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A License to Commit Fraud?
The following piece was produced for the Huffington Post's OffTheBus by NYU School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice.
By Bethany Foster
After a month of controversy over Governor Spitzer's plan to issue driver's licenses to all qualified New Yorkers, regardless of citizenship status, the perennial voter fraud myth has once again resurfaced. This time the tale is presented under the guise of preventing hit-and-run accidents and sky-high insurance rates by claiming that Democrats are trying to pad their base by encouraging illegal immigrants to vote. Last week, John Fund argued in the Wall Street Journal that the plan "stops just short of being an engraved invitation for people to commit voter fraud."
The Wall Street Journal is known for its economic news and commentary, so let's talk cost versus benefit: by deliberately registering and voting, a non-citizen risks five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and deportation. Simply put, by trying to influence the outcome of an election in this country, a non-citizen can be kicked out of this country. No wonder the Brennan Center couldn't find a single documented case in which a non-citizen, knowing that he or she was ineligible, registered and cast a ballot.
The cases of non-citizen registration and voting that do exist are stories of misunderstanding or confusion, not deliberate voter fraud. Ineligible voters can become registered, by their own error or that of an election official, without realizing that citizenship is a requirement for the franchise.
This inadvertent illegal registration and voting, as rare as it may be, is just another argument for universal voter registration. Voting lies at the heart of democracy and it should be the government's responsibility to affirmatively register every eligible citizen to vote. Universal registration would eliminate the arcane registration rules that allow some eligible citizens to fall through the cracks while unwittingly yet illegally registering some ineligible individuals.
Bethany Foster is a research associate in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice and is a regular contributor to the ReformNY blog.
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To follow up on what someone else said. What does having a DL mean towards being safer drivers?
If illegals are driving without a DL and are concerned about being safe drivers just go to a Drivers school or stop by the DMV and pick up some pamphlets.
This DL scam is just another backdoow way to try and make all the illegals legal and thus thankful and beholden to democrats (Who are pathetically spineless on other issues such as the war, taxes, privacy issues and spying on citizens, giving immunity to telecoms etc)who are working overtime to give illegals, primarily Mexicans everything they are demanding, such as DL, free education, giving illegals a step up in college costs over legal citizens, Section 8 housing, welfare, free medical etc...and...hell they are demanding and looking towards getting more than American citizens are.
WHY should we just roll over on our backs and allow every illegal who is trampling all over us whatever they want?
AND why shouldn't employers be hit REALLLY hard for employing them?
The e-verify(Ithink that is what it is called) is FREE FOR EVERY COMPANY IN AMERICA!! And yet lawsuits are in process to even block that usage.
So employers have no excuse for not knowing the legal standing of people looking for work.
They should be hit hard for using illegals.
Mexico should be publicly shamed by our government and others for exporting their poverty to us while giving their wealthiest so many tax breaks they pay practically nothing.
The corruption in Mexico is astounding and yet THEY HAVE THE NEVER to accuse US of not helping their people in this country?
What part of illegal are you not getting here?
Don't give them a damned thing and send CEO's of companies who hire them to prison for mandatory minimum sentences.
An incredibly naive and ill informed article that chooses to ignore one of the most controversial elections in American history, the 1996 Congressional race between Loretta Sanchez and B1 Bob Dornan. Not only was it proven that illegal aliens voted in the 1996 election, but it was done with the intent of dislodging the highly unpopular and controversial Dornan from office.
These were not some confused illegal aliens who didn't understand the rules, but rather a highly organized campaign to unseat the big mouthed Republican incumbent Dornan.
Eventually it was proven by an Orange Country Grand Jury that illegal aliens had voted in the Congressional race. Dornan claimed that he had proof that around 1100 illegals voted against him, enough to overturn Sanchez's 979 vote victory over him. However when push came to shove, ONLY 400-500 illegal votes could be proven to have been cast for Sanchez. Other votes were disqualified for various reasons and Sanchez's victory was under 100 votes.
It did happen. Not that long ago. But let's not pretend that these were some confused, hard working cleaning ladies or gardeners attempting to get Dornan out. It was a concentrated effort to unseat Dornan. The final results will never be known, although the matter is obviously settled.
Registering voters in California isn't the simple matter it once was. No longer will the card table set up in front of the supermarket be the final decision maker. Under the Help America Vote Act, all new voter registrators must supply a Social Security number which is checked to the national database.
There have been some surprising results. In LA County alone, 43% of the new registrants have not been allowed onto the voting rolls. Some have been honest mistakes like using a nickname instead of a given name. While the exact number of rejected applicants has never been given, there have been cases of attempted illegals registering to vote.
Motor voter is asking for trouble. It is easily solvable--provided that there is the political will to do so. There is some question if that will does indeed exist.
Elliot Spitzer always looked and sounded good on TV. You know, strong, tough, decisive and articulate. A man of the people going after corrupt corporate officers.
That is how voters choose, no?
What is he trying to achieve with drivers licenses for illegals ?
One might ponder:
1. Currying favor with the Hispanic population.
2. Making it easier for non citizens to vote.
3. Destroying the truckers union.
In any case he should have put the subject up for debate and vote in the State Senate.
How about "giving drivers licenses to people who came here illegally and stayed here illegally is just wrong"? How about, "our nation is running out of water, space, and jobs for legal citizens"? How about, "this country is crowded enough already and giving drivers'
licenses to illegals may enable them to stay here until they can birth a child (or two) and thanks to our interpretation of jus soli, allow them to STAY here and become citizens"?
Get good and worked up all you want, but in my travels around the U.S. I have seen, until recently, all of the construction and other work which most Americans are not doing; hence, these Latinos are making a real contribution to the support of our economy, albeit the favor works in reverse for them, too, as it is for workers in most economies.
The only recent case of voter fraud that I can recall is mAnn Coulter giving a fraudulent address on her voter registration in Florida.
Go figure.
How can a legal or illegal drivers license make you drive more safely?
The other rumor is that the Democrats are owned by the trucking industry which is the REAL reason they want to give illegals a license to drive. Being passed onto voters at large are remarks like----Democrats don't care about keeping the country safe-they are just owned by big business which is why they support illegal immigration. They fight for fair wages but then support slave labor.
Don't you know-----Democrats are drug addicts that support Osama or Obama. Democrats support women with big butts. Democrats are yellow-bellies. Democrats can't get anything done. Democrats are losers. Democrats are Godless. Democrats are sex addicts. Democrats promote gays and lesbians. Democrats advocate abortion. Democrats are poor. Democrats are suckers. Democrats hate God. The lies go on and on.
Too bad Democrats don't spit back---Republicans are oil barons. period.
To give a legal drivers license to an illegal alien is an oxymoron at best.
Exactly what makes the clueless ruling elite on either side of this ridiculous issue think that illegal immigrants are going to apply for driver’s licenses in the first place? The key word here is “illegal” which means these individuals are underground and will stay underground whether some silly politician offers them a driver’s license or a cake on their birthday. The fact that Senator Clinton stumbled over this non-issue does not inspire confidence in her ability to avoid being mentally hamstrung by the triangulating side of her brain.
This is an excellent comment. It shows how Repugs are able to change issues by attacking a group of people be it gays, blacks or immigrants.
The fact is it is a federal issue how to keep out illegal immigrants and deport the ones who are here. However, it is a local issue about what to do with illegal immigrants while they are here.
But instead of addressing the issue (what states which have no power to keep out illegal immigrants or deport same, should deal with illegal immigrants) Repugs demagogue the issue by appealing to hate and prejudice.
In this way Repugs are able to scapegoat the most vulnerable in society for problems caused by Repug policies.
In 2008 clearly Repugs are aiming to scapegoat immigrants just as in 2004 Repugs scapegoated gays and in 2000 Repugs scapegoated blacks. Or as Bill Maher says brown is the new pink.
Does anyone doubt that before long Repugs will try and change the subject from universal health care to all Americans to free health care of illegal immigrants?
Before we start the voting we should get the NASA electronic experts to design the foolproof paper trail
voting machines. They put robots on Mars that are continuing to function past all expectations. And they are controlling the robots from earth. When these have been distributed nationaly then we can proceed with the national ID verification. A picture on a Social Security
card would do the job. Also a picture on a voter ID card would also help. Why do voters show up at the polls without their voters ID card ? Its all so simple. Is this the problem. Is it too easy to comply ?
Drivers Licenses for illegal aliens will enable the trucking industry to break the Truckers Union.
I think Mexico works day and night trying to
find new angles to vote themselves money out
of our economy, that's what I think.
Yes! (my vote for an apparatus to register all eligible voters.) Registrar-of-Voters should not be an empty title. They need to go out and get it done instead of waiting for supplicants to come to the office.
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