Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White’s office announced on January 22 that an error in Illinois’ new automatic voter registration system led to possibly 545 non-U.S. citizens being registered to vote. 574 people who self-identified as non-citizens were erroneously forwarded to elections officials to be registered to vote and 545 of them were registered:
“It was a computer error. We moved to correct it and contacted people involved.”
Illinois State and Federal Law Forbid Non-Citizen Voters
Noncitizens have been deported for voting illegally, even when they were unaware they were ineligible. According to Dave Druker in the Secretary of State’s office, “The cases are believed to involve people who have legal permission to live in the U.S., like green card holders. Illinois allows immigrants living in the country without legal permission to get drivers licenses through a separate process not linked to voter registration.”
Chicago immigration lawyer Mario Godoy advises,
“If you have ever voted or if you have ever registered to vote DO NOT file for citizenship without speaking to an immigration attorney. A claim to U.S. citizenship is one of the grounds of removal from the United States.”
Learn More:
• Should I Apply For Citizenship or a Green Card If I Voted
• States That Don’t Require a SNN to Get a Driver’s License
An experienced immigration lawyer can help you evaluate the circumstances and why you voted illegally, and the best course of action to move forward with your immigration or citizenship application. United States immigration laws are complex and are updated frequently. If you have a question about immigration, contact Mario Godoy and the immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago, Illinois at 855-554-6369.
