SPECIAL ELECTIONS

Californians are getting ready to cast their vote in the upcoming special elections next week. Even though I am not a born-and-raised Californian, I too was hoping to be able to participate. That is, until I read the fine print which separates me from first-class residents - those Californians holding U.S. citizenships.

See, I have a green card. When I got it, I was directed to this website that explains, among other things, rights and responsibilities of permanent residents. One of my rights is the right to vote. According to the text, I can vote in state and local elections. Except that the elections have to be open to non-U.S. citizens.

Well, the elections next week are for U.S. citizens alone. And pretty much any relevant election here in California is for U.S. citizens alone. Never mind that California could still be dubbed the Promised Land by some and is still brimming with immigrants from every corner of the world. Never mind that a person who has a green card is in most cases seeking naturalization as well - and therefore paying taxes dutifully - taxes which in turn fund these propositions and more. Never mind.

I was really looking forward to showing my distaste for Proposition 73 on November 8. I guess that will have to wait. I just hope that the nice people of California - the American ones, that is - will have the good sense of voting against this proposition. And others as well.