The Committee to Modernize Voter Registration makes claims that their system will enhance our ability to keep noncitizens off the voter rolls.  In fact, by their own admission, the voter rolls will be loaded with noncitizens.

In their Frequently Asked Questions they address citizenship with this less than encouraging answer.

“Most of the voters who will be automatically added to the voter registration list come from other databases that contain information about citizenship status based on documentation provided by the voter.  []  Those voters whose citizenship status cannot be confirmed automatically can be allowed to affirm their citizenship and eligibility before they cast a ballot.”

The problem is that many of the largest states are not tracking this citizenship information.  Illinois is one of them.  New York as well.  I have written other states and the responses are slow in returning.  But Washington state is another.  In these three states, any noncitizen who gets a driver’s license will be automatically added to the voter registration rolls with no mechanism to remove them.

Then, on election day, they would be presumably stopped by the mere act of affirming their citizenship before they cast a ballot.  Presumably, this will be an extra step that other voters won’t have to take.  But if there is an extra step, it is one that every new voter in that state will have to execute, requiring more paperwork at the polling place and creating burdens on judges that will lengthen lines.

Over time, millions of noncitizens will be added to the rolls.  Each of these noncitizens will receive a voter identification card.   Each will receive mailings when election districts change or when polling places change.

Meanwhile, because they are on the voter registration rolls with no indication to anyone that they aren’t citizens, they will be receiving mailings and phone calls from the various political campaigns.  The political parties will be spending millions trying to convince noncitizens to show up and vote for their candidate.

The integrity of the system depends upon these millions of noncitizens being innundated with dozens of campaign contacts deciding not to show up at the polls, or if they show up, not being willing to sign a form that they may not even understand.

I have written the Committee to ask them for the list of states who do not track citizenship.  To date, I haven’t received it.  I’ll publish it when they provide it for me.  People have a right to know which states will have voter rolls with noncitizens on them before they sign off on this proposal.  And the Committee themselves should just eliminate this sentence from their website which is just ridiculous.   “Automatic and permanent voter registration offers even more protections against non-citizens being added to the rolls than our current, paper based registration system.”  It’s not accurate, and even the most cursory examination reveals it.  It’s insulting to pretend the problem won’t exist.  Tell us how you’re really going to address it.

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