N400 accidental dmv voter registration

[Gmc_101 4]

Hi all I am preparing to apply my N400 and the question about EVER registering to vote is a tricky one for me. Came to US in 2010 and when I got my first driver license then I remember I was asked if I wanted to register to vote. I remember saying no, but i think i got a receipt of registration and some election mail a few months later. I didnt specifically go to unregister at the time I guess I was too naive or young to care..But I know I never voted as I know that non citizens cannot and should not vote.  A few years later around 2016 or so I got called for jury duty and I promplty told them I was not a citizen and didnt serve on the jury. However I dont have proof of this as I think I mailed them the letter that came with the jury summons. Fast forward I later became a LPR and I’m going to qualify to apply n400 in Oct this year. When reviewing the N400 and the question about EVER registering to vote and Im not sure how it will impact the outcome. I checked the voter registry for my state and it basically says cant find me in the registry and suggests contacting local office  but I do remember getting election mail a couple of times so Im a bit nervous on how to answer it. Also because the incident was before the LPR status so would it adversely affect me?  other than this i dont have any tickets or anything and always paid taxes on time etc.  

 

i went through a lot of the threads here and the latest field manual etc which talks about such instances and that if the registration was done unknowingly it shouldnt impact n400 but the burden of proof lays on the applicant. Now I know I provided the dmv with my foreign passport for ID and there is no way I ever clicked or claimed to be a citizen at the time. But Im not sure how I prove this. 
 

 

im basically thinking i donno how to prove it was an unknowing error or mistake, and since the incident was pre lpr i dont want to jeopardize lpr status so one thought is to face it if/when it becomes necessary in future and continue as is for now without applying n400. But at the same time I dont want to just bury this now and further complicate it. Im also not sure if I contacting the local election office would further cause more trouble now. 

 

i do plan to hire a lawyer but want to know your any suggestions or thoughts please? Is it even worth for me to take the risk?

[Nashmusah 29]

2 hours ago, Gmc_101 said:

Hi all I am preparing to apply my N400 and the question about EVER registering to vote is a tricky one for me. Came to US in 2010 and when I got my first driver license then I remember I was asked if I wanted to register to vote. I remember saying no, but i think i got a receipt of registration and some election mail a few months later. I didnt specifically go to unregister at the time I guess I was too naive or young to care..But I know I never voted as I know that non citizens cannot and should not vote.  A few years later around 2016 or so I got called for jury duty and I promplty told them I was not a citizen and didnt serve on the jury. However I dont have proof of this as I think I mailed them the letter that came with the jury summons. Fast forward I later became a LPR and I’m going to qualify to apply n400 in Oct this year. When reviewing the N400 and the question about EVER registering to vote and Im not sure how it will impact the outcome. I checked the voter registry for my state and it basically says cant find me in the registry and suggests contacting local office  but I do remember getting election mail a couple of times so Im a bit nervous on how to answer it. Also because the incident was before the LPR status so would it adversely affect me?  other than this i dont have any tickets or anything and always paid taxes on time etc.  

 

i went through a lot of the threads here and the latest field manual etc which talks about such instances and that if the registration was done unknowingly it shouldnt impact n400 but the burden of proof lays on the applicant. Now I know I provided the dmv with my foreign passport for ID and there is no way I ever clicked or claimed to be a citizen at the time. But Im not sure how I prove this. 
 

 

im basically thinking i donno how to prove it was an unknowing error or mistake, and since the incident was pre lpr i dont want to jeopardize lpr status so one thought is to face it if/when it becomes necessary in future and continue as is for now without applying n400. But at the same time I dont want to just bury this now and further complicate it. Im also not sure if I contacting the local election office would further cause more trouble now. 

 

i do plan to hire a lawyer but want to know your any suggestions or thoughts please? Is it even worth for me to take the risk?

Just contact your local office as you have been told and verified,  because I knew only US citizens do vote, that you can't vote when you are not a citizen. 

Good luck 👍. 

[Dashinka 24,660]

I agree, check with your local clerks office, and if you are registered, ask to be taken off the voter roll, and also see if they can provide you with proof that you never voted.  If you were registered automatically, you will have to answer yes to the question, and if the clerk provides you with your voter record showing you did not vote, you should be able to show the IO that this was not you purposefully registering to vote.

 

Good Luck!

[Gmc_101 4]

Thanks for your comments. It gave me confidence to call the county office. They confirmed they did receive the registration with the response as “NO” to the usc question. They said despite that the dmv must have sent them the registration and they have cancelled it  long back. Also they confirmed there is no voting record, which I know I never voted but good to hear that as well. They are going to send me the copy of the dmv application and the records. Anything else I should ask from the county office? Based on this Im thinking my n400 should be ok. Right?

 

thank you all again!

[Dashinka 24,660]

2 hours ago, Gmc_101 said:

Thanks for your comments. It gave me confidence to call the county office. They confirmed they did receive the registration with the response as “NO” to the usc question. They said despite that the dmv must have sent them the registration and they have cancelled it  long back. Also they confirmed there is no voting record, which I know I never voted but good to hear that as well. They are going to send me the copy of the dmv application and the records. Anything else I should ask from the county office? Based on this Im thinking my n400 should be ok. Right?

 

thank you all again!

Since your local office confirmed everything you should be fine.  What is unclear is did they register you, and then remove you, or not register you at all.  If the latter you should check yes to the question and add the evidence showing it was accidental.  If they never registered you, you should check no.

 

Good Luck!

[Gmc_101 4]

Thanks for your comments. They said they registered even though the question ‘are you a usc’ was answered as NO. Then later they cancelled it after about 5 years. 
 

with this the way it is, do I need to get a lawyer still? Im wondering that even though my records will show the response aa ‘no’ to the usc question will the IO consider it bad for me not unregistering myself? Or will this be outside of the 5 year gmc period? (Assuming this because there is no false claim to usc but the dmv still registered me). Thank you!

 

i also just checked the n400 form and it has now combined question for voter registration and voting. Should I be answering this as no or yes? With explanation and proof ofcourse. 

[Timona 4,208]

1 hour ago, Gmc_101 said:

Thanks for your comments. They said they registered even though the question ‘are you a usc’ was answered as NO. Then later they cancelled it after about 5 years. 
 

with this the way it is, do I need to get a lawyer still? Im wondering that even though my records will show the response aa ‘no’ to the usc question will the IO consider it bad for me not unregistering myself? Or will this be outside of the 5 year gmc period? (Assuming this because there is no false claim to usc but the dmv still registered me). Thank you!

 

i also just checked the n400 form and it has now combined question for voter registration and voting. Should I be answering this as no or yes? With explanation and proof ofcourse. 

 

For? 

[Gmc_101 4]

I meant if there would be any questions from IO. Just being cautious. 

44 minutes ago, Timona said:

 

For? 

 

[Dashinka 24,660]

4 hours ago, Gmc_101 said:

I meant if there would be any questions from IO. Just being cautious. 

 

I don’t think you would need a lawyer.  It seems you will have the evidence showing you answered the question from the DMV that you were not a USC, and the proof you never voted.  I expect this is something the IO’s have seen before.

 

Good Luck!

[Gmc_101 4]

Thank you!

 

I might be overthinking but just one more angle to consider as Im worrying if there will be questions during my interview. the inadvertent registration occurred before my LPR status. The county cancelled it by themselves. Later when I applied for LPR I had no recollection of this and the 485 form never asked this specific question so I never bothered much. Now for N400, even though I have proof I affirmatively said NO to the usc question, would it be an issue for LPR status because the whole thing occurred prior to that and since I didnt actively go cancel it for years.  Would this jeopardize LPR status itself? Should I be worried and how to respond to questions like why didnt you mention this on 485 etc. I really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks.