Could Minnesota Voting Debacle Happen in Washington State?

If it seems like people's emotions intensify during election time it's because they do.  Long gone, apparently, are the days when we believed the structure of our elections had integrity and we had faith in the proper execution of one of most important rights.  Maybe it began with 'hanging chads' in Florida?  It could go as far back as 1960 and the rumors around what happened in Chicago.  Then there are those tales about 1920s Chicago (again with 'The Windy City') and how Al Capone influenced an election or two.

These days, there is little concern about getting rousted at a polling place or your place of employment in an attempt to direct your vote.  There are laws at the federal and state levels meant to guard against voter fraud.  That doesn't mean people haven't tried (and gotten caught) trying to game the system.  What about those who haven't tried and mistakenly commit voter fraud...it has happened, and more often than you think.

A Non-Citizen in Minnesota Blows the Whistle

A man, legally living in Minnesota but not a U.S. Citizen, came forward recently with a huge concern.  he received a ballot in the mail to vote in the 2024 primary election.  As a non-citizen he wasn't supposed to, but a new law signed in 2023 by Gov. Tim Walz (now the candidate for Vice President) called "Driver's License for All" may have created the issue.

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Critics say the law, allowing state residents, regardless of immigration status, to obtain a license, poses a problem for County Auditors who use the State Voter Registration System to check for eligibility.  The man who came forward revealed he didn't register to vote, didn't request a ballot, but wound up on the voter roll and got a primary ballot in the mail.

Washington State Has Been Doing This For Six Years

In 2018 the State Legislature passed HB 2595.  That bill automatically registered to vote anyone who received an enhanced driver's license, enhanced ID, or renewed their existing license or ID.  To avoid registering non-citizens, applicants were supposed to be provided an ability to decline voter registration.

Last spring, The Center Square did a deep dive into the "motor voter" law to see if voter registration issues arose.  What they found should concern every resident of the State.  In some cases foreign nationals were registered to vote even though they made it clear to the person at the DMV they were not citizens.

What is worse is that the Secretary of State's office is prohibited from verifying citizenship when they get a voter registration.  There were alarms being raised about the potential of voter fraud, intentional or not, not long after the bill went into effect.

The Non-Citizen is put in A Terrible Position

The foreign national, who may not know they have been registered to vote while obtaining their driver's license, could have their immigration status jeopardized through no fault of their own.  They don't even have to fill out and return a ballot to have a problem, just receiving the ballot can put them in a precarious spot.  Making false claims of voting eligibility (being registered when you aren't a citizen) is a Class C felony with a fine of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison.

That means the non-citizens has the burden to prove they didn't intentionally deceive during the process of getting their enhanced license or ID card.  The publication goes on to mention that multiple people working in election offices around the state raised concerns about integrity of the process.  In case you were wondering this issue may not be limited to Washington State and Minnesota.  Sixteen other states have laws similar regarding driver's licenses/ID cards and voter registration.