Noncitizens Embrace Political Process

Aicha Bensaid Samrhouni has been almost single-minded in her desire to see Barack Obama elected president. She speared the yard of her Herndon home with blue campaign signs. She donated hundreds of dollars toward his efforts. She is taking Election Day off to work the polls.

But she will not be casting a ballot Tuesday, for Obama or anyone else. An immigrant from Morocco, she is not a U.S. citizen and therefore is not eligible to vote. It was a reality that washed over her one recent evening as her husband spoke of Obama's chances.

"She had tears in her eyes and she said, 'I wish I could vote,' " Hassan Samrhouni recalled. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I can't believe this.' "

Aicha Samrhouni is a legal permanent resident, one of about 12 million in the United States, according to Department of Homeland Security estimates. They enjoy almost all the benefits of citizenship -- except the right to vote.

Less than half of the almost 1.1 million foreign-born residents in the Washington area are citizens, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although a sizeable but unknown number are believed to be illegal immigrants, thousands are legal but have not been naturalized. They include foreign students, temporary workers, people granted political asylum and permanent residents such as Samrhouni, among others.

Although noncitizens can't vote, they are not barred from participating in elections in other ways. Those with green cards, who have achieved legal permanent status, are permitted to make campaign contributions. And anyone can knock on doors, hand out fliers or register voters.

The number of donors and volunteers who fall into the noncitizen category is not known. The Federal Election Commission does not keep track of donors by citizenship status, and the campaigns say they accept volunteers without asking about status.

Steve Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates for stricter immigration policies, estimates that the number of foreign citizens influencing U.S. elections is tiny and not troubling.

"The whole point of immigration is to create future Americans," he said. "So if people are participating in a legal fashion and they're here legally, that can be seen as a step toward successful assimilation."

Still, many noncitizens have been energized by this year's historic race. Some, such as Samrhouni, were inspired by Obama's oratory and his unlikely success as the child of a Kenyan immigrant.

Others, such as Isabel León, were drawn to Sen. John McCain because of socially conservative values and a desire for a strong national defense. León, 60, a retired teacher who lives in Richmond, said through an interpreter that she immigrated to the United States in 1991 to flee violent conditions in her home country of Peru.

"The values of the Republican Party are similar to the values of the Hispanic community," said León, a staunch Catholic who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. "I came from a country where I saw terrorism, and I don't want that to happen in the United States."