Registration of illegal aliens could undermine upcoming election

The Alamance County Sheriff's Office is in the process of examining voter registration records to root out illegal immigrants who might attempt to vote Nov. 2.

"We have been faced with a significant issue with illegal aliens getting driver's licenses in North Carolina, using fictitious names and incorrect or nonexistent addresses," said Randy Jones, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Illegal licenses primarily are considered a problem because of unaccountability with traffic tickets and crime. But with Election Day only weeks away, the issue has become a political one.

Officials in the sheriff's office said there has been an upswing in the numbers of illegal immigrants who have obtained licenses with false documentation.

"(Illegal registration) has been a long-running problem and we warned of this months ago," Jones said.

Of the 125 voter registration records studied by the sheriff's office, 87 are believed to be illegal.

But Kathy Holland, director of the Alamance County Board of Elections, said the board is not aware of such large numbers of fraudulent registration.

She said the information provided on the registration card is believed to be true until proven otherwise.

"According to what knowledge I have, we do not know of one person who is registered illegally," she said.

Bill Jones, spokesman for the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, said the voter registration process assumes a degree of honesty.

He said potential voters must confirm that they are U.S. citizens, will be living in North Carolina 30 days before the election, will be 18 years old by the next general election and are not convicted felons.

This information is then sent to the county Board of Elections for processing, but Bill Jones said a loophole in the registration process could allow for illegal access.

"They don't have to provide documentation that they are a citizen of the United States but do have to swear that they are," he said, adding that lying carries a penalty of perjury.

Illegally registering to vote is a Class I felony and has a minimum sentence of four to six months jail time.

The loophole could impact the election significantly, considering that many illegal aliens obtain more than one license by using different names and addresses.

Randy Jones reported that one man was arrested for illegally obtaining a total of nine licenses, all to different names. Having nine licenses also would grant him the opportunity to vote nine times.

"(Illegal voter registration) is degrading our political process," Randy Jones said. "One vote, one person."

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