# Canadian and US Dopers: How many would meet the "need four native-born grandparents to vote" test? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395 "2016-11-19T02:17:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/1 "2016-11-19T02:17:04Z")
I understand that in run-up to the late election, one meme floating around was that only USians who had all four grandparents born in the US should be able to vote in the elections. I’m just curious how many dopers would meet that test in our respective countries (US and Canada)? I’m asking Canadian and US Dopers because both of our countries have a strong tradition of immigration. So, could you vote for President (US) or for Parliament (Canada), given your family heritage? If I’ve done the poll right, you only get one choice, but I’ve extended it down to parents or yourself; click the one that seems right. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/2 "2016-11-19T02:22:39Z")
As for me, I couldn’t vote for Parliament. On my father’s side, one grandparent’s family dated back to the Irish in the Ottawa valley, and the other set of great-grandparents emigrated to Canada from Scotland. However on my mum’s side, grandad came from Scotland and grammie came from Wales, so no votes for me! ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/3 "2016-11-19T02:23:29Z")
I could not. Despite being an extremely pasty shade of white my maternal grandmother came over on the boat between the World Wars. I’d have to do some research on my paternal grandfather. He just umm didn’t come back one day when my dad was extremely young. He’s not really talked about so I’m not sure if he was an earlier or later Irish immigrant. My family would have to do the digging for the wedding certificate and, if it exists, a birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/4 "2016-11-19T02:25:20Z")
I couldn’t vote up here in Soviet Canuckistan, only have 2 grandparents born here. My mother’s parents were appalled by my father, one of whose parents was a double immigrants, first to the US and thence to Canada! In their eyes, a daughter of British Anglican stock marrying someone of Catholic German ancestry was a mixed marriage. And this was in the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/5 "2016-11-19T02:25:53Z")
whoops - i meant to say that you can choose more than one option. pick as many as seem right. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/6 "2016-11-19T02:34:12Z")
No vote for me. All four of my grandparents came here in the very early 1900s. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/7 "2016-11-19T02:37:17Z")
Yes, even by [Skeletor Barbie’s rule](http://forward.com/sisterhood/353731/why-ann-coulters-pro-trump-4-grandparents-tweet-is-so-scary-for-jews/) I’d get to vote. One set born in Pennsylvania and the other in Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/8 "2016-11-19T02:50:02Z")
As long as there wasn’t an intense investigation, yes. It’s fairly likely one of my grandfathers came here as a young infant, but ended up using a birth certificate of a brother who died in infancy who was born in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/9 "2016-11-19T03:11:22Z")
My father came to the US when he was 2 years old. And my kids could not vote because their dad was not born in the US. And my oldest son’s kids would not be able to vote later because their mom was not born in the US. So another 2 generations have to come to pass before the possibility of voting. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/10 "2016-11-19T03:12:51Z")
Missed that meme. Sounds like North Korea. (Not to vote, but if your grandparents did something bad, you’re still in jail.) ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/11 "2016-11-19T03:25:09Z")
My mom’s side of me could vote, but Dad’s side would be SOL. Neither of his parents was born in the U.S., and to date I have not been able to find any immigration records showing my paternal line’s legal status. Well, except for [my great-grandmother’s deportation hearing transcript,](http://b.treelines.com/when-you-bang-your-head-against-the-wall-hard-enough-part-one/) complete with Yiddish interpreter, from the 1920s. That wouldn’t exactly be helpful for voting purposes in the U.S., anyway. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/12 "2016-11-19T03:32:57Z")
I’m out. Dad was born in Ireland, Mom in Canada. I’m a polite drunk. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/13 "2016-11-19T03:50:46Z")
I’d fail if it were great-grandparents – but with grandparents, yeah, I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/14 "2016-11-19T03:58:02Z")
I wouldn’t–one of my grandparents arrived here a measly 103 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/15 "2016-11-19T04:29:08Z")
What in the world is the rule for someone who doesn’t know who is father is? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/16 "2016-11-19T04:32:57Z")
If it’s just grandparents, sure, I can vote. If you needed native born great-grandparents, though, I’d fail that test as at least 2 arrived through Ellis Island. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/17 "2016-11-19T04:34:08Z")
Sheesh - buncha Johnnie-come-latelies. Not only were all of my grandparents born in the US - North Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio and Ohio - all of my great-granders, too. Not certain about the great-greats, but at least one side of my mom’s family showed up in 1826, and my dad’s direct folks go back to 1763. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/18 "2016-11-19T04:40:10Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I wouldn’t–one of my grandparents arrived here a measly 103 years ago. Same here - mum’s side of the family has only been in Canada for a bit more than a century. Clearly, not a strong enough connexion to warrant allowing me to vote. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/19 "2016-11-19T05:06:55Z")
Both my parents are immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395/20 "2016-11-19T05:33:54Z")
I was born in Scotland. I’m a bad Canadian. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-and-us-dopers-how-many-would-meet-the-need-four-native-born-grandparents-to-vote-test/772395.md?page=2)