Registration to Vote by a Non-Citizen
Prior to May 1998

In a May 5, 1997, there was an INS memorandum regarding the sections of IIRAIRA that provide criminal and administrative penalties for aliens who unlawfully register to vote or vote in certain elections. It is illegal to knowingly make a false claim to United States citizenship in order to vote in any Federal, State, or local election. This is a felony punishable by a fine or up to five years imprisonment.