October 22, 2007 -- ALBANY - State election officials are worried that Gov. Spitzer's plan to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses will make it difficult for them to catch people voting illegally.
"There has been concern," state Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian told The Post.
While it is up to the local boards of election to determine who is eligible to vote, it is rare that election officials check into a person's legal status, particularly if they have identifying information on their voter-registration form like a driver's license or the last four digits of a Social Security number, Daghlian said.
In order to register, a person must sign an affidavit stating that they are an American citizen.
"You assume that people don't lie, and that's what the form says," Daghlian said. "It's an affidavit you sign under penalty of perjury."
But Daghlian concedes, "Nobody checks it" to determine its validity.
At the polls, voters are asked to show some form of photo ID, like a driver's license, to prove their identity, Daghlian said.
"I suppose it would be [tough to catch] if someone wanted to take advantage of the system and try to get a number of people registered who aren't citizens and went ahead and got them driver's licenses," he said.
Spitzer last month announced that beginning in December, the state will allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses by no longer requiring that applicants provide Social Security numbers or letters that a person is not eligible for such a number.
Critics of the plan expressed concerns about homeland security and said it would make New York ripe for voter fraud.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10222007/news/regionalnews/elex_bigs_fear_fraud_in_gov_li.htm
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