Could undocumented immigrants decide tight battle between Rep. Michael Grimm and Domenic Recchia?


With voter-registration drives taking part in immigrant communities, Republicans have expressed concern that undocumented immigrants, seen as more likely Democratic voters, could illegally vote in the critical, neck-and-neck House race between GOP Rep. Michael Grimm, left, and Democrat Domenic M. Recchia Jr. (Advance file photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Voter registration drives in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods here have raised concerns about how the city Board of Elections makes certain that only U.S. citizens be allowed to vote, as mandated by law.

But there is little that the BOE does to ensure that.

The issue is a pressing one given the neck-and-neck House battle between Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/New York) and Democratic challenger Domenic M. Recchia Jr., a race that many believe will hinge on a relative handful of votes.

Given that those in immigrant populations are seen as more likely to vote Democratic, some Republicans are concerned that the tight House race could be swung by voters who are not U.S. citizens or are not legally eligible to vote.

"It seems unbelievable that we're having this conversation," said Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn), "that people could be voting in this election who aren't citizens of this country or who are otherwise ineligible to vote."

Most recently, Democratic City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito co-sponsored a voter registration drive at El Centro Day Laborer Center in Port Richmond, a community that is home to many undocumented immigrants. Other voter registration drives have also taken place on the North Shore this year.

Grimm said he was unconcerned about the potential impact on his own race, but told the Advance Editorial Board, "Overall, there should be safeguards. There's no reason why there wouldn't be safeguards."

He said, "In today's day and age, everyone has to show I.D. for almost anything and everything. You should have to show I.D., for the first time at least, when you register. It's absolutely ridiculous that those safeguards are not put in there."

But Recchia, appearing with Grimm, said that there are safeguards in place, with those registering having to provide a state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) number or the last four digits of their Social Security number on the registration form.

"And they check that out," Recchia said. "So there is a process for that."

Recchia said his own campaign had registered more than 7,500 new voters.

But the BOE said that the agency does not check immigration status.

"We rely ultimately on the representation the individual makes," said BOE executive director Michael Ryan, a Great Kills resident.

The voter registration form
specifically asks whether the applicant is a U.S. citizen, and Ryan, an attorney, pointed out that those who are not truthful on the form open themselves up to charges of perjury and a fine of up to $5,000 and four years in jail.

He said, "When someone swears or affirms on the form, it is presumed truthful. We are not permitted to engage in profiling. If there is no reason to believe that something on the form is amiss, it is presumed to be truthful."

Ryan added, "We should not be singling out particular groups for close scrutiny."

He said that those who fail to provide a DMV or Social Security number on the form will be asked to provide I.D. when they appear at the polling site.

Ryan said that as far as immigration status goes, there is no national database of citizens available for the BOE to check against.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission in January found that heightened proof-of-citizenship requirements likely would hinder eligible citizens from voting in federal elections,
handing down a ruling that denied requests from Kansas, Arizona and Georgia to modify the registration form for their residents.

Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-North Shore) said that only those who are eligible should be permitted to vote, but said he hasn't heard of the undocumented or other ineligibles voting.

"I haven't heard of it happening before, so why would it happen now?" Titone said. "So we have to safeguard against something that doesn't happen? That sounds weird."

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