New York Senate Democrats passed a bill that, if signed into law, would automatically register people to vote when they interact with the DMV. This comes just months after governor Andrew Cuomo signed the ‘Green Light Bill’ into law which allows illegal aliens in New York the right to a driver’s license.
The summary of the bill states its intent to “establish an electronic personal voter registration process integrated within designated agency applications.”
Documents processed at the DMV and Department of Health would apply.
This legislation “would create a system of automatic voter registration when a person submits an application to the Department of Health or the Department of Motor Vehicles,” CNN reports.
Individuals applying for a driver’s license would have to physically “opt-out of voter registration at the point of service” per the bill’s summary.
The bill calls for a check box which applicants would need to select in order to ensure they are not registered. Obviously this is not fail-safe as the individual would have to pro-actively check a box to opt out and the bill even spells out the penalties if a non-citizen were to register or pre-register using the system.
The bill will now move on to the Democrat-controlled Assembly, and if passed, could be signed into law by Cuomo. It would take effect two years after becoming law.
RELATED: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Signs Bill Granting Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants
Last year, Andrew Cuomo & his allies in the State Legislature created a new law to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Now they are creating a new automatic voter registration law where if that person doesn’t “opt out” than they will be automatically registered to vote.
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) January 10, 2020
Republicans Concerned About Fraud
Republican state Senator Jim Tedisco, who voted against the legislation, previously explained that granting licenses to illegals is a slap in the face to people who come to this country legally.
“Giving driver’s licenses to those here illegally sends the wrong message to honest, law-abiding citizens and those who are trying to do the right thing and have been in line for quite some time to become American citizens,” he said at the time of the ‘Green Light Bill’ being signed into law.
Will this new legislation allow for voter fraud issues? If so, it would be absolutely reprehensible.
State Senator Pat Gallivan expressed concerns on the matter.
“Some people have more concerns than others – I don’t believe that there’s this great conspiracy, but I think the system is susceptible to those that are undocumented, and here, undocumented and not eligible to vote in New York State, that would automatically be registered,” Gallivan said.
Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns, a longtime opponent of the ‘Green Light Law’ points out a conflict between the two bills that could create a problem.
“What it did is it put it in conflict with the Green Light Law because according to the Green Light Law, we are not allowed to ask someone what their status is, and in this bill, it says we will have to ask for status.”
RELATED: Standing Their Ground: Upstate NY Clerks Refusing to Give Illegal Immigrants Driver’s Licenses
Did you know:
A proposed New York law will give automatic voter registration to anyone receiving a drivers license
…Right after Democrats passed a law to give licenses to illegal aliens
This was their plan all along
RT if illegals should be deported NOT registered to vote!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 9, 2020
Voter Fraud
The Political Insider in June warned of the potential of voter fraud if illegal aliens are given a driver’s license, citing reports of a loophole in the law that would allow it.
Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said at the time, “All this is by design, and I’m guaranteeing within a year, they’re going to start to say let’s just let them vote, they’re here anyway.”
Democrats have pointed out that section 5 of the bill would prevent non-citizens from being automatically registered.
That section below reads: “Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no agency designated under this section shall transmit to the state board of elections any application for registration for a person that is … ineligible to register or pre-register to vote by reason of age or not being a citizen of the United States.”
“5 NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW TO THE CONTRARY, NO AGENCY DESIGNATED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL TRANSMIT TO THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS ANY APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION FOR A PERSON THAT IS, BY VIRTUE OF DATA COLLECTED BY THE AGENCY DURING THE SAME APPLICATION FOR SERVICES OR CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR NAME TRANSACTION, DEMONSTRABLY INELIGIBLE TO REGISTER OR PRE-REGISTER TO VOTE BY REASON OF AGE OR NOT BEING A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES.”
If DMV is not allowed to ask an applicant’s status, there’d be no way to transmit information on an illegal immigrant to the Board of Elections.
While tweaks to the bill have been made to prevent non-citizens from being registered to vote, flaws in this and the ‘Green Light Law’ could create some major issues.
