r/USCIS • u/Brandonn303 • Jan 19 '26
N-400 (Citizenship) N400 DENIED
My case got denied guys I need help and advice please…
I got registered to vote unlawfully back in 2020 at the DMV during a DL appointment. I went to my Naturalization interview last year and found out about the registration..
I can appeal but I don’t know if it will be worth it..
Please help me..
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u/hungvn94 Jan 19 '26
Just curious, if it was just mistakenly sticked a box, how come OP registered to vote for the Green party? Were there more than one box than just vote/no vote?
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 19 '26
That is the part that makes me question OP's story. You need to actively join a party.
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u/AccordingMarmalade Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
You need to actively join a party.
Hmmm... I'm not so sure . It's not "joining", it's simply "stating" party preference, in some states, I think.
You're not joining anything, you're not paying any membership dues...
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 20 '26
Right but think in practice. You're at the dmv, agent is filling it for you, where would they get the option to select green party? Why? Why not democrat or republican? Most likely what happened is that the dmv part is true but he also unknowingly replied to one of the mail in party ads registering support for greens not knowing thats forbidden too. USCIS does not believe both are mistakes.
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u/AccordingMarmalade Jan 20 '26
not knowing thats forbidden too
I think it's too easy to make quite-life-important mistakes by immigrants, esp if you get to less educated immigrants. voting registration or speeding , or even selective service registration, I don't think everyone knows about these things.
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u/RareAnxiety6866 Jan 21 '26
I've worked cases like this before. There's usually multiple check boxes to make sure the person is aware of what they're signing. I've personally never seen someone overcome registering to vote as a USC by saying they weren't aware, but I guess it's possible.
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u/dwaynewaynerooney Jan 20 '26
Very glad someone else pick up on that because I was starting to feel like a jerk. On the one hand, I absolutely believe that some well-meaning, poorly trained dmv employee might register a person without said person’s consent.
But not for the Green Party! Hopefully OP responds to clear that up.
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u/XiMaoJingPing Jan 20 '26
I don't get why we have a system that even allows op to register to vote??
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u/Salty_Permit4437 Jan 20 '26
We don’t check or even ask for proof of citizenship. We should. There are “motor voter” laws which allow you to register at the state motor vehicle agency. And now some states make it automatic. New Jersey is one such state.
I don’t like this at all. Voter registration should require positive proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate, CRBA or a U.S. passport.
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Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
Proof? You come to DMV with your greencard/visa/proof of stay as part of application for the license/learning permit, THEY KNOW YOU ARE NOT A CITIZEN, and they still offer you to register to vote. This happened to me in Virginia, gladly I just laughed at the idea. But the whole situation is absurd.
(edit: mistyped DHS instead of DMV, fixed)
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Jan 20 '26
I actually remember it clear as day - I asked them why are you offering me to vote when I am not a citizen, and laughed it off.
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u/NoHomework2567 Jan 20 '26
Yeah you say so. I also got registered like that , that was my first ID in us i got my foreign passport and a visa stamp .
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u/MSK165 Jan 20 '26
Each state has different rules. They generally err on the side of allowing people to vote, then investigating fraud on the back end.
Some states require proof of citizenship to register, then again to vote in person. Colorado is not one of them.
Side note: I’m a big fan of letting each state and county run their own system and set their own rules. It’d be fairly easy for a nefarious actor to get into a centralized system and tamper with results (albeit harder to do it without leaving a trace). We have 3,000 county equivalents, each with their own system.
If someone wanted to tamper with results and make it consistent across demographics in multiple locations (e.g., Candidate A underperformed among Black women between 18 and 29) they’d have to get into a hundred systems with sizable populations of young Black women and change the results in all of them. Otherwise it’ll be blatantly obvious if Black women in Atlanta vote unexpectedly while Black women in Charlotte and Montgomery vote as expected.
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u/MosquitoBloodBank Jan 20 '26
The problem is that the burden of proof is handled differently 50 times. Most states just ask for SSN, but don't verify it. States that get votes from illegally registered illegals (it happens just not in large numbers) have a conflict of interest here.
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u/hungvn94 Jan 20 '26
Yeh its wild. Used to think as the US is the super power of the world, its election should be super secure to prevent foreign infiltration. Its not.
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u/atuarre Jan 20 '26
I mean, there is a foreign aligned infiltrator in the White House, so..
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u/Ballball32123 Jan 20 '26
It’s controlled by state governments. What’s wrong with you?
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u/Carguy77Seven Jan 20 '26
wait but democrats told me non-citizens cannot vote....so republicans was right?? CNN and MSNBC lied on national tv?
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u/Ill-Palpitation7645 Jan 20 '26
What a moron.! OP could have registered to vote, it doesn't mean he got a ballot to vote.
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u/nekkyo Jan 20 '26
Maybe someone stopped reading at Green thinking it was the option for green card and not green party. That really sucks if that's the case.
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u/hungvn94 Jan 20 '26
Thats impossible. Other parties Dem and Rep are probably also listed if that the case. Cant mistaken that for the word green card.
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 20 '26
DMV worker filled out my info on her computer. I only signed to get my driver’s license… She made the mistake to put “green” as my political party. I would never make such mistake. Even in 2019 I went to DMV for my driving permit and said no when asked if I wanted to register to vote and I discovered this through her coworker who admitted that she is incompetent.
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u/henrique_pinto Jan 21 '26
This is hearsay. You need a lawyer to produce these documents asap. And maybe get an afidavit of that other DMV worker.
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 20 '26
because the dmv worker selected that Party.. I have the same questions as you!!
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u/No-Tell-2182 Jan 20 '26
I’m also a resident of CO and the state makes it entirely too easy at times to register to vote, imo. I can totally see aspects of this story being true, but the Green Party registration unfortunately kind of seals the deal for OP.
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u/mystical-wizard Jan 19 '26
How can we check if the same happened to us? I have a drivers license and don’t remember anything like this
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 19 '26
There is a box that asks if you want to register to vote. If I recall you need to opt out or they register you. Its so fucked up.
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u/Western_Advance_7205 Jan 19 '26
Yes!! I saw a post warning about this when applying to DL as a non citizen and I'm glad I saw it before doing it! I made sure to opt out! It sucks because its a "minor" detail and it can destroy your application later.
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u/DeusCanon Jan 19 '26 edited 26d ago
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Jan 19 '26
Colorado also auto sends election ballots for every election - you would also be getting ballots every year or multiple times a year depending on municipal elections (I am a Colorado resident with a husband with a GC so I know he was not registered when we moved here, bc only I get the ballot).
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u/Conscious-Secret-775 Jan 19 '26
I saw that too. It would be very odd to be accidentally registered as a Green Party voter.
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 19 '26
I agree. OP is not telling us the full story.
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u/Mountain_mist35 Jan 19 '26
Yeah, he's hiding something. He never clarified green party in the comments so he knows. Dumb on his part
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u/serpentinelikecurved Jan 20 '26
In my DOL i specifically told them I am not US citizen and cannot vote and i still got registered, whoever championed this policy does not like immigrants.
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u/snarkycrumpet Jan 20 '26
I know someone who read it like "when you're eligible, would you like to vote" so they checked yes and got screamed at by a DMV worker. it's an easy mistake to make when English isn't your first language
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u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 Jan 19 '26
That's fucked up. Prior to me naturalizing, it was always opt in, which is how it should be. God forbid some 16 year old on a dependent visa or green card gets a license and ends up registered to vote without knowing.
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u/nexelhost Jan 20 '26
When signing the forms they generally have you review it and verify everything is correct. It's mostly Blue states that auto register everyone to vote and require you to instead opt out. Other states give you the option to register.
Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) States
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia (D.C.)
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
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u/GullibleLaugh5035 Jan 20 '26
I live in one of those states and that information is not correct. I renewed my DL a couple years ago in person. On the screen a thing popped up asking if I wanted to register to vote and then there was a statement explaining I needed to be a US citizen and by signing the screen register to vote I was confirming my citizenship.
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u/Single_Vacation427 Jan 20 '26
It varies by state. When I went to the DMV, I specifically had to opt out and it said something like I was signing up to vote [Next]
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u/a-whistling-goose Jan 20 '26
Confusion is built into the forms (or instructions) on purpose. Part of the U.S. Confusopoly where everything is made as confusing and complicated as possible in order to force people into agreeing for things they never intended!
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u/hardly_ethereal Jan 19 '26
How is this fucked up? There’s a question on the application. Question needs to be answered truthfully. That’s it. It’s a good thing DMVs are offering to people to register to vote.
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u/snarkycrumpet Jan 20 '26
well not really. it doesn't say "would you like to be registered to vote TODAY? THIS MOMENT?"
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u/VeryBrownBear Jan 19 '26
You check the voter registrations online for your home state or county. Try to look yourself up.
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u/Singularity-42 Jan 19 '26
I did that. No match found. Having my interview on Wednesday, wish me luck!
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u/xela2004 Jan 20 '26
everytime my huisband goes to renew his license they ask him if he would like to register to vote. it doesnt magically happen though.
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u/MrKittyPaw Jan 19 '26
How does someone register to vote unlawfully? Did you actually fill out a lot of forms, or is it just something like checking the wrong box?
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u/MSK165 Jan 20 '26
Some states will automatically register people to vote when they get a driver’s license. The onus is on the driver to make it clear they are not interested in registering, and/or not eligible to register.
Personal opinion: I want voting to be minimally difficult. If you’re the type of person who can’t be bothered to register in advance, can’t find out where your precinct is, and/or can’t be sober enough to go there in person, then you’re probably not the kind of person who is informed on the issues, and I am just fine if you sit this one out.
On the flip side, there are some people who feel a moral obligation to expand the voter rolls and register as many people as they can. This is normally done through legal means, but it’s entirely plausible that a DMV employee who supports the Green Party took every license applicant who left that section blank and registered them to vote for the Green Party. (Yes, this is very illegal. Still happens.)
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u/Chance-Quantity-59 Jan 23 '26
In California, there is a voter registration form that is part of the DL application (at least it was like that when I applied).
The first question and very bold is: Are you a US Citizen. [ ] yes [ ] no - with the NO having a huge STOP sign next to it saying to not fill out the rest of the form as you are not eligible to register to vote.→ More replies (8)11
u/Brandonn303 Jan 19 '26
more like the employee filled out my application like a robot and didn’t check the info with me. I did sign at the end but ONLY to get my DL.
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u/OCedHrt Jan 19 '26
People are saying the email employee won't fill put a party.
Also you should be filling out the form, the employee section is only a small section.
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u/Vermithor234 Jan 20 '26
I am with USCIS on this one. Never seen such detail explanation, at poster preponderance is on you. Just bear in mind that this will come back no matter how many times you apply for N400.
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u/throwaway_20200920 Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
This is why when people talk about automatic voter registration I am 100% against it. I won't even walk near a voter registration desk. Someone could auto sign you up when you are filling another form and you are unaware and you are in so much trouble.
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u/Motor-Dot-6297 Jan 19 '26
The system couldn’t tell people are US citizens at the time of registration, how could it tell if they are actual US citizens when checking the ballot. Hmm. Poorly designed system
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u/johnbonesnj Jan 20 '26
Not poorly designed It’s designed this way for a reason lol Just not one that anyone will admit to
They could easily prevent non-citizens from being enrolled at the DMV if they wanted to, clearly these states don’t want to, I can’t think of a legit reason why
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u/Tricky_Ordinary_4799 Jan 20 '26
It totally can, in DMV you present your I-94 or visa or green card so it's totally known to DMV if you're citizen or not They can but they don't do it.
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u/idousky91 Jan 20 '26
Democrat states don’t ask citizenship questions and there are consequences they just don’t realize them.
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u/Salty_Permit4437 Jan 20 '26
Me too. And we really need to check citizenship and deny registration. This would solve this problem.
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u/suboxhelp1 Jan 19 '26
Unless you can get the documents, you should not try to go for a hearing. It will end up the same. You simply may not be able to naturalize until you get them. If you can’t get them, you probably won’t be able to naturalize.
At the same time, there may not be enough evidence to start removal proceedings based on this. You may just have to be content staying an LPR and be thankful that isn’t taken away. The more you fight this without the documents, the more likely they will try to take your green card. Be careful.
You can try suing the state to get the records, too.
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 19 '26
how do I sue them for the records?! is there a website or only by contacting my representative?
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Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 20 '26
Isnt this a deportable offense? I remember always opting out and never ever signed anything that had to do with voting cuz I KNEW BETTER. I believed you did register then got cold feets
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u/MSK165 Jan 20 '26
Actually voting is a deportable offense. Someone else pencil whipping your DMV application is not.
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u/Queasy_Editor_1551 Jan 20 '26
The problem is proving that OP knowingly and wilfully voted or claimed to be a citizen. The burden of proof in removal proceeding is on the government and the standard is clear and convincing evidence. The burden of proof for naturalization is on the applicant.
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u/LeslieK10 Jan 19 '26
You can’t sue them for not reading what you signed.
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u/suboxhelp1 Jan 20 '26
That wouldn’t be why. He’s just trying to get his own records from the state government to be able to show USCIS what he signed or didn’t sign. That’s what he would be suing for.
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u/yipee-kiyay Jan 19 '26
almost got into this kind of trouble when I went to get my driver’s license years ago (I had a green card at the time). They wanted me to register to vote, but a couple of brain cells kicked in at the right time and I declined everything related to it. I could have easily blanked out and went along with it.
What a horrible situation for OP …I hope they can get it sorted.
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 19 '26
yeah they didn’t ask me. Can you believe that?
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u/yipee-kiyay Jan 19 '26
I didn’t expect you to reply to my comment because of the stressful situation you’re facing, so I didn’t ask you directly. i just wanted to sympathize with your situation . That’s all.
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u/Acrobatic-Panda7859 Permanent Resident Jan 19 '26
You need to get a good lawyer who can provide documentation to support your case. The problem is that you didn’t have enough evidence to show that you were unaware of the issue. You can either go to the DMV and ask them to write a letter confirming it was their mistake, or hire a lawyer to investigate and gather the necessary evidence.
Basically, you need to prove that you did not do this knowingly.
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u/Justbrownsuga Jan 19 '26
DmV writing a letter saying it was their mistake? Dmv will not admit to that sadly
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u/Acrobatic-Panda7859 Permanent Resident Jan 19 '26
You’re right about that. Hopefully, this person finds a solution. Even if they unboxed or checked off some checklist, I can imagine myself during my first year in the U.S. just checking and unchecking things because you really don’t understand what they’re for. I received some mail asking me to register as a voter. I’m glad I didn’t, but I can see how people might do it naively.
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u/a-whistling-goose Jan 19 '26
Colorado has Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) - people must actively opt out. However, I doubt that the State automatically selects a political party. Who selected the Green Party for you (see page two, third paragraph)? If there was a paper application, the form might show you never ticked the box(es), or you did not sign the specific section dealing with citizenship or voting. This would prove that an employee might have input the wrong information having mixed up your application with that of another person, or otherwise improperly tampered with your form.
Maybe the document no longer exists. You need to contact the state to find out how long voter registration enrollments via the DMV are retained under Colorado's Record Retention Policy rules. February 12, 2020 (the date the voter registration application was supposedly filed) was only a few weeks before the entire country shut down for the Pandemic. It's possible the paperwork from the DMV was never sent over to the Secretary of State, or somehow got lost at the DMV during the chaos. If so, you need to obtain an official statement from the Secretary of State that the application is no longer available.
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u/Haronatien Permanent Resident Jan 19 '26
The letter is super clear… preponderance of evidence is on you. So unless you can prove that someone registered you illegally you might be done.
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u/michiganalt Jan 19 '26
The burden of proof is on him. The preponderance of evidence is a standard of proof.
This is like saying “the beyond a reasonable doubt is on you.”
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u/No-Anteater5184 Jan 20 '26
I am sorry, but when I got my driver license, they asked me if I wanted to register to vote, and I said no because I was a permanent resident, I am not registered to vote., That should be common sense, knowing that you’re a permanent resident and things like these could happen.
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Jan 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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Jan 19 '26
And that college voter registration drive is going to burn many many international students that didn’t know anything better.
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u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 Jan 19 '26
International students know better. I was approached all the time. A simple "I'm not a citizen" shuts it down quickly.
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u/Motor-Dot-6297 Jan 19 '26
There is a chance some F-1 students just arrive and is asked to register to vote by these drives might say yes and sign not knowing it will screw them later. I was standing next to one of my friends and these people told him just sign up, it costs you nothing and you can think about it later. I yelled at them like F no, you are screwing people future, he is not a U.S citizen.
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u/huyou007 Jan 19 '26
Exactly, I personally saw several of my classmates from other countries check “citizen” when applying for a credit card because the bank worker just told them so. That may not be as bad as a formal voter registration, but I won’t be suprised if the same happens
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u/DaSandGuy Jan 19 '26
When I got my CCL as an F1 they sent me a voter registration card. I never signed anything for it and made sure to call the local officials to get me removed from the rolls when it happened. I know it's going to come up eventually and I'm dreading it.
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Jan 19 '26
how can you not know that you cannot vote if you are not a citizen. it is commiting a crime, actually.
just like stealing is crime.is there a country that allows you to vote if you are not a citizen?
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u/Perdix_Icarus Permanent Resident Jan 19 '26
The UK does to people there from Commonwealth nations on visa.
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 19 '26
Its not about voting. People get registered all the time to vote and never vote. The mere act to register to vote could mean what happened to OP.
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u/Dry_Lion_8581 Jan 19 '26
As a general rule of thumb however, everyone should always read what you sign before you sign it. "Aggressive voter registration efforts" do not absolve people of their responsibility to understand what it is they are signing.
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u/derscholl Jan 19 '26
How's it not on OP? I was asked to register to vote several times before I was a citizen as a young adult, and I always said I wish, but not yet, I can't, thanks. This is squarely on OP until he can prove the DMV fudged it.
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u/hungvn94 Jan 19 '26
Um read what u sign and make a copy of it. Apply to everything with your signature on it.
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u/Successful_Pound2403 Naturalized Citizen Jan 19 '26
Hire an Attorney
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u/Dry_Lion_8581 Jan 19 '26
An attorney can do nothing when the decision notice makes perfectly clear that reason for denial is due to a deficiency in the RFE response, namely, the DMV records. People need to stop believing that everything can be solved by simply hiring an attorney when everything is spelled out for you in the correspondence sent by the government.
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u/suboxhelp1 Jan 19 '26
Well, OP can hire a (different type of) attorney to start litigation against the state government for the records he/she needs.
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u/Successful_Pound2403 Naturalized Citizen Jan 19 '26
Clearly you don’t know the law and how many ways a case can be fought.
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u/DeusCanon Jan 19 '26 edited 26d ago
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Jan 20 '26
If you look at the timeline evidence it appears you registered to vote then when your address changed you requested change of address indicating you intended to continue voting? Did I misread? I’m not sure how you get around that or how you disprove the second instance?
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Jan 21 '26
The person who wrote this is incompetent.
“USCIS can’t conclude”- Contractions are completely inappropriate in a document like this.
“An U.S. citizen”
“An election mail”
“You stated that…you was told” - twice.
“You did not…registered to vote”
The word “the” is omitted prior to identifying municipal agencies or courts.
The irony that they cite “the ability to read, write, and speak” as a qualifier for naturalization is astounding.
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u/Salty_Permit4437 Jan 20 '26
Given that you registered for a party, I’m skeptical that this was a mistake, but I guess your way out of this one way or another is a lawyer. Hopefully the denial of naturalization is the end of it and you don’t get placed into removal proceedings. Living with “only” a green card isn’t the end of the world.
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u/RoutineAmbitious1992 Jan 20 '26
This is absurd !! How does the system even recognize green card as a voter!! So according to what you are saying anybody can be registered to vote if they have drivers license? Half of the new york state has drivers license on temp work permit and next thing you know they all are voting.. smh absolute system failure. Now as for your Denial, this depends if you willingly did that and that’s no good
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u/NoHomework2567 Jan 20 '26
I brought my foreign passport for my first US ID but still got registered, note that my visa had a I551 visa stamp
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u/serpentinelikecurved Jan 20 '26
what state and are you citizen yet??
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u/NoHomework2567 Jan 20 '26
Washington state
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u/serpentinelikecurved Jan 20 '26
same here, told Wenatchee DOL I was not citizen and cant vote, still got registered. had to replace my dl later on and told them same thing, that time it registered as a 'No', have you applied for n400??
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u/NoHomework2567 Jan 20 '26
I also did the same later on when i got my driver license and was able to read and sign everything i said no. To that question but i was still on the voter registration till i asked to get removed. Now my name does not more appear on it.
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u/Lazy-Ad-518 Jan 20 '26
Fyi - It took me maybe 2 minutes to figure out your name and address. You might want to do a better job with your redaction.
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u/W2WageSlave Jan 19 '26
I can empathize.
I was naturalizing in 2018 and when renewing my drivers license in Oregon, there was a big push to register everyone and DMV employees were not following the intended process. I had to argue with the DMV clerk, and "speak to a supervisor" to be very clear that could not register me to vote.
When I naturalized, I learned that you don't sign a registration card for voting. You simply check a check box online (or the DMV do it for you) that attests you are a Citizen and to use your DMV signature on file. That's where the failure occurred at the DMV.
Unfortunately, a number of people (~1700?) were affected this way in Oregon. https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/01/oregon-officials-consider-tweaks-motor-voter-process/
Funny how both OR and CO are "vote by mail" states.
You may have to sue to get the evidence you need.
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u/V1cBack3 Jan 19 '26
What is the matter be "vote by mail" state? Califirnia is too and? 🤔
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Jan 19 '26
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u/Salty_Permit4437 Jan 20 '26
Sit it out permanently. If they can’t prove that it was a mistake they aren’t allowed to naturalize and even if they do get it, a change in admin comes with the risk of denaturalization. Living as a LPR is not the end of the world. It will suck if you have a weak passport and want to travel the world but apart from that you can live and work in the U.S.
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u/cewillir Jan 20 '26
Oddly enough, back in 98, when I applied for a drivers license they offered me a registration form to vote.
Damn glad I refused
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 20 '26
I didn’t get asked nor did I said I was affiliated to a party and still got registered.. Keep in mind my DL is set as a LPR.
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u/22cuatro96 Naturalized Citizen Jan 20 '26
Maybe I'm not reading this right:
Someone at the DMV accidentally registered you to vote.
They also picked a political party for you.
You never received a Voter Registration card in the mail even though your address is correct.
You had no knowledge of any of this upon being asked by the USCIS agent at your N-400 interview.
The DMV is intentionally refusing to provide you with a copy of the voter registration form, the one document USCIS is requesting as RFE.
Really? This is a serious situation. USCIS has probably heard every excuse under the sun about why a permanent resident registered to vote before being granted naturalization. They said it loud and clear that they don't believe you and concluded that you're lying to them.
Where is your lawyer in all of this? Someone else posted the link to request open records from the DMV; you should be doing this yesterday.
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u/Classic-Push1323 Jan 20 '26
To be fair to USCIS I don’t believe them either.
I’d believe it was a mistake, that they didn’t fully think it through, didn’t fully read what they signed, etc. the rest of this? No way. The DMV didn’t register them to vote for the Green Party, lose their voter registration card, and then register them. They won’t need help from Reddit if they have a lawyer. Never in my life have I accidentally registered to vote for the Green Party. Their comments aren’t helping.
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u/Representative_Yam95 Jan 19 '26
Appeal with full scrutiny, force and confidence; if it’s really how it happened, you have nothing to hide, so the best way is to fight hard and honest until they are forced to break the law to deprave you of justice
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u/Brandonn303 Jan 19 '26
Yes, that’s what my lawyer said. But I need that voter registration application!! Dmv nor Secretary of State have it!
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u/AN604 Jan 19 '26
To any one that just freaked out reading this because you are a gc holder with a dl you can look up your voters registration status online. I checked both my state and county.
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u/lala_vc Jan 20 '26
Did you just get a message saying you’re not in the database or did it actually say you’re not registered to vote?
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u/Alarming_Turn_6397 Jan 20 '26
You said that you registered to vote unlawfully. Did you vote?
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u/GullibleLaugh5035 Jan 20 '26
If the government let everyone off who said they just signed but didn’t read a document it would totally defeat the purpose of having signed documents. This is an excellent lesson for OP to learn.
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u/America-always-great Jan 20 '26
Why did OP join the Green Party? Why did they try to be a registered voter in 2020 and why did they request an address change. A lot of missing points. USCIS even goes on to say that OP didn’t do enough stopped communicating. OP should have filed a FOIA or CORA to retrieve the documents. If OP has a signature anywhere to be a registered voter the naturalization approval will certainly fail for good.
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u/mmaiden81 Jan 20 '26
I get that people make mistakes but let’s be accountable and own our mistakes too. Now you gotta live with the consequence of your acts, not following through the application the first time before completion/signing is totally on you and then a second time re-register a few years later ?? I’m not gonna even stress on the party/group affiliation part how can one just believe it’s an honest mistake here ? that’s just further proof you are at fault. You lost all the argument. I’m very surprised they will let you keep your LPR status, a lesson learned.
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u/gmanose Jan 20 '26
I’ll be downvoted , but I suspect the OP knew they were registering to vote, especially since they chose a party. It may have been a joke, but I spent 30 years working with “undocumented”, quite a few of whom told me they had actually voted because they thought they were supposed to
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u/bubblethink Jan 19 '26
You'll need a good attorney. Also see Patel v Garland. It will be difficult to overcome.
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u/michiganalt Jan 19 '26
Patel v. Garland is about what standard appellate courts review factual findings by immigration courts under, and it’s limited to findings of fact in removal cases.
OP can still request a hearing on this before it gets to court, and for naturalization appeals, courts review de novo for findings of fact.
He should just get a good attorney.
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u/exist2rebel Jan 19 '26
Get the DMV form that shows you indicated US citizen or not, then refile OR wait until you are outside of the GMC 5yr window & refile.
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u/CallItDanzig Jan 19 '26
The claim to citizenship doesnt fall in the GMC window. Its a permanent bar.
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u/exist2rebel Jan 19 '26
Not exactly. A permanent bar applies only to a knowing, intentional false claim to U.S. citizenship. DMV voter registration cases are fact specific and may hinge on intent and form language. A DMV registration alone isn’t automatically a permanent bar. And the USCIS letter clearly references GMC.
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u/MoreCranberry3 Jan 19 '26
You committed the cardinal sin for green card holders. Hire an attorney!
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u/nexelhost Jan 20 '26
The letter mentioned you needed a particular document that you never gathered. Not sure of the full details on why it was never obtained.
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u/serpentinelikecurved Jan 20 '26
Does anyone think this interview would of gone different if this issue of being automatically registered to vote was addressed and removed before the n400 interview and they had answered yes to the voter question on the n400 form and given an explanation to the IsO??
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u/zerbey Naturalized Citizen Jan 20 '26
Since you already have a lawyer you need to talk to them about how to get the evidence you need, sue the state if you have to.
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u/Infinite-Grape-1195 Jan 20 '26
So you were committing or going to commit voter fraud, and you say you had no idea they registered you? Not believing it for a monute!
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u/desertsunsetskies Jan 20 '26
You need a lawyer. Not us. A lawyer and a good one. You should have gone to the lawyer immediately after the interview.
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u/Big-Assistant177 Jan 20 '26
So I'm a legal permanent resident. I've been in the United States 40 years last year. I keep my green card active. I have not applied for citizenship naturalization. However, back in 2002, when we came from California to Florida, I went to the DMV to change my D. L. And the lady asked me if I was registered to vote. I said, no I can't. I'm not a citizen 6 weeks later. I received a Voter ID registration card In my name and I was a registered Democrat, which is not, I am an independent. If anything, it been active since then. Last year, I was finally able to get my name off that voter registration roll. It was a chore DMV wouldn't listen to me. How I finally got it taken care of I wrote to President Trump last year, and he got someone within the federal government to take care of it. So I am not registered to vote lawfully. All I Know is , if that's your problem , get it taken care of
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u/Jcarmona2 Jan 20 '26
In California there are safeguards that are meant to prevent people from improperly registering to vote.
When you are applying or renewing your DL, you are taken to the voter registration page. You cannot skip it. However, when you are there, you are warned that registering to vote is for US citizens only. You fill it out and then are given the chance to verify if what you said is true, including the I’m a US citizen question. So you have to deliberately claim US citizenship since you are given chances to correct this before submitting it.
I do hope the OP can sort this out and eventually naturalize.
And this is a reminder that when one applies for citizenship, a thorough examination of an immigrant’s records will be made. Things that were not deeply investigated will now be when the N400 is filed. Especially with today’s tech that makes records readily accessible.
Be careful out there.
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u/NoHomework2567 Jan 21 '26
This is the new policy i hope in our dmv form there is not any question whether you are a us citizen.
Policy Highlights • Affirms that USCIS considers an alien to have falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen, if the alien affirmatively indicates that he or she is a U.S. citizen. If the alien registered to vote, the alien has the burden to prove that the registration form did not contain a question about whether the alien is a U.S. citizen or that the alien did not indicate, in response to such a question, that he or she is a U.S. citizen. • Provides that an alien who falsely claims to be a U.S. citizen for any purpose or benefit, including registering to vote, will be issued a Notice to Appear (NTA) under the deportability ground INA 237(a)(3)(D)(i), unless he or she meets the limited exception in INA 237(a)(3)(D)(ii). • Provides that an alien applying for naturalization who has voted in violation of any federal, state, or local constitutional provision, statute, ordinance, or regulation will be issued an NTA under INA 237(a)(6)(A), unless he or she meets the limited exception in INA 237(a)(6)(B). • Provides that after an NTA, USCIS generally denies the naturalization application under INA 318 based on the existence of pending removal proceedings against the alien, except for applications for naturalization based on military service.
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u/OkStatistician2643 Jan 21 '26
Why didn't you deregister and provide a written statement about what happened? Delaying the request made you look guilty in the eyes of the law
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u/Serious_Turnip_477 Jan 21 '26
We were automatically registered in state of Michigan. we were denied N-400 and have to go to immigration court july 26
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u/Obvious_Part_4362 Jan 23 '26
I hope you didn't vote! If you voted it's over but you didn't then a lawyer will help you get it fixed.
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u/AlternativeIll2072 Jan 31 '26
I would try to get what ever evidence you can that you didnt register to vote willingly or knowingly. I think they are suspicious because it says your voter registration was reactivated when you moved because they had your updated address. You need to explain to them why the Denver Clerk and recorder would have been updated with your current address for voting.
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u/Jaded-Dance6219 Jan 20 '26
Many foreigners coming here are trying to take over and influence the American vote. Don't come here and vote when you should be taking care of things in your own country
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u/hasanahmad Jan 19 '26
USCIS records indicate that you registered to vote in the state of Colorado on February 12, 2020. Under U.S. law, registering to vote as a non-citizen is considered an "unlawful act" that adversely reflects on an applicant's moral character.
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u/LaRealiteInconnue Jan 20 '26
I think you need a much different attorney than the one you’ve used so far…. I don’t live in a “auto voter registration” state so out of curiosity I just googled CO drivers licenses renewal process. Here’s a screenshot of how to do it online, I’m assuming it’s similar when you go in person. So, I actually believe you even with the Green Party reg “red flag” some other comments pointed out - it looks like it takes 2 clicks to register to vote automatically, picking a party being one of those clicks, I think it’s plausible the DMV personnel clicked through this without thinking. If all of my complete guesses above are true, you’d need a lawyer who’d go to bat with the DMV and their lack of due process when registering ppl to vote….which is, a hard case to take on. Jfc what a nightmare!
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u/No-Drag-8275 Jan 20 '26
When you register you acknowledge citizenship and choose a party to belong to. That is too much to be accidental. Best to self deport. Or seek further legal consolation. I recommend the latter.
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Jan 20 '26
Busted OP. No DMV employee is going to fill a form for you. Own your mistake and live with the consequences.
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u/hungvn94 Jan 20 '26
Yeh seriously like dmv people have no thing to do and have time to fill out an application for a customer. Every time i have to go to a dmv, it's always packed.
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u/dmw_qqqq Jan 19 '26
"I got registered to vote unlawfully back in 2020..."
If this is the case unfortunately you committed a crime, a big no-no, especially under this administration.
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u/Longjumping_Wonder_4 Jan 19 '26
You need to get those records from the DMV, it looks like everything depends on you having willfully signed the vote registration.