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Home Front: Politix
Politician Wants Voters to Prove Citizenship
2004-09-26
San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn is trying to change California law so that voters need to prove their citizenship when voting. He calls it a no-brainer. Others call it discrimination. "It is specifically, I believe, targeting immigrants who have become citizens of the United States," said Jess Durfee, chairman of the San Diego Democratic Party.
Help me here, naturalized Rantburgers. I was born here, so I don't know if I'd be "suppressed" if I had to show proof of my shiny new citizenship. Would any of you have a problem showing the election judge lady your (hmmm...I just realized that I have no clue how one "proves" one's citizenship. I guess I'd bring my passport, but not everyone has one of those.)
I'd require everyone to have proof of citizenship prior to getting a voter registration card in the first place, but I'm just an evil, oppressing straight white male so what do I know?
He said it is a tactic to help keep evil Republicans in office. "We know that their strategy nationwide is to suppress the turnout because the more they can suppress the turnout the better it works for them," Durfee said. But Horn said the issue is fraud. "In L.A. you had 16,000 voter cards that were found with names on it of people who didn't exist in the phone book."
That's not a strong argument. I'm not in the phone book in my district, and I have a voter card...
To register to vote in California you need only a driver's license and the last four digits of your Social Security number. To actually vote, you need only a name and an address. Seventeen other states require identification to vote, and Arizona has a measure on the November ballot that would require proof of citizenship. However, changing the voting law in California is an uphill battle. In the last legislative session, a measure requiring voters to have identification never got out of committee.
When suppressing illegal votes is a problem, "we are very far from reality" - to paraphase a renowned commentator. I call for surpression of the voting rights of the deceased as well.
Posted by:Super Hose

#12  In Europe you can prove your Israeli citzenship with a tattoo, and use a seperate line to the ballot box.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-09-26 1:37:30 PM  

#11  I think this should be made nationwide - no proof of citizenship (via passport, registration card (requiring a birth cert. or passport to get or naturalization papers) - no vote. Period. No Exceptions.

And yes dammit it is discriminiation -- It discriminates between those (citizens) who have a right to vote and those (non-citizens) who do not have (and should not have) the right to vote.

Not all discriminiation is bad.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-09-26 1:25:13 PM  

#10  they hold naturalization ceremonies in San Diego at the Community Concourse by City Hall, and both parties have displays and tents to sign up new citizens. It's not hard. Should note the rest of the SD County Board of Supervisors approved Horn's motion requesting (the corrupt) Kevin Shelly, Sec of the State to incorporate these sensible measures. Without doubt, the Dem majority will not allow that to pass, especually after Arnold spanked their ass over the Driver's License bill for illegals. The Dem party is whistling past the referendum graveyard - I think most Californians are pissed off at their conduct on illegals and the old Prop 187
Posted by: Frank G   2004-09-26 1:14:28 PM  

#9  "I call for surpression of the voting rights of the deceased as well."

Yo! WTF! Here in Philadelphia, that's a tradition! Don't you have any respect for your ancestors????
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-09-26 12:21:27 PM  

#8  "I just realized that I have no clue how one "proves" one's citizenship. "

In continental Europe it's done by ID cards. My suggestion would be to have a similar system. Or atleast the voter registration cards that Barbara mentioned.

Naturalized citizens may be proud to vote, but they may not like being segregated from native-born Americans for life. If there are two different ways of showing one's citizenship in each single election, very soon you'll de facto have two different lines to the ballot box.
Posted by: Aris Katsaris   2004-09-26 12:13:28 PM  

#7  As Zhang Fei notes, naturalized citizens have papers which they keep. Native born citizens, on the other hand, (may) have birth certificates which they might never have occasion to request.

See here for a tepidly amusing tale of a native-born US citizen who never knew (or actually needed to know) her legal name until she was 64. I would think that being required to produce proof of citizenship would be harder on people like her (and maybe those naturalized Americans who've been citizens a long time) than on new citizens.
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2004-09-26 11:18:55 AM  

#6  Naturalized citizens have had citizenship classes (manditiory I thought) and know how to freeking register and vote. Every high school student in California has a manditory government course where they are taught all about the Constutition, Bill of Rights and voting. Don't pass the class you can 't graduate high school. Most of those new citizens would be proud as hell to show off their citizenship papers.

This is all about democrats using illegals (used to a nanny state and subsdised tortillas) to steal elections in urban California, Los Angles, San Deigo, San Fransisco, Sacremento and San Jose. You will recognize all those being spanish place names. The democrtats know how to steal elections here they been doing it for years.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2004-09-26 5:25:05 AM  

#5  Others call it discrimination. "It is specifically, I believe, targeting immigrants who have become citizens of the United States," said Jess Durfee, chairman of the San Diego Democratic Party.

This guy's gotta be joking.

Right?
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-09-26 4:30:35 AM  

#4  Immigrants who become citizens receive naturalization papers. Democrats just want those of their supporters who are illegal aliens to be able to vote for them.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-09-26 1:29:55 AM  

#3  Well thats not the way it works in California in my county. You show up give your name and address they check the role and hand you a ballot after you sign your name. No id no nothing. I vote absentee now but I have never been asked for a id to vote.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2004-09-26 1:10:27 AM  

#2  Illegals don't have to go the polls to vote. The California Democratic Party casts absentee ballots on their behalf. Ask Loretta Sanchez.
Posted by: Random thoughts   2004-09-26 1:02:33 AM  

#1  I can't see the problem. I have a voter registration card which I always present to the voter check-off ladies at the poll without being asked.

It makes things go faster. They don't have to ask me to spell my name, etc.

I honestly don't see what the big deal is.

Of course, I don't have tissue-thin skin like the left does.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-09-26 12:30:25 AM  

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