US News

ELEX BIGS FEAR FRAUD IN GOV LICENSE PLAN

ALBANY – State election officials are worried that Gov. Spitzer‘s plan to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses will make it difficult for them to catch people voting illegally.

“There has been concern,” state Board of Elections spokesman Lee Daghlian told The Post.

While it is up to the local boards of election to determine who is eligible to vote, it is rare that election officials check into a person’s legal status, particularly if they have identifying information on their voter-registration form like a driver’s license or the last four digits of a Social Security number, Daghlian said.

In order to register, a person must sign an affidavit stating that they are an American citizen.

“You assume that people don’t lie, and that’s what the form says,” Daghlian said. “It’s an affidavit you sign under penalty of perjury.”

But Daghlian concedes, “Nobody checks it” to determine its validity.

At the polls, voters are asked to show some form of photo ID, like a driver’s license, to prove their identity, Daghlian said.

“I suppose it would be [tough to catch] if someone wanted to take advantage of the system and try to get a number of people registered who aren’t citizens and went ahead and got them driver’s licenses,” he said.

Spitzer last month announced that beginning in December, the state will allow illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses by no longer requiring that applicants provide Social Security numbers or letters that a person is not eligible for such a number.

Critics of the plan expressed concerns about homeland security and said it would make New York ripe for voter fraud.

That criticism grew louder after The Post reported Saturday that the Spitzer administration reversed a policy that would have prohibited the Department of Motor Vehicles from handing out motor-voter registration forms to anyone without a Social Security number, saying it is up to the local boards of election to determine whether someone is eligible to vote.

“It’s a Democratic issue to get more people to the polls and vote for their candidates,” said Sen. Martin Golden, a Brooklyn Republican who is eyeing a run for mayor. “That’s what this has been about.”

Spitzer spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said that a driver’s license was never meant to determine whether someone was legally in the country and that granting them to illegal aliens doesn’t create any new problems with voter fraud. “Certainly, we want to work with the Board of Elections to address voter fraud of any kind,” Givner said.

Meanwhile, Assembly Republicans will try to force a vote on the issue of illegal aliens getting driver’s licenses when the Assembly goes into session tomorrow by attaching different amendments that would outlaw Spitzer’s policy as well as protect county clerks who defy Spitzer from legal fees resulting from any lawsuits brought by the state.

Senate Republicans also plan to pass different legislation addressing the matter as soon as today.

In addition, a rally of those opposed to Spitzer’s plan is scheduled for today outside the Capitol.

The Board of Elections, with four members, has not taken a formal position yet.

kenneth.lovett@nypost.com