In other words, as stated by Charles Bell, Jr., a partner with California-based Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP, a law firm that specializes in election law, “applicants can check a box affirming they are citizens, and this is not checked against any other government database such as federal immigration records.”

But the process doesn’t end there:

If the voter indicates, by checking the “No” box, that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, the registration may not be entered on the voter rolls. The elections official should send the voter a returnable card or letter requesting clarification as to whether or not the voter is a U.S. citizen. If the voter returns the card indicating that he or she is a U.S. citizen, the VRC should be entered on the voter rolls. If the card is returned and the voter indicates he or she is not a citizen, or if no response is received from the voter, then the voter shall not be registered.

If the voter does not check either the “Yes” or “No” box do not process the registration.

A prior version of the document was even more lenient, stating that:

If the voter does not check either the “Yes” or “No” box, and the registration is otherwise complete, the registration should be processed normally and entered on the voter rolls.

Number of Illegal AliensAccording to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the most recent data provided, “12.1 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States in January 2014…California remained the leading state of residence of the unauthorized immigrant population in 2014, with 2.9 million, nearly 25 percent of the total number.”

Interestingly, the numbers from the DHS had changed little from their prior 2012 study, when they provided an estimate of 2,830,000 illegal immigrants residing in California. In a further note of question, the DHS cited a figure of 2,840,000 illegal immigrants in 2007—10,000 higher than in 2012 and virtually identical to 2014 levels.

According to a September 2018 study published in the journal PLOS ONE, there are roughly 22.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States. As the authors note “even using extremely conservative model parameters, we estimate a population of 16.7 million undocumented immigrants.”

Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, President Barack Obama said in a Nov. 4, 2016, video interview with mitú (at the 3:22 mark) that election records are not cross-checked against immigration databases, noting that “when you vote, you are a citizen yourself, and there is not a situation where the voting rolls somehow are transferred over and people start investigating, et cetera. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential.”

This let non-citizens know that they stood little chance of being caught if they voted.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, has recently increased prosecutions of those caught voting illegally. In August, nineteen foreign nationals, including those from Mexico, Nigeria, and the Philippines, were indicted.

Ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections, President Donald Trump has warned against voter fraud.

“All levels of government and Law Enforcement are watching carefully for VOTER FRAUD, including during EARLY VOTING,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Oct. 20. “Cheat at your own peril. Violators will be subject to maximum penalties, both civil and criminal!”

This article is part of my ongoing series at The Epoch Times.