Important Voter Registration Question ahead of my N-400

[pantherboy 1]

Hi all, I just went to the California Secretary of State website to check to see if I'm registered to vote. And it shows that the system has no record of me whatsoever (see attached screenshot, I input name, social and driver's license number)

 

Does this mean that I have never registered to vote, like EVER? 

 

This is life and death question for my future as possibly a naturalized citizen.

[VeVe 76]

If you are not a Citizen, you cannot vote.  If it's not showing anything,  that's good. Do not register until you are a citizen.

[pantherboy 1]

4 minutes ago, VeVe said:

If you are not a Citizen, you cannot vote.  If it's not showing anything,  that's good. Do not register until you are a citizen.

I know that only USC are allowed to vote, that's why I'm checking to see that I have not broken any laws?

 

Again my question is: does that (the fact that they have no information of me) mean that I have NEVER registered to vote?

Edited March 8, 2020 by pantherboy

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

48 minutes ago, pantherboy said:

I know that only USC are allowed to vote, that's why I'm checking to see that I have not broken any laws?

 

Again my question is: does that (the fact that they have no information of me) mean that I have NEVER registered to vote?

It would appear so in the state of CA at least. But one would question why you are so concerned that you may have registered to vote at one time. One would surely remember...

[pantherboy 1]

Just now, Luckycuds said:

It would appear so in the state of CA at least. But one would question why you are so concerned that you may have registered to vote at one time. One would surely remember...

Because I've heard horror stories on how LPRs have made innocent mistake of registering to vote when applying/renewing their driver's license. And so I have doubt myself as I live in CA and it is really easy to register to vote here (the past 10 minutes of searching threads on this forums are proof).

[African Zealot 1,455]

It appears from what you’re saying you don’t recollect ever voting or registering to vote and the publicly available database seems to imply the same.

 

End of matter, unless someone accuses you of otherwise in which case they (USCIS?) must be the ones to prove you did vote. Note that the unforgivable sin is actually voting, not just registering to vote. If someone registered to vote but didn’t actually vote, that is not fatal and can be rectified.

 

You're fine 

 

Personally I think such a draconian law without wiggle room for pardoning innocent offenders is unAmerican and should be struck down, but who am I.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Ray.Bonaquist

[pantherboy 1]

11 minutes ago, Ray.Bonaquist said:

It appears from what you’re saying you don’t recollect ever voting or registering to vote and the publicly available database seems to imply the same.

 

End of matter, unless someone accuses you of otherwise in which case they (USCIS?) must be the ones to prove you did vote. Note that the unforgivable sin is actually voting, not just registering to vote. If someone registered to vote but didn’t actually vote, that is not fatal and can be rectified.

 

You're fine 

 

Personally I think such a draconian law without wiggle room for pardoning innocent offenders is unAmerican and should be struck down, but who am I.

I definitely know that I have NEVER voted. In terms of registering to vote, it's a different matter as it is really easy to make this mistake, especially during DMV visits. And that's why I have doubt and I am asking to make sure that I am good to go in terms of applying for N-400 in the future.

[xyz12345 260]

12 hours ago, pantherboy said:

I definitely know that I have NEVER voted. In terms of registering to vote, it's a different matter as it is really easy to make this mistake, especially during DMV visits. And that's why I have doubt and I am asking to make sure that I am good to go in terms of applying for N-400 in the future.

If you're saying that you or somebody else could have attempted to register you to vote without you knowing it, just be happy that you've NOT been registered to vote, like everyone have already said.

 

 

[Marieke H 2,510]

Looking at your post history, I can tell that you overthink and stress too much. You seem to be looking for problems that aren't even there. Try to relax and take a deep breath. It's good to do your research, be prepared, and understand what the rules are. But don't take it too far. In this case: you have never voted, and you're not registered to vote. So there is no problem; let it go.

[Loren Y 2,755]

This is about the third time I have seen this question in a week. I had to know myself if it really was that easy to end up registered to vote. I called my friend who is currently a director at the Nevada DMV and he has assured me that years ago due to this being an issue as you have seen in posts before, there is no way with the current computer systems and SAVE verification that you would be automatically registered to vote if you are not eligible. He said it is not just state specific, it is a national rule. I am sure you received a letter with your ID card, or while you were at the DMV applying for a license or ID card similar to the one below. (This one is dated 2019 Revision, but they use it currently), but he assured me they have been issuing these letters for years before that. The computer will not let even the newest fresh out of training employee to register you by mistake. He said the chances of that happening are so slim he offered me a bet on it ( We are in Vegas) that if I could show actual proof of this happening ( Other than some random post on a forum) he would cover my next vehicle registration ( So I could save 300 bucks on this bet, so send me the proof please). Letter they use here in Nevada is below.

vote reg_compressed.pdf

Edited March 9, 2020 by Loren Y

[pantherboy 1]

So I was at the DMV today and found out that they DID register me to vote. I then called my county voter registration office and also the Secretary of State (CA) and both places confirmed to me that I am NOT registered.

 

Why is this the case? My theory is that CA DMV automatically registers people to vote initially but when they check immigration status as noncitizen, they don't send that information off to the state. Maybe...