Nebraska Democrats Include Voter Registration Cards In Refugee Welcome Baskets (party, elections)

[juneaubound]

From the link:

When asked what the NDP expects refugees will do with voter registration forms, Kleeb said “Once they become citizens, it is our hope, like back in the day you would hear these stories of the Democrats in Ellis Island welcoming the Irish with food and a voter registration form, so it’s really that same concept.”
“We also just wanted them to know – the letter is from me as chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party – that they are welcomed in our state and that they can come to our events, and that we have an active Facebook page.”
“I put in my business card in those letters, and a bumper sticker for their cars just to make sure they knew that we, as the Democratic Party, welcomed them,” she added.
According to Kleeb, the purpose of sending voter registration forms to newly arrived refugees was so “they start to get familiar with democracy and how you become a voter in our country.”

See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/c....6q16pYsM.dpuf

[southwest88]

From the same link, 6th para from the end:

"Despite the Nebraska Democratic Party’s attempts to “familiarize” refugees with voter registration forms, the refugees who ultimately receive the donated supplies probably will not receive the voter registration forms.

"According to Amelia Rosser, the Interim Assistant Director for the Refugee Empowerment Center, the items donated in each welcome basket will be sorted in the center’s donation area, then distributed to refugee families and those seeking help from the Refugee Empowerment Center based on need.

"When asked about the presence of voter registration forms in the donated baskets, Rosser said she “could neither confirm, nor deny” their inclusion, adding that “the voter registration cards would not be distributed” to refugees that had just arrived in the United States.

“As we will be sorting the donations, to be putting them to their like supplies that we have, to be given out to refugees based upon need, the voter registration cards would not likely be distributed,” Rosser said."

- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/c....xsZrPRJT.dpuf

(My emphasis - more @ the URL)

& so the headline is misleading - yes, the NDP included a voter registration card in the aid packages they assembled. However, the packages are taken apart & only the appropriate items go to refugees - & since refugees can't vote in US elections, the registration card won't be distributed to them. & the registration card itself makes clear that only US citizens can vote in US elections.

Yes, an orientation to voting in the US would have been more appropriate - which may have been the intent with the registration card, as that likely contains a brief description of the process. That description probably centers on the mechanics of how to register, however - not appropriate for a refugee, who needs to gain citizenship first.

[Old Gringo]

This will no doubt make Nebraska an even bluer state than it already is.