On his show Wednesday, independent journalist Nick Shirley raised concerns about a possible voter registration loophole in California that might allow illegal immigrants to vote.
In a conversation with Gaines, Shirley recounted his visit to the San Diego County Voter Registration Office. He questioned an employee about the absence of a government-issued ID requirement for voter registration.
The employee explained, “When you sign the affidavit, you are swearing that you are telling us the truth, and we will compare the signature you put on the application with the signature you signed…”
Shirley probed further, asking if not requiring ID might leave room for errors, particularly concerning undocumented immigrants voting in the state. The employee dismissed the notion, questioning how illegal aliens could even vote.
“Even if they don’t have ID, if they can sign for ‘Richard Sherman,’ they can technically vote, right?” Shirley suggested. The employee responded, “Yeah, but they’re probably lying…” She added her doubts that illegal immigrants would misuse the registration process.
Gaines pressed Shirley on whether the employee’s views represented naivety about potential system abuse or if there was a deliberate attempt at political corruption. Shirley noted how surprisingly trusting the employee seemed, implying a belief that no fraudulent activities occurred within voting.
“Yes, and God bless this woman. She’s just doing her job, right? What’s happening in California is not her fault, but this just shows how easy it is for anyone to vote,” Shirley stated.
He shared a message from someone non-American who traveled to California just to illustrate how simple it is to commit voter fraud. “So after I posted that video, someone contacted me. They claimed, ‘I’m actually Canadian and I came to California to vote to show you how easy it is to vote.’”
Shirley remarked on the many places where numerous individuals are registered to vote, including some questionable ones. “Some of them are UPS stores…others are universities that have 50 people enrolled,” he noted, suggesting that many irregularities in registrations could be eliminated simply by requiring ID.
In a response to inquiries, the California Secretary of State’s office stated that recent claims of widespread election fraud are just recycled misinformation. They added that such posts are inaccurate and reflect a misunderstanding of California election laws.
The office refuted Shirley’s assertions regarding UPS stores as registration locations, clarifying that per the California Election Code, a custodial parent must provide a residence, and a UPS mailbox doesn’t qualify.
To register in California, individuals are required to submit personal information, confirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury, and first-time voters need proof of residency for federal elections.
Addressing allegations about multiple people being registered at a single address, the office explained that various factors could account for that, including proximity to where voters spend most of their time or college dormitories.
It also emphasized that California does check voter identities, noting that voters do not need ID for most elections, but must present identification if it’s their first federal election after registering online or by mail and if certain identifying information wasn’t provided.
Acceptable identification includes passports, utility bills, credit or debit cards, and military IDs.
In light of voter fraud claims, the California agency confirmed its commitment to conducting elections transparently and legally, ensuring eligible residents can vote. Newsom’s office has not yet responded to inquiries.
