If you want to vote in the upcoming election and can’t prove you’re a U.S. citizen, no worries: they’ll take your word for it.
Illegal immigrants voting has become a big topic in 2024 as the Biden-Harris administration let an estimated 20 million undocumented aliens into the country. Critics charge that the border was thrown open to flood the zone with foreigners who, dependent on government services, will vote for those who provide them. In this case, it’s presidential candidate Kamala Harris and the Democrats who run the nation’s major cities.
Those looking to register online in New York are steered toward the state Board of Elections, where they can wend their way through a few screens to get enrolled. While warnings come up that you must be a U.S. citizen to vote, no proof of residency is required. You can use an electronic signature to verify your information and you don’t have to give an address. You can get through the process without a driver’s license or Social Security number, but you’re cautioned that you may have to provide them when you show up to vote.
Anyone in New York can also register via a paper form; all they need to do is sign in the box to “swear or affirm” they are a citizen and have lived in the county, city or village for at least 30 days before the election. Those fibbing are warned that they can be convicted and fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to four years.
The same rules apply for absentee voting, a scenario that has good government groups worried that a flood of ballots, mailed out in huge numbers, could provide the opportunity for election fraud. Those looking to cheat need only to access a voter list cross-checked with questionable addresses and locations listing unrelated voters and turn in ballots under those names. The election boards in the Democrat-controlled cities probably won’t be checking the provenance of these ballots. Voting integrity initiatives such as those by My Pillow magnate Mike Lindell urge citizens to report voter fraud if they find that someone cast a ballot for them.
“One of our most sacred rights as American citizens is the right to vote,” stated Nancie Orticelli with the Constitutional Coalition of New York. “There are men and women in Arlington Cemetery who gave the ultimate sacrifice to enshrine that right, and that’s something we shouldn’t take lightly. If illegal immigrants are allowed to vote, that is a slap in the face to all those people who died to protect our rights,” she said.
“I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican, a Libertarian or an independent, if you don't recognize the absolute wildly disgusting premise of allowing non-citizens to vote, then I don't even know why you live in the United States,” Orticelli added.
New York encourages people to register—it’s the first thing that pops up when you sign in at NY.gov ID, the go-to site that connects you to any number of state services. Those getting a driver’s license are steered toward registering, as you will be at a plethora of other agencies—proof of citizenship not required. The push for voter registration at all levels of government is called for by the state’s “Agency-Based Voter Registration Program,” which is mandated under the “National Voter Registration Act.”
If you are seeking assistance from the state at any of the following offices, you will be asked to register to vote:
- Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services
- City Universities of New York(CUNY)
- Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- Department of Health - WIC Program
- Department of Labor
- Department of Social Services
- Department of State
- Division of Veterans’ Services
- Military Recruiting Offices
- Office for the Aging
- Office of Mental Health
- Office For People With Developmental Disabilities
- State Universities of New York(SUNY)
- Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation(ACCES-VR)
- Workers’ Compensation Board
The other side is fighting back. The group Look Ahead America is running ads in Spanish-language media warning that it's illegal for non-citizens to vote. “If you are not a U.S. citizen, you are not allowed to vote in the federal election, and voting in the election can result in your arrest, loss of a chance at citizenship, and deportation,” the ads warn.
“If you are not a citizen of our country, you cannot vote. You should obey the law,” said George Pritchard of the group, 7-11 Patriots Corner. “The citizens pay taxes, they have the right to vote. People who broke the law to come here, they do not.” He added: “Everyone has the opportunity to succeed in America, but they have to obey the law.”
Changing the nation’s demographics in their favor is an admitted strategy of the Democrats, who are strategically placing immigrants in Republican areas in order to dilute the vote. The GOP-leaning community of Springfield, OH, for example, has seen its population double from thousands of Haitians delivered by the Biden-Harris administration. In a scenario played out across the country, including in Charleroi, PA, where former President Donald Trump said illegal immigrants increased the population by 2,000%, the new arrivals are straining services and making life more difficult for the citizens. Soon, if the Democrats have their way, they’ll be able to outvote them.
Since Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020 by about 40,000 votes across only a few swing states, tipping the electoral scales by introducing new voters could keep the Democrats in power for years to come.