I voted but I'm not a US citizen

[punkster 0]

Does anyone of you know someone who made the same mistake.

I wrongly assumed that as a permanent resident it was ok to participate in local election.

I am in such trouble

any advice will be greatly appreciated

[Lansbury 19]

Does anyone of you know someone who made the same mistake.

I wrongly assumed that as a permanent resident it was ok to participate in local election.

I am in such trouble

any advice will be greatly appreciated

Some local elections as a non citizen you are allowed to vote in it just depends on the rules for that election.

I cannot vote in my city elections as they adopted the rules the County have for their elections and they state you must be a citizen. Check the rules for the election you voted in first to make sure you should not have done so.

[punkster 0]

Does anyone of you know someone who made the same mistake.

I wrongly assumed that as a permanent resident it was ok to participate in local election.

I am in such trouble

any advice will be greatly appreciated

well this afternoon I called USCIS and an officer told me that NO I should not have register to vote. That it's a felony and I am subject to deportation.

[warlord 73]

Registering to vote is a serious INS offence. The N-400 has a question on that, they will also ask you in the interview. They are trained to tell if you are lying as well, so you can't hide that. People have been denied their N-400's and deported for that.

So either forget about the N-400 or if you really do want it, you'll have to hire a good immigration attourney to help you out and help you get represented in the interview.

Regardless of if you knew or not it was illegal in INS standards, that won't matter. The fact you did register has now put a serious flag on your status...

[desert_fox 32]

Didnt you bother to read the affadavit before signing the registration form??

In every jurisdiction that I know of, it's a felony.

[punkster 0]

Didnt you bother to read the affadavit before signing the registration form??

In every jurisdiction that I know of, it's a felony.

Once I read that there was a difference between being a US citizen and being a citizen of the United States. The difference was that a US citizen (like my wife) was born in the US and that a citizen of the United States (like me) was a foreign national living legally in the USA. Today I learned that this isn’t true. There is no difference at all.

Unfortunately approximately 18 months ago I proudly registered to vote.

So when I did fill the registration card I checked the box saying that yes I was a citizen of the United States, because I wrongly believed I was one.

I knew that only US citizens can vote for the presidential and federal elections but was under the impression that as a permanent resident I was granted the privilege to vote on local elections. That’s why I did register.

Today I was reading the “Welcome to the United States a Guide for new Immigrants” published by the USCIS, and stumbled on page 18 where it says I can’t vote for a federal or local election open only to US citizens. I decided to call USCIS to ask how do I know when I can and cannot vote. That’s when the immigration specialist told me that NO under any circumstance I should register or vote.

Then I went on the USCIS website and at the bottom of the page titled “now that you are a permanent resident”. It is clearly printed: “As a Permanent Resident you can only vote in local and state elections that do not require you to be a US citizen.” But how can I vote if I’m not registered?

Anyway I know now I made a big mistake I 'm looking for advices...am I the only one not perfect here. Please if you know of a similar story I'll be glad to know about it

[Boiler 45,544]

I would immediately de-register.

And forget about the Naturalisation.

If you are still interested, wait 5 years and then have a word with an Immigration Lawyer.

Have you actually voted? That would compound the problem.

But the big problem is the misrepresentation of being a USC. Deportation and life ban, if they find out and follow through. I can not imagine your excuse would fly.

[desert_fox 32]

Didnt you bother to read the affadavit before signing the registration form??

In every jurisdiction that I know of, it's a felony.

Once I read that there was a difference between being a US citizen and being a citizen of the United States. The difference was that a US citizen (like my wife) was born in the US and that a citizen of the United States (like me) was a foreign national living legally in the USA. Today I learned that this isn’t true. There is no difference at all.

Unfortunately approximately 18 months ago I proudly registered to vote.

So when I did fill the registration card I checked the box saying that yes I was a citizen of the United States, because I wrongly believed I was one.

I knew that only US citizens can vote for the presidential and federal elections but was under the impression that as a permanent resident I was granted the privilege to vote on local elections. That’s why I did register.

Today I was reading the “Welcome to the United States a Guide for new Immigrants” published by the USCIS, and stumbled on page 18 where it says I can’t vote for a federal or local election open only to US citizens. I decided to call USCIS to ask how do I know when I can and cannot vote. That’s when the immigration specialist told me that NO under any circumstance I should register or vote.

Then I went on the USCIS website and at the bottom of the page titled “now that you are a permanent resident”. It is clearly printed: “As a Permanent Resident you can only vote in local and state elections that do not require you to be a US citizen.” But how can I vote if I’m not registered?

Anyway I know now I made a big mistake I 'm looking for advices...am I the only one not perfect here. Please if you know of a similar story I'll be glad to know about it

????

A citizen is a citizen. It doesn't matter if they were natural born or naturalized.

You are NOT a US Citizen nor a Citizen of the US. You are a legal Perm. Resident.

To vote in any eletion, be it Federal, State, or Local you have to be registered. In order to register you must be a US Citizen.

I would call the registrar of voters today, and get yourself off the voting rolls as a starter.

[pj1959us 0]

I guess you haven't read about Zoila Meyer?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/06/24/councilw...ndex.html?imw=Y

[diadromous mermaid 36]

I would immediately de-register.

And forget about the Naturalisation.

If you are still interested, wait 5 years and then have a word with an Immigration Lawyer.

Have you actually voted? That would compound the problem.

But the big problem is the misrepresentation of being a USC. Deportation and life ban, if they find out and follow through. I can not imagine your excuse would fly.

I'd be consulting a competent immigration attorney, first off. I wonder if it makes a difference if it is a "willful" misrepresentation or not. I recall reading something about the consequences of false claims of citizenship with respect to I-9 entries, that were not as dire when or if the alien could demonstrate that it was due to a misunderstanding of the terminology.

By the way, I could well surmise that this can happen quite accidentally, without premeditation or malintent, desert_fox. In some countries 'citizenry' refers to inhabitants or the folk that reside there and has little to do with legality of their immigrant status or their right to vote.

[Jasman0717 9]

This poses an interesting question, how would the Registrar of Voters verify of a person was a citizen or not, especially in a highly populated area like Orange County California?

[^KK^ 3]

This is an interesting subject here...

[Boiler 45,544]

Probably the easiest thng to register for, is to vote. Requirements vary but are very minimal. Much harder to get a SSN or DL.

I do not think the I-9 is a valid comparison, more akin perhaps to trying to get through Immigration by claiming you are a USC.

[Lansbury 19]

Registering to vote is a serious INS offence. The N-400 has a question on that, they will also ask you in the interview. They are trained to tell if you are lying as well, so you can't hide that. People have been denied their N-400's and deported for that.

So either forget about the N-400 or if you really do want it, you'll have to hire a good immigration attourney to help you out and help you get represented in the interview.

Regardless of if you knew or not it was illegal in INS standards, that won't matter. The fact you did register has now put a serious flag on your status...

Especially has he has already called them and confessed to the crime, time to spend serious money on an attorney.

[pj1959us 0]

When you register to vote one must proclaim US citizenship, among other things.

For instance, trying to register to vote online I received the following:

Register To Vote - Illinois

I swear/affirm that:

I am a United States citizen.

I meet the *eligibility requirements of my state and subscribe to any oath required.

The information I have provided is true to the best of my knowledge under penalty of perjury. If I have provided false information, I may be fined, imprisoned, or (if not a U.S. citizen) deported from or refused entry to the United States.

*eligibility requirements (Illinois):

To register in Illinois you must: be a citizen of the United States; be a resident of Illinois and of your election precinct at least 30 days before the next election; be at least 18 years old on or before the next election; not be in jail for a felony conviction; not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

On this form you then fill out the appropriate info, print out and mail it in. The onus for registering is on the one registering, not the registrar's office to verify what is being sworn to is true. It matters not whether it's an "honest mistake"...since the terms are quite clear when registering it would be difficult to claim ignorance.