As Indiana’s Chief Election Officer and as an immigrant elected to a statewide office, my duty is to do everything I can within my authority to ensure that our elections are conducted in a lawful, accountable, and trustworthy manner for all Hoosiers.
It’s entirely appropriate for election administrators, starting with myself, to respond to concerns that non-U.S. citizens can register to vote and vote, under what is basically an “honor system” for the citizenship qualification. Concern about the ease at which a non-citizen may register to vote and cast a vote, have been expressed to me directly from voters and local election officials, and is not far-fetched or unreasonable.
There has been a critical outcry from some, that not relying on the “honor system” for U.S. Citizenship is somehow mean spirited or unpatriotic. I disagree.
I’m sure virtually no respectable Hoosier would try to sneak into a Taylor Swift concert, attend a Colts game, or board a commercial airline without a ticket, or carrying a prohibited item. Still, despite our trust in people’s honesty, it’s virtually unquestioned that everyone attending a concert or game, or boarding an airplane, will be asked for their ticket and screened for dangerous, prohibited items. Asking everyone is not discriminatory, accusatory, mean-spirited, or unpatriotic – it’s basic common sense.
In another context, President Ronald Regan once famously said “trust but verify.” Asking 70,000 Colts fans to show their ticket and pass security screening is not a challenge to their integrity or an effort to lower game attendance. Likewise, unobtrusive screening for non-U.S. citizens who may have intentionally or unknowingly registered to vote is not casting dispersion on all who are eligible to vote.
People would not visit a doctor or hospital, board a commercial airline, or entrust their child to a licensed daycare center, if they did not have confidence that government agencies had done their duty to assure that everyone conducting those activities met required qualifications. As a matter of duty, and in the interest of integrity and assurance, government should respond to any reasonable concern that any government-regulated provider may lack required qualifications.
I do not believe or suspect that 585,774 non-citizens are on Indiana’s voter registration list. I know for a fact, however, that there are some non-U.S. citizens on Indiana’s voting rolls who have been issued a government ID which would allow them to vote.
As a naturalized immigrant myself, I know the process of U.S. Citizenship. I know that federal and state laws for resident aliens, parolees, even illegal migrants, have holes that can be exploited for voting.
Here are a few real examples:
Recently, a non-citizen contacted my office explaining that he had registered to vote, and wanted to know how to cancel his registration, which he recognized was illegal and might derail his hopes for immigration. He was directed to a state form to complete and submit for that purpose.
The question remained, how had he become registered in the first place? His voter file included a completed and signed voter registration form. In Box 10, where an individual attests that they are a citizen, he had correctly checked “no”. Pursuant to law, his completed registration form was forwarded to a county voter registration office, where a clerical mistake entering his information into the computerized voter registration database had been made. This was not the individual’s fault.
A second example came directly from a county clerk. A registered voter in her district asked if they needed to be a citizen to vote. The clerk explained the law, and through the conversation discovered that the individual had been unintentionally prompted to register to vote during a visit to an Indiana BMV branch.
This example is the most common way that non-citizens end up on Indiana’s voter registration list. The National Voter Registration Act provides that most federal and state government agencies that provide services or assistance to the public must inquire about voter registration and offer forms and assistance with registering. Some government agencies provide aid and assistance to individuals in need, without regard to residency, immigration status, or citizenship.
Additionally, related to identifications, in Indiana a resident non-citizen, a college student or a member of the U.S. military for example, both of which I was before becoming a naturalized citizen, may obtain separate identifications that can be used for voting purposes.
Before I became a naturalized citizen, I recall visiting a BMV branch and being asked if I wanted to register to vote. I knew enough English to say no, others however, may lack sufficient English comprehension to understand what was being asked or the ramifications.
Indiana has been a model for election laws. Frankly, I don’t anticipate learning that many non-citizens have landed on our voter registration rolls. Still, voter concerns about non-citizens unfettered access to registration and voting exists, and even looms large for the important upcoming election. I’m not about to dismiss Hoosier’s concerns without first inquiring into the facts.
My sincere hope is that USCIS will respond to my request to confirm citizenship for Indiana registrations made without credentials that can help confirm U.S. citizenship. Hopefully, the activity will demonstrate to concerned Hoosiers that the issue is relatively small and limited. I hope that this can serve to increase confidence in our elections and among our citizens.
When you vote on Election Day, I hope you will see “Indiana Voters Bill of Rights” posters in English and Spanish displayed at your polling location as well as signs laying out some basic requirements to vote: an unexpired government-issued photo ID, and U.S. citizenship.
During the first 22 months of my term as your Secretary of State, hardly a day has passed that I have not devoted some time and effort encouraging eligible Hoosiers to register to vote and to vote in our elections. I hope more Hoosier voters than ever vote on November 5th, including a record number of naturalized Hoosiers like me, and that they do so with confidence that my office has done all that it can to ensure the integrity of our elections.
Diego Morales is the Indiana Secretary of State. The office has a number of duties including overseeing state elections. Send comments to [email protected].
