We now know that the man who murdered five people in just 60 seconds at a Washington state mall was not “Hispanic,” as reports initially said; he is an immigrant from Turkey. And while authorities initially downplayed a possible terror link — while not totally ruling it out — we also now know he had a blog with photo posts of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Now we’re learning what may be some of the most chilling details of all around this murderer. Arcan Cetin i
s not a U.S. citizen — and yet he voted, not just once, but in three elections, including the recent May presidential primary.
The implications are staggering when you consider how many more non-citizens (thousands? millions?) out there exist in our nation who are doing the same thing.
As King 5 News reports:
The Cascade Mall shooting suspect, Arcan Cetin, may face an additional investigation related to his voting record and citizenship status.
Federal sources confirm to KING 5 that Cetin was not a U.S. citizen, meaning legally he cannot vote. However, state records show Cetin registered to vote in 2014 and participated in three election cycles, including the May presidential primary.
Cetin, who immigrated to the United States from Turkey as a child, is considered a permanent resident or green card holder. While a permanent resident can apply for U.S. citizenship after a certain period of time, sources tell KING his status had not changed from green card holder to U.S. citizen.
While voters must attest to citizenship upon registering online or registering to vote at the Department of Licensing Office, Washington state doesn’t require proof of citizenship. Therefore elections officials say the state’s elections system operates, more or less, under an honor system.
This is very similar to how it works in my (Michelle Jesse’s) home state of Minnesota — where a registered voter can “vouch” for another individual’s eligibility. In fact, a single registered voter can “vouch” for as many as eight people (down from 15, which it was prior to 2013) — which comes in handy when one is trying to process a busload of ineligible voters from other places on election day.
While Cetin is just one high-profile case, how many more are there voting illegally?
And, of course, we know the Democrats have waged an all-out assault on voter ID laws in many states, declaring it “racist” to require identification verification — even allowing the choice of an array of types of ID. Meanwhile, of course, ID is required for just about everything else, like going to the doctor, buying liquor or cigarettes, going to the movies, receiving unemployment or welfare benefits, etc. The truth is, what’s really racist is the soft bigotry of lowered expectations — suggesting individuals of certain backgrounds are not capable of getting an ID for themselves.
How many more does this open up to voting this November?
“We don’t have a provision in state law that allows us either county elections officials or the Secretary of State’s office to verify someone’s citizenship,” explained Secretary of State Kim Wyman. “So, we’re in this place where we want to make sure we’re maintaining people’s confidence in the elections and the integrity of the process, but also that we’re giving this individual, like we would any voter, his due process. We’re moving forward, and that investigation is really coming out of the investigation from the shootings.”
The penalty for voting as a non U.S. citizen could result in five years of prison time or a $10,000, according to Secretary of State’s Office.
However, while the penalty may be high, the recourse for correcting voter fraud after an election is all but impossible. Of course, Cetin will likely be behind bars come November — but how many thousands or millions non-citizens like him are out there free to vote?
And, of course, it’s no wonder that — as they work to demolish voter ID where it exists — Democrats are simultaneously doing all they can to open the floodgates to welcome more people to our country. Even as they work to extend voting rights to felons and work overtime to add new citizens to the rolls before November 8.
It’s a perfect storm — and the tidal wave of that could overtake our republic is downright terrifying.
And that’s why we must continue to fight for voter ID, as well as take active roles in protecting election integrity in every way we are able. In my community, for example, we can sign up to be election judges and poll watchers — what about you? Come election day, whether you have a formal role or not, stay on high alert to potential fraud that may be happening before your eyes — and report it. We’re fighting for the very integrity of our great republic — and indeed it will take an army.
http://www.allenbwest.com/michellejesse/terrifying-new-details-emerge-seattle-mall-shooter
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