Letters to the Editor
ann1960
Published Letters: 50 Editor's Choice: 3
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response to illegals voting
[Read the article: Karl Rove's big election-fraud hoax]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Holgate writes: "Put simply: if I were in the US illegally, the last place I'd show up is at the polls."
I have a few comments to make, because I have worked at the McLennan County (Texas) elections office, and have learned a great deal about the election process. First and foremost, let's agree to keep race out of this, and focus on whether or not someone has the legal right to vote. To vote legally, one must be a US citizen. Until the law changes, we have to work with this requirement.
In order to be registered to vote in Texas (our state has the second highest population of illegal immigrants, behind California), you do not have to produce any documents whatsoever. NONE. We have to take your word that you were born in the US, and if you don't speak English, we provided aninterpreter to ask if you were born in the US. It is totally the honor system. I was BAFFLED when I learned this, because in order for ME to work at the elections office, I had to procuce a drivers license, a birth certificate, and a social security card. So, once the applicant says he/she was born in the US, we have to issue him/her a card.
I have yet, after all these years of living in this county, to hear of ONE case of an illegal alien being prosecuted for voting illegally. We simply don't have the resources nor the inclination to go after non-citizens who vote. The elections department does have a budget that is tied to the number of registered voters (more voters = more budget), so I have often wondered if that is the reason nobody ever raises an eyebrow when someone clearly is here illegally, and is applying for a card. Simply put, while we have laws on the books about voting illegally, we do not enforce them. Much the same that while we have laws on the books about entering this country illegally, we don't enforce them, either. Ask the 12 million or so people here who did not follow the rules. Remember, no race card allowed in this argument. We're talking compliance with our laws.
The only illegal alien I have heard of who got in trouble with the law (with respect to our elections office) was a woman who registered SIX times with the county to vote. Yes, she had six active voting cards, and we didn't catch her because we can't legally ask for a social security number to verify that she wasn't already registered. (Please stay with me, as this is where it gets almost funny.) In Texas, a voter card is proof of US citizenship when applying for certain social services such as food stamps. Yes, it was the employees at the food stamp office who finally caught on to her game. By the way, she was never deported.
I am sure that there is voter fraud with citizens also. But for this post, I was focusing on the non-citizens who are breaking the law, and the fact that this is a problem nobody in our county is addressing.
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re: strangely enough
[Read the article: Karl Rove's big election-fraud hoax]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"You claim that "illegal aliens" are voting, yet you cite only one anecdotal case. You claim that no "illegal aliens" are being prosecuted for illegally voting, yet the anecdotal case you cite contradicts that claim."
Response: I was responding to a previous post which suggested that an illegal alien would get into trouble with the law if they showed up at the polls and voted illegally. This simply doesn't happen in my county. The anecdotal case was to show that when one illegal alien who had registered to vote six times finally DID get into trouble, it wasn't for voting illegally, it was for something else (food stamp fraud). In my book, this doesn't contradict my claim, it substantiates it: Nobody has gotten into trouble for voting illegally here.
When a non-citizen breaks the law and gets a voter card , it is for one or two reasons: To vote illegally, and/or to get social services (also illegal if the law requires one to be a legal citizen/resident.) I do not support either one, do you?
"And, your claim of "non-citizens who are breaking the law, and the fact that this is a problem nobody in our county is addressing..."
Response: Nobody in our COUNTY (re: not country) is addressing this. Please cite me a name in McLennan county who is addressing this. Please, I'd like to know.
When the GOP suppresses votes, it's a crime in my book. When illegals vote (or use their cards to get social services), that's a crime as well. C'mon, let's play by the rules on all levels, OK?
PS: It is open records to see whether someone votes or not. You can go into the county elections office, look up a name, and see whether or not they voted. And, FYI, voting is not the primary reason the illegal aliens get cards here; it is for the social services.
By the way, I'm not a Repug-- I'm just sick and tired of seeing people break the law.