dont stay at one place very long and we never know where we are going next. My question is--is there a mail service that can collect our mail and then when we decide to land someplace they will forward all the mail they have to that address. Also can we stop it and still have our mail delivered to out home in NC while we are there--most of my bills i can take care of on line but the odd balls are personal taxes on vehicles and tags for all vehicles and wouldnt you know it--taxes are due 3 months after we buy the tags. I have thought of changing my tag dates to work with the time we are home. Now they have came out with another idea--we have to get our vehicles inspected within 3 months of getting out tags--What a mess--Thanks for any ideas you may have--fu-NC
fu-nc wrote: My wife and I are on the road for at least 6 months of the year. As we dont have any children we are in need of a mail service while we are on the road. The problem being-we dont stay at one place very long and we never know where we are going next. My question is--is there a mail service that can collect our mail and then when we decide to land someplace they will forward all the mail they have to that address. Also can we stop it and still have our mail delivered to out home in NC while we are there--most of my bills i can take care of on line but the odd balls are personal taxes on vehicles and tags for all vehicles and wouldnt you know it--taxes are due 3 months after we buy the tags. I have thought of changing my tag dates to work with the time we are home. Now they have came out with another idea--we have to get our vehicles inspected within 3 months of getting out tags--What a mess--Thanks for any ideas you may have--fu-NC
In a nutshell, yes. Contact Escapees and see what they can work out for you. Once you have the mail service set up, you could put a forwarding notice to the Post Office for x number of months. When that time is up, the mail goes to your home again. Or (which would probably be easier) have everything go to the Livingston address, and when home just set up weekly shipments to your house. Of course that will involve individually notifying everyone, but it can be done. Nice thing about Escapees is that you can set it up so all third class mail is shredded - nice not having to wade through it.
Barb
Barb & Dave - full-timing Traveling catpanions Kit (age 18) and Shadow (age 11) Figment II (2002 Alpine 36 MDDS) Mischief (2004 Subaru Forester Toad) FMCA - F337834, SKP #90761 http://homepage.mac.com/barbaraok/ Our blog
First - OK... I won't say the first thing that came to mind since Dianne said she'd delete that.
So next... does anyone know the intent of the voting laws? It would seem that the goal should be to prevent someone from voting twice (I know no one advocates that), and to prevent someone from hopping states to try to maximize the influence of their vote. Beyond that, what in the world are they trying to legislate? If I FT, where do they want me to cast my vote legally?
btw - on the first page someone noted that you can have a state majority vote and lose... I believe they are wrong. Majority vote carries each state and the state will provide all it's delegates for the winner of the state popular vote. This means a candidate could win the popular vote nationally and lose, but does not apply to States.
We are still pre-FT, but moving around within one state now... thanx for the reminder, we need to get registered at one of our new addresses here... (even though our vote likely won't actaully matter/count... oops, hope Dianne didn't read this far )
Dave Lindemulder
Tammy, Mark & Kirsten
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Without knowing the driving force behind the issues in TN., it's difficult to understand the dynamics of the situation. In any political arena, whether if be local, state, or federal, you would hope for a level playing field, which is where our one man, one vote policy developed. If a political faction senses a way to tilt the playing field in their direction, it's in their best interests to exercise that option. Who would gain from removing these voters from the rolls ?
I can't speak for the problem in TN. but in doing a little research on the Escapees suit and where it came from, I really started to understand some of the political dynamics behind what transpired in Livingston. You have to understand that Livingston is a small rural Texas city, with 6000 residents. Escapees are transient by nature and Rainbows End has a resident population of maybe 1000 which would have an address other than the mail service. When you throw the mail service residents into the mix you increase that number by several thousand voters. Politically if, you could take those voters off the voting rolls, you would have much more control over the outcome of the election, especially local ones. The drive to get Escapees taken off the voting rolls, was a plain and simple political turf war, a way for a very small local political group a supposed leg up when it came election time. Thank goodness the courts decided that voters rights are paramount.
Oregon State has stepped up to the plate to help full-timers. In the physical address block of the drivers license and car registration, you put "continuous traveler" and just use a drop box for mailing address. Oregon has very low license fees for vehicles and you can renew them by mail. Also the drivers license is good for 8 years. You will have to forward your mail from the Oregon drop-box but this is usually reasonable and convenient. When you buy a new vehicle, drive it to Oregon with a temporary permit and register it here with no sales tax. You will have to pay Oregon income tax, the only down side.
When I have packages sent to the rv park here in Pasco, I simply put the street address plus the box number below my name. Of course, there are several semi-permanents here so there is a wall of mail boxes for everyone by site number.
At the rv park we were in near Sequim it was stated at the top that we were not to use the park address for mail. However, those who had signed up for a year at their site were allowed to receive mail. We use a mail forwarding service whereby we simply put the street address plus a #__ indicating our box number.
For our driver's address we use our daughter's address for home address and mail forwarding service as our mailing address. Have had no problem with voter's pamphlets, etc. We get our state notices, etc.
Traveling down the Road "Side by Side"
2004 Alpenlite TT 28RL
2008 Suburban 2500 Lt
Home Base: Tri-Cities WA - USA
Sorry about that posting - I was thinking of how to get mail forwarded - however, the above still applies to our residency. We use our daughter's address and our mail forwarding address. Have had not one twit of problems, hubby just received his driver's license upgrade, we have purchased a new vehicle in the last three months, and have all our banking accounts with these addresses.
We have a post office box which is a "family mail box" and that was obtained a few years back, so had no "new" restrictions. As to the future of government controls of what it takes to be a resident, I think it too will be resolved however slowly.
My wife and I wrestled with this issue when we went full-time in 2004 and wanted to be "true full-timers" with no street address. We were in Washington at the time and promptly ran into the issue of needing a physical address to license vehicles, etc. When we called Escapees for advice we were told "But you have to have a domicile." We went through the list of work-arounds such as using a friend's home, etc. but decided in the long run that the best way "around" the problem was to comply with the letter of the law.
We went out to Rimrock Meadows and bought our acre of land in the middle of nowhere for less than $3,000. It has a street addresss, we get our annual tax bill from Douglas County for $12, and we got a letter from the HOA stating that the US Post Office does not deliver mail to that address. We use a mail-forwarding service in Spokane, the WA Dept of Lic. licences our vehicles with no problem, we have no problems with driver's lic., the Veteran's Administration accepts the mail-forwarding address, we got US Passports, and Douglas County sends us our absentee ballots for every election. And since Rimrock Meadows is part of the Coast to Coast system, we got access to that camping membership as part of the purchase price. Yes, we pay a yearly maintenance fee, but consider that a small price to pay for no hassles over "residency requirements".
Seems to me that the best way to deal with this issue is go where you're welcome and do it completely "legal". You lose no sleep fighting the local city hall, and you get to vote. If you're full-timers, why should you care where your home address is? We know more than one couple who are rabid Buckeye (or whatever team) fans, but who have Texas or South Dakota plates on their rig. JMHO.
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