Thread: MALDEF opposes Arizon Voting Laws to prove citizenship

This is a transcript from "The Situation with Tucker Carlson' show on MSNBC on May 10, 2006 with Nina Perales of MALDEF

CARLSON: Now to a story that affects every American whether you know it or not. If you want to vote in an election in this country, you have to be a citizen. That‘s the law.

And in Arizona, thanks to a recently passed proposition, you have to prove you‘re a citizen or at least a resident of the state. Seems like a pretty reasonable requirement but my next guest says it is unconstitutional and wrong. Nina Perales is southwest regional counsel for MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. She joins us tonight from San Antonio, Texas.

Thanks for coming on.

Thank you.

CARLSON: What could possibly be wrong with demonstrating that you‘re an American citizen before you vote?

NINA PERALES, SOUTHWEST REGIONAL COUNSEL, MALDEF: Well, in Arizona the problem is that it is blocking U.S. citizens from registering to vote and also voting. That‘s the people on whose behalf we‘ve brought the lawsuit, all U.S. citizens.

CARLSON: I don‘t understand how that works. I spent the afternoon reading about the requirements to vote in the state of Arizona, and they‘re about as liberal as can be.

In order to vote, you need a picture I.D. or two forms of other I.D. It can be basically anything, a utility bill for gas, electric, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cell phone, cable TV. You can use your car registration. You can use your property tax. You can use your car insurance card. You can use your census card, your bank statements. Basically, all you need to do is show that you have an address in the state of Arizona. Why would you be against something like that?

PERALES: Well, because these requirements, which haven‘t been used before, mean that some people who don‘t have that paperwork can‘t go and vote when they‘ve been loyal voters for many years.

CARLSON: Don‘t have any paperwork at all with their name and address on it? You‘ve got to be kidding?

PERALES: Well, for example, the person who we respect in the lawsuit who is a loyal voter, has been voting for years, Vietnam veteran. His license has a P.O. box on it, which is very common in Arizona, and he can‘t use it for voting. So that‘s one of the problems that‘s been raised by the law.

CARLSON: As I just said and you can find out yourself in about 15 seconds from just going to the secretary of state‘s office web site from Arizona, you don‘t need a driver‘s license. You can have basically any—even sort of official document with your name and address on it.

It seems to me pretty clear that you want to make it easier for people who are not citizens to vote. Else, why could you possibly be against this very, very basic precaution against illegal voting?

PERALES: I think you‘re mixing up, first of all, the requirements for voter registration, which is the proof of citizenship, and the requirements for I.D. at the time of voting.

The issue with respect to the time of voting that is that there are people in Arizona who are registered voters who don‘t have the paperwork. And because of that, and they‘ve called the county and the county has told them you can‘t come and vote.

And the person that we represent in the lawsuit doesn‘t have a utility bill in his name. He doesn‘t have the other documents, but he‘s a patriot and a loyal voter, and he wants to be able to vote.

CARLSON: Yes. I think it‘s not credible that an American citizen would have no documentation showing that he lives in this country and his name is what he says it is. That‘s just not believable. I‘m sorry. I don‘t believe it.

PERALES: Well, I can introduce you to the client.

CARLSON: I don‘t believe you and if he exists, he is unique, I would suspect. Do you acknowledge that there is a terrible problem in this country with people voting illegally and that the citizens of country have a right to demand that our voting is safe and secure and that people who are voting are American citizens? How else can we ensure that?

PERALES: There actually aren‘t any examples in Arizona of an undocumented immigrant fraudulently registering to vote. And one of the issues that we want to bring forward with the lawsuit is that good public policy is based on an identified problem.

There isn‘t a problem in Arizona with undocumented people voting. But the law is blocking citizens from voting. And the people that we respect are not unique. It is possible—in fact, many times when your license and the address on your license doesn‘t necessarily match your voter registration or you don‘t have a license and then you don‘t have utilities in your name or a bank statement.

CARLSON: You don‘t have—you don‘t have a birth certificate? You don‘t have any documentation showing your relationship with the federal government? You don‘t have a Social Security number? You don‘t file taxes? You‘ve never filed taxes? You‘ve never served in the military? It‘s just not—it‘s just not believable...

PERALES: The examples that you‘re giving are not relevant to the lawsuit. The lawsuit has nothing to do with whether or not you have a Social Security card. We‘re not talking about mythical people. We‘re talking about real people with real lives, real citizens who can‘t register and can‘t vote.

And the other problem with it is that if you don‘t happen to have this kind of paperwork and you‘re really determined to vote, you‘re going to have to pay a fee to go somewhere and try to generate some of this paperwork.

CARLSON: But I hope you will concede that the rest of us, that despite your false claim that there isn‘t a problem in Arizona or anywhere else with illegal aliens voting, in fact there is. And you know...

PERALES: Well, don‘t call my claim false. It‘s not a false claim.

CARLSON: Actually, it is.

PERALES: There‘s no example of an undocumented immigrant registering to vote fraudulently in Arizona. And if you had one, you would have brought it forward. It‘s simply not a problem that exists.

And this law goes so far that it stops actual citizens from voting and registering. Our clients are citizens who want to vote.

CARLSON: I don‘t believe it for a second, but I appreciate your point of view. Thanks for coming on.

PERALES: Thank you.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12756838/
www.maldef.org/

There isn‘t a problem in Arizona with undocumented people voting. But the law is blocking citizens from voting. And the people that we respect are not unique. It is possible—in fact, many times when your license and the address on your license doesn‘t necessarily match your voter registration or you don‘t have a license and then you don‘t have utilities in your name or a bank statement.

Is she trying to change the fact that here in Arizona there are no problems. Maybe the reason "there isn't a problem in Arizona with undocumented people voting" is because you DO HAVE TO HAVE THE DOCUMENTATION!!!! Her poor client could get a state I.D.!

PERALES: The examples that you‘re giving are not relevant to the lawsuit. The lawsuit has nothing to do with whether or not you have a Social Security card. We‘re not talking about mythical people. We‘re talking about real people with real lives, real citizens who can‘t register and can‘t vote.

Yeah they are not mythical people, they are called illegal aliens. She keeps saying no undocumented immigrant registering in Arizona to vote when Carlson brings up the fact that it is a problem in America. I believe she is trying to avoid commenting on this because she knows its true!!!!

The disjointed logic of Perales is typical of the weasel mentality of MALDEF, LULAC, NCLR etc. and anyway they can attempt to modify the laws for the sake of their agenda supporting illegal immigration and the so-called "rights" of illegal aliens, they will do so.