Posted by Jonathan Adler:
>From Voter ID to Proof of Citizenship:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_05_11-2008_05_17.shtml#1210597749
The State of Missouri may adopt a state constitutional amendment
requiring proof of citizenship for voting. As the New York Times
[1]reports, the stated purpose of this requirement is to prevent
voting by illegal immigrants and other non-citizens.
Voting experts say the Missouri amendment represents the next
logical step for those who have supported stronger voter ID
requirements and the next battleground in how elections are
conducted. Similar measures requiring proof of citizenship are
being considered in at least 19 state legislatures. Bills in
Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina have strong support.
But only in Missouri does the requirement have a chance of taking
effect before the presidential election.
In Arizona, the only state that requires proof of citizenship to
register to vote, more than 38,000 voter registration applications
have been thrown out since the state adopted its measure in 2004. .
. . More than 70 percent of those registrations came from people
who stated under oath that they were born in the United States, the
data showed.
Already, 25 states, including Missouri, require some form of
identification at the polls. Seven of those states require or can
request photo ID. More states may soon decide to require photo ID
now that the Supreme Court has upheld the practice. Democrats have
already criticized these requirements as implicitly intended to
keep lower-income voters from the polls, and are likely to fight
even more fiercely now that the requirements are expanding to
include immigration status. . . .
Measures requiring proof of citizenship raise the bar higher
because they offer fewer options for documentation. In most cases,
aspiring voters would have to produce an original birth
certificate, naturalization papers or a passport. Arizona and
Missouri, along with some other states, now show whether a driver
is a citizen on the face of a driver�s license, and within a few
years all states will be required by the federal government to
restrict licenses to legal residents.
Critics say that when this level of documentation is applied to
voting, it becomes more difficult for the poor, disabled, elderly
and minorities to participate in the political process. . . .
Supporters of the measures cite growing concerns that illegal
immigrants will try to vote. They say proof of citizenship measures
are an important way to improve the accuracy of registration rolls
and the overall voter confidence in the process. . . .
From October 2002 to September 2005, the Justice Department
indicted 40 voters for registration fraud or illegal voting, 21 of
whom were noncitizens, according to department records.
Welcome to the next round of debate and litigation over voter
identification.
References
1.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/us/politics/12vote.html?ex=1368331200&en=96c8ad97b67eef0f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
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