Happy Election Day!

Today is election day. And while it’s not a presidential election year, there are still important races around the country and perhaps in your neck of the woods.

Importantly, the 779,929 individuals naturalized in FY2013 will have a say in those elections and in next year’s presidential election.

The right of naturalized citizens to vote is an important one. And the fact that people are voting around the country today sheds extra light on the significance of the the study on naturalization, released today by the Center for Migration Studies.

President Obama has urged those eligible to naturalize. But the CMS report notes that many eligible individuals face barriers to changing their status. If those barriers are not overcome, these long-term U.S. residents will continue to lack a political voice.

-KitJ