SAUGUS — State Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) recently voted to sustain Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license. Wong questioned whether sufficient safeguards are in place to prevent individuals who cannot provide proof of lawful residence from using a driver’s license to register to vote.
“In voting to support the Governor’s veto, Representative Wong cited concerns about the fairness of the underlying bill,” the press release said.
Rep. Wong believes the proposal is particularly unfair to those individuals who have followed the law to secure the status of lawful presence or citizenship, and objects to the fact that the language in the bill prohibits the Registrar of Motor Vehicles (RMV) from disclosing or making public record any personally identifying information provided by an applicant.
Wong also supported the defeated amendments that would have required the Registrar to provide information on an applicant under specific circumstances, including to a city or town clerk seeking to verify the identity and eligibility of any individual using a Massachusetts license to vote or to register to vote.
Wong previously supported an alternative — and later defeated — proposal, filed by state Rep. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk), that would allow undocumented residents to apply for a state-issued “driver privilege card,” (DPC) and drive legally.
Under the proposal, applicants were required to complete a comprehensive driver’s education, provide proof of employment and auto insurance, and submit sufficient documentation verifying their name, date, and place of birth. This proposal also specifically stated that the individuals holding the DPCs would not be allowed to vote in any local, state, or federal election.
The main misconception about this newly-adopted legislation was that it would allow undocumented immigrants the ability to vote, said state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn).
“It’s just simply not true; this bill only allows one to have a driver’s license,” he said.
Crighton said that a driver’s license is not needed to register to vote, and “for automatic voter registration you have to prove that you are a citizen to be automatically registered.”
He explained that the state legislators have been working on this legislation for 20 years with a wide range of stakeholders, including law enforcement, public health, education institutions, businesses, and many other organizations.
Sixteen other states have already passed similar legislation, said Crighton, and in those states the number of hit-and-run accidents decreased, as well as the number of uninsured or underinsured drivers. Supporters of the bill maintain that the legislation will make the roads safer by ensuring that all the drivers are properly trained and licensed.
It will also help people who are currently ineligible for licenses get to jobs and family obligations, especially in areas without public transit.
“We have roughly 185,000 immigrants without status living here in Massachusetts. They are our friends, our family, our coworkers, our students, and right now, unfortunately, any time they go to drive a car to drop the kids off at school, or go to a medical appointment, or go to a grocery store, or go to work, they have to break the law,” said Crighton.
A bill allowing immigrants without legal status in Massachusetts to apply for their standard driver’s license was passed last Thursday after the State Senate overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of the measure.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].
