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Australian faces expulsion for voting illegally in US
From AP
30jan00

An Australian citizen is facing expulsion from the United States for illegally voting in three elections between 1996 and 1998.

Michael Hull, 43, of Milford, said he never intended to break the law and didn't know his status as a permanent resident alien made him ineligible to vote. In Australia, voting is compulsory for citizens.

He pleaded no contest in 1998 to three counts of illegal voting and was sentenced to probation and 150 hours of community service.

Although he has repeatedly said his voting was a misunderstanding, Hull was notified this week that he may be expelled from the country.

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service sent him a letter stating that a hearing on his status will be held within the next few months.

"I pay my taxes and I try to be a good, model citizen," he said. "I don't want to leave. I love this country."

Hull said his troubles started in 1995 when he filled out a voter registration card while renewing his driver's licence. He said a clerk asked if he wanted to register and handed him a form.

Without reading it carefully, Hull signed his name and began voting in elections. He learned that he was breaking the law when he refused jury service on the basis that he was not a citizen.

Hull said his case will be heard by a judge in Cleveland, but a date has not been set.

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Comment:
Hmmmmmmm. I must have been on this forum too long. Does this mean there are Americans that actually vote and that someone worthwhile is available for whom to vote? I wonder who he votes for? HeHeHe...banished for being involved...hehehe

Regards from OZ

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 29, 2000

Answers

INS tends to own the judges in Cleveland (ref John Demjanjuk) but they DO have a certain amount of native inteligence.

C

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 29, 2000.

LOL, most Americans don't vote. Wonder what motivated this prankster?

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 30, 2000.

While he is being expelled (rightly) for breaking a major law (only allowing citizens to vote), other aliens are voting regularly in elections... It is a crime that needs to be enforced equally, note merely against a single Australian.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), January 30, 2000.

Mad Monk,

You've opened a can of wrigglies.
Is it possible that a lax voting system allowing aliens to cast a vote can be stacked?
Are there any efforts of checks and balance regarding this?
Are such efforts succesful?
Is there a political will to police wrongful voting, or is it only happenchance someone got caught?

My interest: Branch stacking is alive and well down here. Court case resolution pending following acrimonious slandering. Fun times.

Regards from OZ

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 30, 2000.

They must have caught him voting for a Republican.

-- JB (noway@jose.com), January 30, 2000.

I wonder how many of the 5 Million or so hispanics, GW is courting are actually naturalized US Citizens,eligible to Vote?

-- Liberator (Feeding@the Trough.com), January 30, 2000.

Bob (B1) Dornan was VILIFIED for accusing the oposition for collecting votes from hispanic Illegal Aliens. Sued them for it for his seat in Washington, lost the suit, and a few months later the perps admitted that they HAD done JUST what he said.

Checka adn Balances on VOTING???? Depends on your point of view.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 30, 2000.

This mis-emphazised crackdown on illegal voting reminds of what our gov't does re processing immigration requests for Englishmen who wish to become US citizens.

Back in WA in the '80s we were overrun by illegal Mexican aliens who, using the subterfuge of making sure their pregnant wives delivered in the States, were thereby entitled to the full rack of our welfare giveaways, including free medical care (while my farmer patients, who footed the tax bill, couldn't afford my office fees.) These illegals were streaming across the border in hordes, and staying permanently -- while another interesting phenomenon was occurring:

Our good friend, an English lady married to a Yank and thereby possessing an automatic US citizenship, was attempting to help her mother gain entrance to the States from B.C. where she had emigrated several years prior. This lady was educated, civil, intelligent, in good health, trained in several occupations and thus easily employable -- in other words, a great asset to our nation.

Well, Uncle Sam made her jump through hoops, over and over, for several years until finally they PERMANENTLY REJECTED HER APPLICATION.

Buy, hey can I find any fault with America? Not me. Everything's just hunky dorry. Uh oh ..... pardon me, I have to sign off now -- have to go check my NASDAQ 'investments.' ..... BTW did you read the item on October 17th last that stocks have reached "what appears to be a permanent high plateau"? Yep that's the latest from Prof. Irving Fisher. Uh, what did you say? ... I have the date wrong? .... It's not October 17th, 1999 --- it's October 17th, 19 twenty nine? Oh ... sorry 'bout that.

Bill, in Virtual Dreamland

-- William J. Schenker, MD (wjs@linkfast.net), January 30, 2000.