A real mindfuck that threw me for a loop for a while is that non-citizens voting in US elections was fairly common and uncontroversial in the 19th century.
To the extent you had to do anything at all, you maybe had to sign something declaring your *intent* to become a citizen.
To the extent you had to do anything at all, you maybe had to sign something declaring your *intent* to become a citizen.
Reposted from
rev. howard arson
like at the time the Constitution was written the immigration law was "you have to get your own boat here if you want to be an american; we won't send one to pick you up." honestly if they had enough boats i think they would have been in favor of picking the immigrants up with them
Comments
That you might not have squared away the paperwork to become a citizen at the time of an election was mere administrivia.
But then yeah I think the noncitizen voting thing persisted longer than the property qualifications
Common, but controversial - the Whigs couldn't produce anything comparable.