I believe EVERYBODY should have to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a valid ID when voting.
10 legal residents charged with voter registration fraud
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3714651
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has charged 10 legal residents who are not U.S. citizens with fraudulently registering to vote, and more residents are being investigated, he said.
Of the 10, four actually voted in recent elections. Another tried to vote, but his ballot was rejected, Thomas said.
All 10 people charged are legal residents of the United States; One is German, one is from Tonga and the rest are Hispanic with seven from Mexico and the last from an unspecified country, according to the affidavits.
The 10 are among 159 people the County Attorney's Office is investigating for voter fraud.
The group was discovered after admitting they were not citizens on jury duty affidavits, but county officials discovered they were still registered to vote.
"The voters of Arizona spoke to this issue by passing Proposition 200 in 2004, which requires proof of citizenship in order to vote," Thomas said. "And it is our hope that this new requirement, once enacted, will help prevent cases such as this."
All 10 residents were charged with presentment of a false instrument, a felony with a presumptive sentence of one year in prison. However, people convicted of such lower-level felonies often receive probation.
The other 149 cases are still under investigation, and Thomas said that he expected more indictments.
Margarito Blancas, 30, of Phoenix, one of the 10 indicted, said his registration "was a mistake on my part."
In 1992, when he registered for the Selective Service, he was offered a voter-registration form, he said.
"I thought you were eligible to do that at the same time," he told The Arizona Republic.
Proposition 200 bars illegal immigrants from receiving certain public benefits and makes it a crime for public employees to fail to report undocumented immigrants who seek the benefits outlined in the legislation. A separate provision requires people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Former state lawmaker Alfredo Gutierrez, a main critic of Proposition 200, accused Thomas of singling out Hispanics and called the indictments a "racially motivated" attempt to justify Proposition 200.
"Are there 10 people inappropriately registered to vote? I'm sure there are," Gutierrez said. "There have been cases of inappropriate voting registration from time to time."
By law, jurors must be U.S. citizens, and they cannot be felons.
Karen Osborne, director of elections for the county, said that since some voting provisions of Proposition 200 went into effect in January, 7,181 out of 16,391 people who registered to vote in Maricopa County were rejected for lack of proof of citizenship.
10 legal residents charged with voter registration fraud
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3714651
Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has charged 10 legal residents who are not U.S. citizens with fraudulently registering to vote, and more residents are being investigated, he said.
Of the 10, four actually voted in recent elections. Another tried to vote, but his ballot was rejected, Thomas said.
All 10 people charged are legal residents of the United States; One is German, one is from Tonga and the rest are Hispanic with seven from Mexico and the last from an unspecified country, according to the affidavits.
The 10 are among 159 people the County Attorney's Office is investigating for voter fraud.
The group was discovered after admitting they were not citizens on jury duty affidavits, but county officials discovered they were still registered to vote.
"The voters of Arizona spoke to this issue by passing Proposition 200 in 2004, which requires proof of citizenship in order to vote," Thomas said. "And it is our hope that this new requirement, once enacted, will help prevent cases such as this."
All 10 residents were charged with presentment of a false instrument, a felony with a presumptive sentence of one year in prison. However, people convicted of such lower-level felonies often receive probation.
The other 149 cases are still under investigation, and Thomas said that he expected more indictments.
Margarito Blancas, 30, of Phoenix, one of the 10 indicted, said his registration "was a mistake on my part."
In 1992, when he registered for the Selective Service, he was offered a voter-registration form, he said.
"I thought you were eligible to do that at the same time," he told The Arizona Republic.
Proposition 200 bars illegal immigrants from receiving certain public benefits and makes it a crime for public employees to fail to report undocumented immigrants who seek the benefits outlined in the legislation. A separate provision requires people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Former state lawmaker Alfredo Gutierrez, a main critic of Proposition 200, accused Thomas of singling out Hispanics and called the indictments a "racially motivated" attempt to justify Proposition 200.
"Are there 10 people inappropriately registered to vote? I'm sure there are," Gutierrez said. "There have been cases of inappropriate voting registration from time to time."
By law, jurors must be U.S. citizens, and they cannot be felons.
Karen Osborne, director of elections for the county, said that since some voting provisions of Proposition 200 went into effect in January, 7,181 out of 16,391 people who registered to vote in Maricopa County were rejected for lack of proof of citizenship.
.
