How big a problem is it for the N400 application if my wife accidentally registered to vote?

[Wildstar 2]

Hi,

 

My wife (permanent resident for over 10 years) is currently applying for citizenship, and I am concerned if an accidental past voter registration will be a major obstacle to approval.

 

A few years ago she finally got around to getting her driver's license, and while at the department of motor vehicles office, she apparently had to answer a few questions on the computer. One of these questions was about voter registration, and as she was nervous during this entire process she apparently got confused and clicked "yes" she wanted to be registered, although she had no interest in doing so. Her English is good but certainly not perfect. I wasn't there so I don't know exactly how this question was phrased, but according to an example from the state that I found online, the question may have looked like this:

"(1) “Voter Registration Not Found” - screen.

• Select “Yes, I am a U.S. citizen. Register me to vote.”

• Select “No, do not use my information to register me to vote.”

• Select “I Am Already Registered to Vote."

 

If that is correct, she must have mistakenly clicked on the first option, which unfortunately includes claiming to be a U.S. citizen.  Anyway, the voter registration was cancelled by the state board of elections a year or so later when they discovered my wife is not a citizen, but she is still in their database as having once been registered. She never voted during that time, and never had any intention of doing so.

 

Unfortunately the N-400 application requires the following two questions to be answered, and I fear we have to answer "Yes."

 

Have you EVER claimed to be a U.S. citizen (in writing or any other way)?

Have you EVER registered to vote in any federal, state, or local election in the United States?

 

Is this going to be huge problem for her application?  Is there anything we can do to try to mitigate any damage? Submit some additional evidence or something?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dashinka 24,591]

I found this that may be relevant.  She probably needs to attach an explanation as to why she answered yes to the voter registration question.
 

Good Luck!

 

https://www.murthy.com/2021/07/19/uscis-update-policy-on-naturalization-eligibility-following-voter-registration/

[VinnyH 61]

3 hours ago, Dashinka said:

I found this that may be relevant.  She probably needs to attach an explanation as to why she answered yes to the voter registration question.
 

Good Luck!

 

https://www.murthy.com/2021/07/19/uscis-update-policy-on-naturalization-eligibility-following-voter-registration/

 

Interesting link thanks.

So basically, if you accidentally registered to vote, you should be fine, but if, as part of the registration process there is a specific question asking you to confirm that you are a USC (I guess it would depend on each state's DMV) and you replied "yes", then you might run into an issue because you clearly misrepresented that you are a USC.

 

I agree that OP's wife should have with her all the justification documentation and ready for a strong explanation.

[Dashinka 24,591]

23 minutes ago, VinnyH said:

 

Interesting link thanks.

So basically, if you accidentally registered to vote, you should be fine, but if, as part of the registration process there is a specific question asking you to confirm that you are a USC (I guess it would depend on each state's DMV) and you replied "yes", then you might run into an issue because you clearly misrepresented that you are a USC.

 

I agree that OP's wife should have with her all the justification documentation and ready for a strong explanation.

I agree, if the question was something like the OP mentioned it could be an issue.

 

• Select “Yes, I am a U.S. citizen. Register me to vote.”

 

Maybe @pushbrk will weigh in.

 

Also, the OP can do a search on "accidentally registered to vote" in the search engine to see if there are recent examples and outcomes.