PUBLISHED: 11-03-08

Spicin’ it with Serrano

Why I'm not voting

While many people in this country will be casting their votes on Election Day, I will be part of the percentage who won’t be.

Before you call me unpatriotic, I think I have a pretty good reason. In fact, I have one of the few good reasons why people in this country shouldn’t vote. The truth is that if I do vote, I will be breaking the law and I can get charged for perjury.

As I have said in an earlier column, I am only a legal resident. In other words, I can live in this country legally, work with my own social security number and I am able to travel back and forth. It also means I can say no to jury duty, and I won’t be voting until I become a citizen, which won’t be in time for this election.

It’s awkward trying to explain to people that I won’t be voting, especially when most don’t know I can’t. It’s very frustrating seeing people like my grandpa who can vote but chooses not to. I’ve given up trying to give him all the reasons why he should. Even my grandma, who is a legal resident, tells him that he should vote, and all she knows is that there’s a black guy and an ugly white man running.

As ironic as it might seem, I worked for a nonpartisan nonprofit organization for more than a year registering people to vote. I applied because I thought it would be easy money, and the organization didn’t mind that I couldn’t vote. Sure, I was preaching something I couldn’t follow, but it was for a great cause.

I would attend the naturalization ceremonies where people become citizens and register them there, or I would stand on State Street and Jackson Boulevard, and compete with other groups trying to get people to register. I had to lie to them when they asked who my vote was for. I would simply tell them I wasn’t sure and change the subject right away. There was no way I could tell them that I couldn’t.

The legal process to become a citizen is really intense, and did I mention expensive? Once you become a legal resident, you have to wait four years and nine months to apply for citizenship. Everyone has a different experience with their process, but it took my family and me 13 years to become legal residents. We had to hire a lawyer, and we ended up paying more than $1,000 each to get a green card.

I can now say I have been a resident for five years, and I am ready for that next step. I am not worried about the criminal background checks they do or the interview to make sure one has a grammar school reading level and a clear understanding of American democracy. I’m more worried about how much it’s going to cost me.

I would have to pay $675 plus the cost of a lawyer to apply for citizenship. Being the poor college student that I am, I’m not sure if I can afford to apply anytime soon. I just hope that by the time the next elections come, I will be casting my vote.

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