A friend in New York sends a picture of VOTE NYC election workers at the Metropolitan Museum voting station, who seem well protected from COVID, but unprotected from election fraud.

He noted: ”Address requested but no ID.”

I also note that the voting materials are addressed to people, presumably Americans, who don’t really speak English. I see two Oriental languages, Spanish, and for some reason (”interprète disponible”) French.

Aren’t immigrants required to pass an English Language test? Not exactly. 

Federale has explained that there’s an

ill-advised waiver available to certain aliens to the written exam.  Basically, aliens can claim a disability to be either excused the exam or have the exam in other than English.

Current USCIS policy is to accept any claim, no matter how specious,  put forward by an alien and their physician who ”certifies” the disability.  There is widespread corruption, with many physicians and other pseudo-medical professionals, such as nurses and non-certified mental-health workers allowed to sign certifications of inability to either take the exam or inability to learn English.

There’s also the exception for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for years, but never bothered (or been able) to learn English, possibly because they live in non-English-speaking enclaves (barrios, Chinatown, Little Mogadishu, etc.).

USCIS says

You are exempt from the English language requirement, but are still required to take the civics test if you are:

• Age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident (Green Card holder) in the United States for 20 years   (commonly referred to as the “50/20” exception).
  OR
• Age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident in the United States for 15 years (commonly referred to as the “55/15” exception).

Note:

• Even if you qualify for the “50/20” or “55/15” English language exceptions listed above, you must still take the civics test.
• You will be permitted to take the civics test in your native language.
• If you take the test in your native language, you must bring an interpreter with you to your interview.
• Your interpreter must be fluent in both English and your native language.
• If you are age 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time of filing for naturalization, you will be given special consideration regarding the civics requirement

So are all the foreign-language voters in NYC naturalized American citizens? I don’t know, and it’s possible they don’t know either. What I do know is that no one in New York is asking.