Mocking the system with illegal votes

An unpopular truth

[Reprinted from Issues & Views October 4, 2004]

Offering this mind-numbing bit of information, Christina Bellantoni, in the Washington Times (9/24/04), reveals that, "Beyond requiring applicants to sign a pledge on voter-registration forms affirming that they are U.S. citizens, there is no way to prevent the nation's estimated 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens from casting ballots in November."

Furthermore, says Linda Lamone of Maryland's State Board of Elections, "There is no way of checking. We have no way of doing that. We have no access to any information about who is in the United States legally or otherwise."

Although it is estimated that only a "small percentage" of illegals vote, some of them do. With roughly 8 million illegal aliens of voting age in the country, no one is sure if some numbers of them are being recruited by zealous political operatives and put into action on election day.

Then there are the legal aliens, who are not citizens, but might also be taking advantage of a system with no accountability. Writes Bellantoni:

Given the predicted close election this year and the 2000 election that was decided by a small number of votes, Steven Camarota [director of the Center for Immigration Studies] said even the few aliens who do vote could make a difference in the results. Only first-time voters are required to provide photo identification in Virginia and the District. No jurisdiction requires voters to show proof of citizenship at the polls.

Dan Stein, president of the D.C.-based Federation for American Immigration Reform, said relaxed voting regulations and the ability to register to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles allows illegal immigrants to get a form of legitimate identification. "There are huge fraud problems out there," he said. "There's no safeguards on it. In a system where virtually no effort is made to ensure integrity, we'd be naive to say it isn't going on. You only need one vote to swing an election."

None of this news comes as a surprise in a land where even criminals cannot be apprehended on the basis of their illegal status and where a "Special Order 40" prohibits officers from questioning a suspect's immigration status.

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