The oversized postcard sent to people who aren’t registered to vote in Rhode Island had an unusual question. For the first time, Rhode Island sent cards specifically to immigrants who are living in the state, legally, with green cards. The card asked: “Has your U.S. citizenship status changed? If so, you may be eligible to vote!”
About 34,000 legal immigrants received the mailer prior to the Oct. 4 registration deadline, according to Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea.
Gorbea said it was an effort to reach people who might have become U.S. citizens since they last had contact with the R.I. Department of Motor Vehicles.
The names and addresses came from the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center, which uses driver’s license records crossed with voter registration data. Because Rhode Island does not issue licenses to undocumented immigrants, they were not contacted, she said.
The Electronic Registration Information Center notifies states if people have a license in another state, and it shares other information that might indicate they’ve moved, Gorbea said.
Until this year, Rhode Island sent out a single postcard to those who have obtained a driver’s license but who are not registered to vote – no matter the citizenship status. This year, she sent out two versions. One version went to 108,750 unregistered citizens. Another went to 34,000 people listed by the DMV as noncitizens authorized to live and work in the U.S.
No mailers were sent to other groups.
The two mailings cost about $25,000, paid for with state general revenue, Gorbea said.
She described the effort as a tailored approach at voter education. People who have obtained citizenship may not be aware they are now eligible to register to vote, she said.
“There is a chance that since they got that driver’s license, two years ago, three years ago ... that they have obtained citizenship,” she said. “Who tells them that they are now eligible?”
What if someone is confused by the language and applies in error to register?
Gorbea said people would have to declare, in writing, that they are a U.S. citizen.
“That is why our cards made it very clear what the eligibility is and how to go about this,” she said. “The registration form itself will ask them again – are you a citizen? – and they have to answer affirmatively.”
The Electronic Registration Information Center, which now has 30 states as members, requires its members to send out a postcard to potential voters based on the data it provides, according to Director Shane Hamlin.
He wasn’t aware of any other state sending separate postcards for people with green cards.
John Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island, said he’s concerned that immigrant residents who receive the mailer might be confused about what it means.
It is a felony for noncitizens to apply for voter registration in Rhode Island, not just to vote, he said.
“If this outreach occurs, it has to be done very carefully so it doesn’t confuse those who aren’t eligible because of their immigration status,” he said. “We don’t want to put someone in jeopardy, even if our intentions are good.”
Gorbea said her office does not know how many of the people who received the mailers have registered to vote. She said the wording is clear on the registration form, as well as the postcard.
“They have to swear they are a U.S. citizen. A person who is not a U.S. citizen ... [here] on a green card is not going to do that,” she said.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
