Thread: COLORADO: VOTER ID HEARING. MARCH 9

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT: Rich Coolidge
(303) 860-6903
richard.coolidge@sos.state.co.us

Gessler & Rep. Holbert push for citizenship verification in voter rolls
HB-1252 allows state to compare voter rolls with other state and federal databases

Denver, Colorado – Following the defeat of legislation in the senate requiring proof of citizenship before registering to vote, Secretary of State Scott Gessler and State Representative Chris Holbert (R-Parker) unveiled legislation aimed at verifying citizenship for voters who may be non-citizens.

“Currently, the state verifies everything on the voter registration form, except citizenship,â€

Colo. secretary of state seeks authority to cross-check voter rolls for non-citizens
By Kurtis Lee
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/09/2011 01:00:00 AM MST
Updated: 03/09/2011 05:09:12 AM MST

Secretary of State Scott Gessler and Rep. Chris Holbert discuss the bill. (John Prieto, The Denver Post )

More than 11,000 registered Colorado voters were not U.S. citizens at the time they obtained a driver's license, according to a review by Secretary of State Scott Gessler.

The department is certain that 106 of these voters were improperly registered because they presented the state Department of Revenue with a noncitizen document after the date they registered to vote.

Gessler and Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, are pushing legislation that would allow the secretary of state to check the statewide voter database to determine whether registered voters are in fact citizens.

The bill, HB 1252, will be presented to the Colorado House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee today.

"My office has every reason to believe that thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in Colorado," Gessler said. "House Bill 1252 will allow us to inquire for more information using public databases."

Gessler said he's not trying to be a prosecutor but an administrator cleaning up voter rolls.

If evidence indicates that a registered voter is not a citizen, the bill allows the secretary of state to notify the voter by mail. If the voter cannot provide evidence with 90 days that he or she is a U.S. citizen — through a valid U.S. passport, birth certificate or Social Security card — their voter registration record will be labeled "incomplete."

In the recent review, the secretary of state's office compared Colorado's voter registration database with driver's license records. Since 2006, people applying for a Colorado driver's license or a state identification card have been required to show proof of legal presence.

Non-U.S. citizens must provide a valid immigration document, such as a work permit or a green card, that shows they are in the country legally.

The 11,000 people had been noncitizens at the time they got their licenses but could possibly have become citizens later.

Why not turn the names of those with potential problems over to the state attorney general?

Gessler said he'd rather move forward with legislation first. However, if the legislation is not passed, he would explore other options.

Ellen Dumm, executive director of the advocacy group Campaign for a Strong Colorado, called the legislation a "blacklist" on which Colorado voters suspected of being noncitizens would be guilty until proved innocent.

State Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, a member of the committee that will hear testimony today, also has concerns.

"The bill requires almost an auditing of the voters and voter files," said Miklosi, who plans to vote against it. "That's going to have a very chilling effect on people if they receive any type of communication from the state government asking them to prove their citizenship. It could reduce voter participation."

HB 1252 is follow-up legislation to Senate Bill 18, which would have required passports, birth certificates or naturalization papers for Coloradans trying to register to vote. The bill lost a narrow vote in the Colorado Senate this year.

Kurtis Lee: 303-954-1655 or klee@denverpost.com

Read more: Colo. secretary of state seeks authority to cross-check voter rolls for non-citizens - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/c ... z1G7Rj4KuJ

The best solution is to simply nationwide throw out all voter registrations and require voter registration to be filed again showing proof of status. IMO no American Citizen should be without a legal copy of their Birth Certificate if over the age of 18, and I'll never buy into the "financial hardship" claim that it costs to much. If you can't afford $10-25 depending which state then you really have no business voting as you clearly take it for granted. Maybe if states also granted a 2 month fee waiver period for one to get their BC as long as solid proof of identity was confirmed.