USA is known for being a country of freedom. Many people from other parts of the world come to the USA for their rights. Yet the citizens of USA are allowed to vote by law, and non-citizens(Green card holders) are not. My argument, therefore, is that the right to vote should be extended to all permanent residents of the U.S, rather than strictly holding some off by through the law.
Voting is one of the main events that happen in USA. People who are eligible to vote must have full citizenship of USA and can not be serving sentences for any felony. First you would have to register then you can go to poling stationl for the actual voting. You must present your ID with a valid US passport. There is a problem with presenting the ID though. "The chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party said that every time we alienate another citizen, as this ID law does, we lose a part of our American soul" (Jacobs 1). The article also said that the right to vote is the birthright of every man and woman, and the bedrock of our American society. But non-citizens are not allowed to vote and so America as a whole is losing it's voice.
I do see a reason why only citizens can vote. If State lets everybody vote then there might be fraud or scam. Also citizens are usually people who were born in United States. They were born with the sense of responsibility as citizens. However it does not mean they are the only ones who should have the right to vote. Even in the Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right, it is indicated that everyone has the freedom of the speech. When foundation says you have freedom of speech, how come non-citizens do not get the right to vote? "In New York, one third of New Yorkers are foreign-born. Many immigrant advocates argue that it is undemocratic to disfranchise thousands of New Yorkers who just happen to be immigrants" (Rotthichai 2). If one-third of New Yorkers are non-citizens and they are not allowed to vote then America "losing it's voice" is not something people just say but it is really happening right now. This is going against the stronghold pillars of our American society. Perhaps the main solution for the stalemate lies in the definition of the US citizen. The constitution defines the citizen as a person who has been born or naturalized in the U.S. well, if this is to be followed, then it can be said that the Green Card holders are naturalized citizens. They work and live in the U.S and have no other state of residence. Denying them the right to vote can be equated to making their opinion irrelevant in the world matters, since there is nowhere else where they can exercise this right.
Thomas Jefferson said "All men are created equal" during the speech of Declaration of Independence. However, non-citizens do not get the equal treatment. In as much as these people might not be citizens, they are Green Card holders which make them permanent residents of the U.S.A. As such, they pay taxes, follow state laws, and do everything that citizens do; but still don't get to vote; how come? They live in these states but don't get to choose their governors or president. In light of this, Jackson observes that “We non-citizens have to do everything that the law says including paying taxes and following state laws” (2). However, he believes that the US should not just give the right to vote for just anyone. This essay agrees that there should be laws stating the minimum requirement to vote but that does not mean that the same law should take away this right for so many people in the USA who are educated enough to vote. This is slowly but surely killing the voice of the people in the USA. This voice is not only killed within the U.S, but also outside the nation. An individual who has a green card is a permanent resident. Now, if this person is not allowed to vote, it goes without saying that there is nowhere on the face of the earth that the person will ever influence the decision of a country. This is not right. After all, if the person fulfills all the obligations of an American citizen, then there is no reason as to why he should be barred from voting. If this happens, it can be said to be exploitation since the individual does everything that a citizen is supposed to, but has to live by laws and be governed by people whom he did not have a voice in choosing. This is quite unfair.
I don't feel offensive towards the citizens. What I am arguing about is everyone in United States should get right to either vote or not. Even in sos.georgia.gov says "Your vote is your voice in the governance of your city, county, state and country". If they can't keep their words then who will?
Works Cited
Jackson, L.D. "Should We Give Non-citizens the Right to Vote?" Web log post. Political Realities. N.p., 26 Oct. 2010. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. <http://www.ldjackson.net/should-we-give-non-citizens-the-right-to-vote/>.
Jacobs, Garrett. "Everyone Should Be Allowed to Vote." UNC's Conservative Journal (n.d.): 1. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. <http://carolinareview.org/2012/03/everyone-should-be-allowed-to-vote/>.
Ritthichai, Chaleampon. "Should Non-Citizens Be Allowed to Vote?" Gotham Gazett. Web. 4 Aug. 2012. <http://http://www.gothamgazette.com/immigrants/sep.02.shtml>.
