Illegal immigrants voting?
A group calling itself the November Patriots held a press conference Tuesday in the Statehouse to voice their worries that non-citizens may be sneaking into the polls Tuesday.

They say a now-closed loophole in state law allowed many (50,000, by one estimate) to get drivers licenses without proving residency. The Patriots worry that those folks may have also registered to vote.They say their fears are being ignored by election officials and the media (there may be something to the latter point - your humble reporter was one of only two media types at their event Tuesday).

"We believe that the integrity of the system itself is at stake here," said Richard Fry, a member of the Patriots. Fry described the group as a Kansas-based grassroots organization that favors open, accountable government. The government's handling of illegal immigration is a particular concern, he said.

The Patriots couldn't offer any evidence that illegal immigrants are meddling with Kansas elections.

Nevertheless, Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh takes the issue seriously, according to spokeswoman Stephanie Meyer.

Meyer said state election officials routinely check the rolls against records at the DMV and voter rolls in other states to weed out those who aren't legally allowed to vote here.

"We have a number of checks in place," she said.

Submitted by David Klepper on October 29, 2008 - 12:08pm.
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