Story Published:
Aug 25, 2010 at 11:13 PM CST
Story Updated:
Aug 27, 2010 at 9:27 AM CST
Actual letter from Homeland Security (names blotted out to protect the....)
The fact that the Department of Homeland Security has a form with a number on it (Form N-14, in case you’re looking for one), suggests that it’s happened before: the need to be removed from the roll of registered voters.
But to Putnam County, Tennessee, Administrator of Elections Debbie Steidl, located in Cookeville, it’s all new territory, and somewhat disturbing territory, at that. Appearing this week on the nationally syndicated Fox news program, Channel 5 news and others, Stiedl has had several opportunities to recount the story of a voter who shouldn’t have voted returning to ask that his name be removed from the rolls so that he can become a citizen.
And the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent him into Steidl’s office with a form.
In an interview with CookevilleTimes, Steidl said the story began a few days before the elections, when a man came in asking to be purged from the rolls. “We told him that we could purge him after the election, but he gave me a sheet and said that Memphis had told him to do this.” I made a copy of the letter which instructs him to come to the election office, have his name purged, send the information to him about when he voted and explain when he realized that he was not an American Citizen.
The letter says that they will only continue to process his citizenship request if he returned the information by August 22.
Steidl contacted Homeland Security and inquired about the procedures for reporting voter fraud when they were involved. She was informed that, because the voting event was in 2004, the statute of limitations had run out (after four years you cannot go back and prosecute this particular felony).
“This bothers me as a citizen and concerns me for my country. This office is not allowed to question someone in this circumstance – they did exactly what they should have done, given the documents that were presented and questions that were answered.”
I spoke to the DA about writing a letter and he said “You can write me a letter, but the only thing I can do is file it because the statute of limitation has expired.”
After that I called Mark Owens, head of elections here in Tennessee, and that he told her “You write that letter and I did. Channel 5 news followed up from there and since then I’ve heard from people all over the country.”
In a county where a single vote can make all the difference Steidl would like to see the system examined so that this cannot occur again. She says that she doesn’t blame the voter, but a system that defines a process for eliminating evidence of voter fraud.
Anyone who comes in with two forms of identification to show where they live and sign the affidavit may vote. “I have problems with that…but that’s the way it is.”
“It bothered me that the D.A. said there’s nothing he could do. And it bothers me that this individual signed an affidavit saying that he was a U.S. citizen….and then was asked a few years later to write a letter to Homeland Security stating the date that he learned he was not a citizen. It just seems backwards.” Said Steidl.
“This man, by his own admission, had gotten a social security number, two forms of i.d. and perjured himself in order to vote in a Presidential Election. That’s a felony. And yet, because the statute of limitations has run out I’m now supposed to purge his record so that he can pursue citizenship?” Stiedl seems incredulous and disturbed that Homeland Security would facilitate that process.
Many voters agree. But it’s not yet clear whether voter dismay will lead to reformation in the systems and laws that govern the process.
Watch the video for what was NOT shown on television.
