Colorado Finalizes Non-Citizen Voter Database

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler says he's finalized an agreement with federal officials to access an immigration database to verify whether non-citizens are on voting rolls.

The federal database contains information about immigrants who are in the country legally and eligible to receive government benefits, but are not citizens. Gessler announced the agreement Friday.

Gessler sent letters to nearly 4,000 registered voters last week who he suspects are ineligible to vote because they once showed non-citizen documents, like a green card, when applying for a driver's license. They later appeared on voter rolls.

Gessler says the database will help verify whether those immigrants have since become citizens.

Florida already has access to the federal database.

Critics of Gessler's plan worry it could disenfranchise eligible voters.

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