I suppose the furor may revolve around subsection c of the statute (which was added in 2020 when I really do believe the GOP controlled the Senate).
(c)Subsection (a) does not apply to an alien if—
(1)each natural parent of the alien (or, in the case of an adopted alien, each adoptive parent of the alien) is or was a citizen (whether by birth or naturalization);
(2)the alien permanently resided in the United States prior to attaining the age of 16; and
(3)the alien reasonably believed at the time of voting in violation of such subsection that he or she was a citizen of the United States.
this obviously addresses in the main kids brought to the US whose parents then gained citizenship and the kids grew up watching them vote and assumed they could too. (It's not the same situation of DACA kids, who know they can't vote).
It basically says that such kid might vote once but after getting told s/he can't, voting again would not be reasonable. No punishment for that one time. Hardly a horde.
But it's more about those "lying aliens" which the GOP sees in such numbers because of course, everyone lies about things, as evidenced by their own practice. I'm guessing they are going to require birth certificates. That is a problem for a LOT of people because they can't get one--either they aren't sure exactly where they were born, or the place they were filed has burned down, or similar.
And even ordinary born in the USA citizens can get caught. I went on a cruise that made a stop in Canada, so I needed a passport or enhanced drivers license. I've had passports since I was 12, but the last one had expired. Given the length of time passport renewals were taking, I thought I'd better also apply for an enhanced DL. THAT required a certified copy of my birth certificate, so I wrote to the state.
Time passed. My passport arrived. My certified copy seemed lost in the depths of bureaucracy. Finally, shortly before the trip, it arrived. And both my name and my father's name were misspelled.
I have a uncertified copy of my birth certificate, so I KNOW the original didn't have the misspelling. But what I got was useless to get an enhanced DL. Since the passport was here, I bagged that process. But think what would have happened to my right to vote if I'd moved to a different state, didn't have a passport, and confronted this stupid error.
I've told this story a couple of places: apologies if it was here.
The federal law prevents one from doing certain things, like boarding an airplane, without one if you don't have a passport. But it doesn't require a state to require one for folks who simply want to drive to the grocery store. Most states now routinely make a normal driver's license meet the federal requirements, as far as I can tell. Here in Washington, it is optional.
It is going to stop being optional eventually. Originally the law required states to be in full compliance with their drivers licenses by October of 2023. That has been extended to May 7, 2025. Assuming that deadline holds, I'm going to have a year or two cut off the length of time before I have to renew my current license. But since I now have a current passport, it is just a matter of getting my butt in gear to go to a driver's license place and showing it to them.
The point of my story is simply that even if one knows perfectly well where one was born, getting a birth certificate to prove you can vote can be fraught with human error.
I suppose the furor may revolve around subsection c of the statute (which was added in 2020 when I really do believe the GOP controlled the Senate).
(c)Subsection (a) does not apply to an alien if—
(1)each natural parent of the alien (or, in the case of an adopted alien, each adoptive parent of the alien) is or was a citizen (whether by birth or naturalization);
(2)the alien permanently resided in the United States prior to attaining the age of 16; and
(3)the alien reasonably believed at the time of voting in violation of such subsection that he or she was a citizen of the United States.
this obviously addresses in the main kids brought to the US whose parents then gained citizenship and the kids grew up watching them vote and assumed they could too. (It's not the same situation of DACA kids, who know they can't vote).
It basically says that such kid might vote once but after getting told s/he can't, voting again would not be reasonable. No punishment for that one time. Hardly a horde.
But it's more about those "lying aliens" which the GOP sees in such numbers because of course, everyone lies about things, as evidenced by their own practice. I'm guessing they are going to require birth certificates. That is a problem for a LOT of people because they can't get one--either they aren't sure exactly where they were born, or the place they were filed has burned down, or similar.
And even ordinary born in the USA citizens can get caught. I went on a cruise that made a stop in Canada, so I needed a passport or enhanced drivers license. I've had passports since I was 12, but the last one had expired. Given the length of time passport renewals were taking, I thought I'd better also apply for an enhanced DL. THAT required a certified copy of my birth certificate, so I wrote to the state.
Time passed. My passport arrived. My certified copy seemed lost in the depths of bureaucracy. Finally, shortly before the trip, it arrived. And both my name and my father's name were misspelled.
I have a uncertified copy of my birth certificate, so I KNOW the original didn't have the misspelling. But what I got was useless to get an enhanced DL. Since the passport was here, I bagged that process. But think what would have happened to my right to vote if I'd moved to a different state, didn't have a passport, and confronted this stupid error.
I've told this story a couple of places: apologies if it was here.
Your passport is acceptable for the RealID.
You mean to get it? I have a passport card now, why bother. At the time, the point is I had neither and thought the Real ID would be faster. Silly me.
I dunno dear - maybe because it’s required by law?
no, Real ID isn't required by law here. And I think a passport works for airplanes and such.
I could very well be wrong but I am pretty sure it’s a federal law. You might want to make sure.
The federal law prevents one from doing certain things, like boarding an airplane, without one if you don't have a passport. But it doesn't require a state to require one for folks who simply want to drive to the grocery store. Most states now routinely make a normal driver's license meet the federal requirements, as far as I can tell. Here in Washington, it is optional.
It is going to stop being optional eventually. Originally the law required states to be in full compliance with their drivers licenses by October of 2023. That has been extended to May 7, 2025. Assuming that deadline holds, I'm going to have a year or two cut off the length of time before I have to renew my current license. But since I now have a current passport, it is just a matter of getting my butt in gear to go to a driver's license place and showing it to them.
The point of my story is simply that even if one knows perfectly well where one was born, getting a birth certificate to prove you can vote can be fraught with human error.