Illinois: Illegal Aliens Registering to Vote
Illegal immigrants may be registering to vote
January 24, 2008
BY DAVID GIALANELLA Staff Writer
It's a question many have asked: Is it possible for an illegal immigrant or a legal noncitizen to end up an illegally registered voter?
It appears the answer is "yes."
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E-Slate voting machines site idle after a malfunction during balloting on Nov. 7, 2006, in Elgin's Precinct 17 polling place in The Centre of Elgin. It turns out that it is not impossible for an illegal immgrant to cast a ballot in Illinois, according to some local officials.
(Courier File)
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Jack Cunningham.
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"It's a very difficult thing to handle," said Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham, who is in charge of elections and overseeing voter registration. "We never single out any group. There has to be a presumption that they are citizens unless it's proven otherwise. We, at this level, don't have much control over the issue."
According to a mail-in form provided on the clerk's Web site, voter registration applicants must answer "yes" or "no" to the question: "Are you a citizen of the United States?" Applicants also are given the option to submit a driver's license number or Social Security number, but doing so is not required, according to the form. Either a photo identification or another document -- such as a utility bill or paycheck -- can be submitted, the form states.
In Illinois, the counties hold authority over elections, and different counties handle the responsibility in different ways. For instance, some print their own registration documents, while others enter into contracts with outside companies for the forms.
While it likely butts up against constitutional law to ask for proof of citizenship only from applicants who "appear" to be foreigners, requiring a more stringent process may be only slightly more feasible, Cunningham said.
"You're also talking about staff and money," something he feels his office could use more of.
Though it hasn't been a hot topic in Springfield, illegal immigrants and other noncitizens voting remains a concern, according to one local lawmaker.
"It's absolutely possible, and it's a problem," said Illinois Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin. "I'm not sure how to combat that. I'm open to suggestions."
Even though illegal immigrants and those with temporary visas could fall through cracks in the registration process, Noland said he doesn't believe it's the result of some nefarious effort to get folks to the polls illegally.
One unexpected problem arose with Illinois' "motor voter" program, whereby some driver's license applicants accidentally were handed voter registration materials at the same time, Cunningham and Noland said.
Immigrants with temporary visas are given temporary Social Security numbers, so some can drive legally, but none can vote legally. While documented noncitizens can obtain licenses legally, illegal immigrants cannot because a Social Security number must be provided, a spokeswoman from the Illinois Secretary of State's Office said.
"They're not even attempting to do it," Noland said of noncitizens who end up on the county's voter rolls. "It's not like they made the attempt to become voters."
Still, a "series of bills" is needed to add more statewide safeguards, Noland said.
"There's got to be some strong indication that you are indeed a citizen," Noland said. "I don't have a problem with that."
According to Cunningham, just because not every registrant is asked to show a passport, it doesn't mean his office isn't keeping an eye out for suspicious entries on the county's master list of registered voters.
While errors can be made, Cunningham said he's not too concerned. But one thing is for sure, he said: it's a divisive issue.
"I'm very concerned that everyone who's on our list is legal," Cunningham said. "I don't think in Kane County it's a particular problem at this point. We have groups that come in and say it is, and we have groups that say it isn't. It's a very difficult issue."
On the Web
Kane County Clerk's Office
www.co.kane.il.us/COC/
