"Wave of immigrants could be at polls; 1m citizenship forms processed" by Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | August 12, 2008
Most immigrants who applied for US citizenship during a tidal wave of applications last year should be sworn in and eligible to vote by the November elections, Federal immigration authorities said yesterday.
A fee hike last summer led to a surge in naturalization applications - 1.4 million by the budget year that ended in September 2007, nearly double the typical amount. The increase triggered delays in processing times, but federal officials said yesterday that they will have completed more than 1 million naturalization applications by September, including most of those filed last summer.
Federal officials said they reduced the backlog by adding personnel and working extended hours. But advocates for immigrants warned that thousands of people across the United States still will not become citizens in time to vote.
To apply for US citizenship, immigrants generally must have been legal residents for five years, have a basic command of English, pass a US history and civics test, have good moral character, and adhere to the US Constitution. They also undergo background checks for security purposes.
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Gee, how many Americans could do that?
Could Bush?
