Action | 2015 Voter Registration Application Regulation and Form Update |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/3/2015 |
The proposed list of items that do not render invalid or disqualify the application serve to obfuscate and make totally ambiguous the currently starred item in Block 1 regarding U.S. citzenship. The proposed change allows skipping marking the block which positively and affirmatively declares the applicant to be a U.S. citizen. But Block 7 Affirmation only declares that the applicant meets Virginia's requirements for citizenship. This formulation completely covers over the requirement for U.S. citizenship. It misleads the applicant by allowing them to believe that if they are a resident of Virginia they are a citizen of Virginia. But they are not required to positively affirm they are a U.S. citizen by marking block 1 as required in the current form.
This obfuscation and designed ambiguity will lead to widespread voter fraud and (conveniently) allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in Virginia elections without accountability. In closing, I am totally opposed to making Block 1 "optional". It should and must remain a requirement along with affirmation signature in Block 7.