Immigrants to vote in Brazil’s election Sunday in Framingham
FRAMINGHAM — Brazilians living in New England will be coming to Framingham High School Sunday to vote in their country’s presidential election.Okay, I grok that one can be legally living in the US and still a citizen of another country. What I don't understand is why it had to be done in a public school rather than the Brazilian consulate in Boston. The school had to be opened on a Sunday, had to have staff present before, during, and after the event, had to be cleaned after in time for classes Monday, etc. The question that should be first and foremost on everyone's mind is who paid for all this? They're estimating some 12K people will be filing into Framingham High School for this - the bill ain't gonna be cheap.According to the Brazilian Workers Party, which organizes voting throughout the country, the polling place at the high school should be collecting nearly 12,000 votes from people registered to vote in Brazil living in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Something tells me that the taxpayers of Framingham are going to look long and hard at the next Prop 2½ override request...
That is all.
Link sent by PISSED, who is trying to get me to live up to his moniker...
UPDATE: From Paul comes this bit of pertinent information:
My wife had to go and vote there. It's a felony for Brazilian citizens to not vote. The money to pay for the polling places in the US comes directly from Brazil, not from the host nation. Specifically, it comes from monetary fines paid by the people who get busted for not voting in the last election.
I stand corrected.
9 comments:
12 Thousand!!! Wow. No wonder the ATMs have a Portugese option around Marlboro and Framingham.
My wife had to go and vote there. It's a felony for Brazilian citizens to not vote. The money to pay for the polling places in the US comes directly from Brazil, not from the host nation. Specifically, it comes from monetary fines paid by the people who get busted for not voting in the last election.
Wow. Thanks for the clarification Paul.
Huh. You learn something new every day.
I'll update now.
Oh, also, consulates are tiny.
Thanks for the info Paul..
Its toooooo bad that the news doesn't report this kinda information so that we know all sides to the story. Alas that might be asking a BIT too much.
You know, the people who don't vote in America, are, for the most part, the very people we wouldn't want voting. They tend to be the same lazy, entitlement grubbing folks who would only vote themselves more "stuff" at working families expense.
Thank god we don't have mandatory voting.
Glad to know the Brazilians pay their way ... unlike certain Kenyans living in Mass.
I'd still have INS (or what ever they're called these days) by the exits checking for legal residency. Given they are voting to comply with Brazilian law I'm sure most if not all are legal. If you have 12K foreigners in one spot take advantage of it.
But then I am a xenophobe and a hater. The New York Times says so.
Yes, All I ask from the news is..
When, What, Who, Why and Where. As it has a genuine effect of removing most of the sixth W (WTFO??). Opinions on their part I donnot give a rats@$$ for.
If they don't do it with prop 2-1/2 they get creative.
Eck!
I wouldn't go that far, Stretch. I do know a fair number of illegals who are Brazilian. They have a funny pecking order- folks who overstay their 180 days per year (on a 10 yr. visa) are OK. Border jumpers and holders of expired visas are looked down on. It's like something out of King Rat, to me.
For the most part, the Brazilian illegals are a silent minority. There's a classism that prevents them from seeking handouts for the most part- they view people who do that as what we would refer to as 'trailer trash.' That's pretty much the only reason why they don't get bad press as a group. Well, that and the fact that the ladies are the most attractive women on earth, for the most part.
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