Intentional Voter Intimidation
Thu Oct 19, 2006 at 01:52:31 PM PDT
The letter sent to 14,000 Hispanic Democratic voters in Orange County warns them that they could face incarceration and deportation if they vote. The letter has been traced back to the campaign of Tan D. Nguyen, a Republican challenger to Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA).
Now, the strawman argument being put forth by conservatives is that this is just a measure to cut down on voter fraud by keeping illegal residents from exercising a U.S. citizen's right to vote. Except, read it again.
It says "if your residence in the United States is illegal or if you are an immigrant" you can be arrested and deported. Now, for all of those in the first group, the residents that are here illegally, yes, that punishment is possible and should be enforced. Voting is a right guaranteed to U.S. citizens only. Any illegal immigrant caught trying to vote is punishable by the fullest extent of the law.
For the other group, just plain immigrants, it's voter intimidation. This letter, that was sent to legal, naturalized immigrants who are full fledged citizens of the United States of America with all of the rights that that distinction entails, tells them they could suffer the same fate as those here illegally.
The intent of the letter was not to stop voter fraud. The intent was to keep naturalized, legal, Hispanic voters from voting under the guise of warning illegal residents that they can't vote.
Another conservative argument is that perhaps it was a typo. Or shoddy proof reading. Maybe their intended message didn't come across. On the contrary, I believe their intended message is coming through loud and clear: don't vote if you're Hispanic, you might get deported.
This is clearly voter intimidation. And illegal. The group responsible for sending this letter will be the ones trying to keep out of jail, not the ones threatening to put others in.
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