US presidential election: How to stay informed as a non-citizen during polls?

With the United States presidential election just a week away, voters are eagerly waiting to cast their ballots for their favourite candidate, be it Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or Republican nominee Donald Trump, bidding goodbye to incumbent Joe Biden's presidency.

For the American citizens, it may not be that hard to choose their president, however, for the non-citizens, the situation might be complex to hold an opinion on the elections, on the basis of correct information.

Definition of a non-citizen in US

A non-citizen person in the United States is someone who has not been granted permanent US residence, as demonstrated by the issuance of a permanent residence card, known as the 'Green Card'.

One has to be an Americancitizen to vote in all federal elections, including the presidential elections.

Things to know about US elections as a non-citizen

One of the most important things as a non-citizen is to identify if you're consuming misinformation and how to get accurate information. For that, a non-citizen might have to dig deeper to find the correct information as compared to an American citizen.

One should know who the president, vice president, house speaker, chief justice, and the justices of the Supreme Court are. Moreover, as a citizen or a non-citizen, you should know who the governor is, the senators of your state, and who represents your district in the House of Representatives.

To find out about these government officials, you can refer to the official websites of the White House, the US House Speaker, the US Supreme Court, and the US Senate.

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Spotting misinformation is another important thing. Checkinginformation on reliable news websites is the easiest way. However, before believing anything, read the source of the information, check for the dates, and most importantly, look at other reports to cross-verify whether the information is factually correct or not.

Penalties for non-citizens who illegally try to vote

It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in the federal elections or state elections. The federal voter registration form asks the registrars to affirm under penalty of perjury that they are eligible citizens.

People who try to illegally vote in the elections could be fined, imprisoned, or deported. They might also lose the ability to ever become US citizens.

(With inputs from agencies)