Qualifications to Legally Vote

 

By Antonio Benedi
WashingtonTimes.com

I am amazed and bothered by the idle way we in the United States conduct our elections. The issue at hand is who exactly is qualified to vote in the United States. For the past few elections, especially in 2008 and 2012, people voted who did not meet the qualifications.

The early voting now seems to be holding that pattern of not requiring proof of citizenship. The U.S. Constitutional requirement of voter eligibility states that a person needs to be eighteen years old and most importantly, a United States citizen. As stated in the Constitution in Amendment 14 Section 1, “All persons born or naturalized” are citizens of the U.S. and the state in which they reside.

Why, then, are so many non-citizens voting in our elections?

I was born in Cuba and my family and I came to the United States in 1960 fleeing the brutal communist takeover by Fidel Castro and his goons. Many Cubans fled in the same manner. We were welcomed with the open arms and generosity by this great country. We in turn respect and love our adopted country and abide by its laws. Many Cuban refugees fought in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and many have served our country in the military and elsewhere, as I have.

We strived to make a difference in this great nation. One of our goals was to participate fully in this democracy. We waited our turn and became “naturalized” U.S. citizens.

Becoming a U.S. citizen was one of the happiest moments of my life and of my family’s. We wanted to be able to vote and to make a contribution to our communities and our nation. We do these actions in order to fulfill our civic duties, our obligations. When my family and I went to register to vote we needed to show proper identification and proof of citizenship. This means we needed either a birth certificate or our Naturalization papers. This was a requirement to ensure that only U.S. citizens of the proper age would be able to vote.

Now we see differing voting requirements across the country. The Constitution allows the states some leeway in how they conduct their elections, early voting as an example.  Most states have the provision that you must be a United States citizen to vote. Some do not. Some do not even require a formal ID.

But it is the “law” that for all federal elections, you must have proof of U.S. citizenship. either by birth or Naturalization.  This federal requirement includes

the election of U.S. Members of Congress, U.S. Senators, President of the United States and Vice President of the United States.  In all states, the ballots have the “federal” candidates that require U.S. citizenship to vote for, together with the local and state candidates that may not have such citizenship requirements.

There is no differentiation or distinction made at the voting centers of whether the voter is a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen.  They all can vote for all candidates. This is a clear violation of the law when voting for “federal” candidates.  We have allowed illegal aliens, foreign nationals, criminals, and enemies of our country to vote for the highest offices of our county. No other country allows such a travesty.

How can we have honest, clean elections when we do not even require a photo ID? In the states that require identification, only a driver’s license or another form of ID is asked for. No proof of citizenship is asked for. Anyone can get a driver’s license. This lack of verification can lead our elections to be compromised by outside forces that do not have our best interest at heart.

Our current administration and its Justice Department have done all they can to get rid of the requirements needed to vote in this country. This is obviously done for political reasons. This is done without any regard for the sanctity of our “votes”. With so many illegal aliens pouring into this country and an administration that is bypassing Congress and printing millions of “green cards,” it is only a matter of time that these non-citizens will be voting and shaping our country’s future. No other country in the world would allow non-citizens to vote and have an effect on its future. If we continue in this destructive path of defiance and complacency, we will lose our voices.

Our history is mixed on the voting rights that have lead to this. But what is clear is that the requirement of citizenship is mandatory to vote for “federal office”. Our Secretaries of State need to enforce both state laws and federal laws to ensure we do not lose our God-given right to govern ourselves. Our Founding Fathers fought for the right to govern ourselves and not to be dictated by foreign forces. 

As a proud, voting, citizen of the United States, I call on all responsible authorities to enforce the law and assure that our elections are legal and our voters are U.S. citizens. Voters need to have been born in the United States or be Naturalized citizens.

Antonio Benedi is former Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush and a naturalized United States citizen.