Watchdogs: Illegal driving permits can impact voting
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A bill working its way through the state legislature would give driving privileges to people who are here in the U.S. illegally.
House Bill 328 passed a committee hearing Tuesday and will soon make its way to the floor for a vote.
Some government watchdogs, however, are pushing back saying it doesn't go far enough to punish illegal immigrants who have used IDs in the past to cast a vote in an election.
Rep. Harry Warren has been working on HB328 for three years. He said it would ensure undocumented immigrants who are already driving on North Carolina roads are qualified and insured.
Warren told ABC11 he's received more than 10,000 signatures and hundreds of letters from people who support the bill.
HB328 would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a restricted driver permit or ID that would look different from a standard driver's license.
Applicants would have to provide fingerprints, undergo a background check, and prove their identity.
To obtain driving privileges, they would have to pass a state driving test and purchase insurance.
While government watchdog Jay DeLancy applauds the bill for ensuring the IDs are marked specifically so their owners can't try to vote with them at the polls, he argues it doesn't go far enough.
He said the bill should require the DMV to share non-citizen data with the State Board of Elections so those who have illegally voted in the past can be prosecuted.
The bill's sponsors say that's a problem for other legislation, such as the Voter Information Verification Act to address.
"It is a felony to... for a non-citizen to vote and we would like for the board of elections to have all the tools they need in order to make sure that none have," said DeLancy, the Director of the Voter Integrity Project-NC.
"That concern of the folks who may be on the voter rolls, that's not an issue being addressed by this bill," said Warren. "This is actually directed at folks who are here illegally now and finding out who they are."
Gov. Pat McCrory, along with other Republicans, has stated his opposition to HB328 as it stands, saying North Carolina should not give driving privileges to people who are in this country illegally.
