Fast Question

[Sand 5]

Hello.

In Part 10 of N-400 Application Question # 2 & 3

2- have you ever registered to vote in any federal, state, or local election in the United states?

3-have you ever voted in any federal, state, or local election in the Unite states?

Now lots of people sometimes forget if they voted or not. so in this case what should we do ? check Yes and on a seperate sheet write there Not sure or what ??? oh by the way sometimes when we go to the store we see some people standing there asking people to register to vote for put Tax down or sometimes for the electricity price. act.. is this also mean voting for local election or no really?

Thanks alot,

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

I think you are asking about Voting in elections for government officials ex: Mayor, Senator, President. ? If you EVER voted for this type thing, thats what the question is asking you about.

[Sand 5]

I think you are asking about Voting in elections for government officials ex: Mayor, Senator, President. ? If you EVER voted for this type thing, thats what the question is asking you about.

No i have never Voted for Mayor, Sen or Pres.

but this what i was asking about it ..

sometimes when we go to the store we see some people standing there asking people to register to vote for put Tax down or sometimes for the electricity price. act.. is this also mean voting for local election or no really?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Only registered voters can sign petitions about things to be put on a ballet. Only US citizens can register to vote. I hope you did not fill in the forms to register. It could cause issues.

[Dakine 26]

Hello.

In Part 10 of N-400 Application Question # 2 & 3

2- have you ever registered to vote in any federal, state, or local election in the United states?

3-have you ever voted in any federal, state, or local election in the Unite states?

Now lots of people sometimes forget if they voted or not. so in this case what should we do ? check Yes and on a seperate sheet write there Not sure or what ??? oh by the way sometimes when we go to the store we see some people standing there asking people to register to vote for put Tax down or sometimes for the electricity price. act.. is this also mean voting for local election or no really?

Thanks alot,

It's illegal for a alien to be registered to vote in a federal election.

[DrKunzle09 0]

If you have ever voted in any elections (even local elections), your application will most likely get denied. Only US citizens are eligible to vote or serve on the jury.

[nigel 7]

yep members are correct...

One of the main reasons to become a usc is because you have the right to vote in a Federal Election.

[Sand 5]

No i never did that.

[Jay & Beverly 0]

No i have never Voted for Mayor, Sen or Pres.

but this what i was asking about it ..

sometimes when we go to the store we see some people standing there asking people to register to vote for put Tax down or sometimes for the electricity price. act.. is this also mean voting for local election or no really?

If I understand correctly, your concern is that you have gone to the store and perhaps signed things you thought were votes for lowering taxes or lowering the price of electricity.

Just to re-assure you, stores typically aren't balloting places. Voting for local and federal elections occur at civic buildings, such as a school, a town hall, or a court house. I've also known several churches that were used for elections halls. However, stores can be used by anyone wanting to have a measure placed on the next ballot to collect signatures for that purpose alone.

What I suspect you have encountered at the stores are people with petitions trying to gather the number of signatures require to to have certain things (in the cases you mentioned: taxes and electricity) added to the next voting ballot. This means you have not voted in a local election. That being said, you still should not be signing your name on petitions as you are not a legal voter. All names on petitions are verified to ensure the person signing is legally able to vote. This is to prevent voter fraud. They have been several famous cases of fraud where petitioners signed the name of deceased persons to their list.

I know I may have given a lot of extra information but I just wanted to make sure I covered ever possibility for you but there is one last item. If there were more signatures than your own on where you signed, and you signed in front of a person who could see you write then that is just a petition... Voting ballots are signed individually and only by the person voting. They are always filled out in the privacy of a booth or kiosk so that nobody could see how the person voted.

[lucyrich 19]

If you have ever voted in any elections (even local elections), your application will most likely get denied.

Not only that, you'll lose your green card status and be deportable. They take this VERY seriously. Unfortunately, it's very easy to register to vote -- you don't need to provide proof of your citizenship, you just need to sign a statement attesting to it. There are civic groups with volunteers who try to register voters, and some of those well-meaning volunteers don't realize the devastating consequences that improper registration can have to the immigration status of non-citizens.

If you're not yet a citizen, stay away from all election type things!

If you think you may have registered to vote, seek professional legal help.

As far as signing a petition is concerned, most petitions are only open to registered voters, which in turn must be citizens. If you signed a statement saying you were a registered voter or saying you were a citizen, that could constitute falsely claiming to be a citizen, which can also be a serious problem.

[Redneck-NOVA 1]

As far as I know, voting itself is NOT a deportable offense. What is in fact a serious offense that may cause deportation, is claiming to be a US Citizen while you are not.

But here is the thing. In order to vote you need to register to vote. In order to register to vote you may or may not have to prove your Citizenship, but you HAVE to sign a statement that you are a US Citizen. If you ever signed any paper claiming to be a US Citizen while you were not (sometimes they ask you this question on DL application or other non-immigration and non voting-related forms), then you commited a serious offense.

If you signed a petition with a long list of names to put a candidate or issue on a ballot...this is a grey zone... I'm sure many people did since as you mentioned, they often shove these petitions in your face by the store entrance without any explanation and you don't see any requirments as to who can and who cannot sign such petition. Normally most of them say that only registered voters can sign it, but I'm not sure if by signing it without knowingly affirming to be a registered voter you really commit any offense. It seems that it's more of a warning to them rather than to you. It's a grey zone. Realistically, chances are that this will never be discovered and even if it was, chances are that no action would be taken against you. And even if it was, a lawyer can probably get you out of it.

Either way, they will have to find it and prove it. You don't have to disclose it on the form since you are not asked this question. The only questions on the form are whether you voted in any election and whether you registered to vote in any election. If you all you did is sign a petition, you can answer "No" to both of this questions and stop there. There is no question like "have you ever signed a petition to support a candidate claiming to be a registered voter."

[lucyrich 19]

As far as I know, voting itself is NOT a deportable offense. What is in fact a serious offense that may cause deportation, is claiming to be a US Citizen while you are not.

See INA 237(a)(6)(A) "IN GENERAL- Any alien who has voted in violation of any Federal, State, or local constitutional provision, statute, ordinance, or regulation is deportable."

It's ALSO true that falsely claiming citizenship makes one deportable (see INA 237(a)(3)(D)).

You don't have to disclose it on the form since you are not asked this question. The only questions on the form are whether you voted in any election and whether you registered to vote in any election. If you all you did is sign a petition, you can answer "No" to both of this questions and stop there. There is no question like "have you ever signed a petition to support a candidate claiming to be a registered voter."

See part 10, question A1. It asks if you've ever claimed to be a US citizen in writing or in any other way.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I think you are asking about Voting in elections for government officials ex: Mayor, Senator, President. ? If you EVER voted for this type thing, thats what the question is asking you about.

No i have never Voted for Mayor, Sen or Pres.

but this what i was asking about it ..

sometimes when we go to the store we see some people standing there asking people to register to vote for put Tax down or sometimes for the electricity price. act.. is this also mean voting for local election or no really?

What you do when you sign one of those petitions is you are requesting the government to address certain issues. Some of the petitions require you to be a citizen but not all of them do. Some are appropriate if you are a just taxpayer, or just a resident of the area. It is not considered a vote in a local election; it means you are stating a position that is being made known to the appropriate level of government. Just make sure that the petition or whatever you are signing does not state that you sign as a US citizen.

If you are registered to vote you will receive a voter registration card in the mail and your name will be on the voter's list. If you are concerned that your name may have been added without you being aware, you can check with your local Secretary of State's office and see if someone has listed your name as a voter. I don't believe it can be added without you also submitting identification to prove who you are (showing your Driver's License, etc.) so I suspect you are not registered.

For the sake of the citizenship application, however, if you have not registered to vote and have not voted in any official election with polling places on a specified date of an election, you can put down 'no'.

[Redneck-NOVA 1]

As far as I know, voting itself is NOT a deportable offense. What is in fact a serious offense that may cause deportation, is claiming to be a US Citizen while you are not.

See INA 237(a)(6)(A) "IN GENERAL- Any alien who has voted in violation of any Federal, State, or local constitutional provision, statute, ordinance, or regulation is deportable."

It's ALSO true that falsely claiming citizenship makes one deportable (see INA 237(a)(3)(D)).

You don't have to disclose it on the form since you are not asked this question. The only questions on the form are whether you voted in any election and whether you registered to vote in any election. If you all you did is sign a petition, you can answer "No" to both of this questions and stop there. There is no question like "have you ever signed a petition to support a candidate claiming to be a registered voter."

See part 10, question A1. It asks if you've ever claimed to be a US citizen in writing or in any other way.

I stand corrected on voting statement.

But as far as the questions on the form are concerned, I'd disagree. Claiming to be a citizen is claming to be a citizen. Signing a petition that mentioned nothing about being a citizen is NOT claming to be one. The fact that petition is only open to registered voters who in turn must be citizens doesn't necessarily mean that by signing it you claimed to be a citizen. In the worst case, you signed a petition that you had no right to sign, but it doesn't mean that you claimed to be a citizen, unless petition clearly stated "sign only if you are a Citizen" and even then it's a grey zone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating doing it and it's clearly better to stay away from such actions. All I'm saying is that it's not as criminal as you make it sound. IMHO and IANAL, YMMV

[Sand 5]

Thank you so much guys and ladies. and Yes i didn't registered or voted, but double check i will do like what Kathryn41 said i will call the local secretary of state office and i'll ask and i hope they will show some help

Edited December 2, 2009 by Sand