Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,
The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-5 to advance a controversial proposal that would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, including mayoral, city council and school board races.
The New York Post reports that the proposal is part of a sweeping charter reform package headed for the November ballot.
The proposal to allow noncitizens to vote was proposed by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez who argues that noncitizens who live, work, pay taxes and raise families in Los Angeles should have a voice in local affairs.
Soto-Martinez said:
“I believe it’s a simple principle that should guide us: If you live in the city, contribute to the city, raise your family in the city, and are impacted by the decisions made in the city, you deserve to have a voice in the city.”
“It just does not make sense to me that someone who moves to Los Angeles for a temporary job has more of a voice than a parent who has been here for decades raising their children through public schools,” Soto-Martinez added.
Opponents warn that the proposal is moving forward before city leaders know whether it can actually be implemented.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez raised questions as to how Los Angeles could create a noncitizen voting program when the city’s elections are administered by Los Angeles County.
Rodriguez warned that city leaders may be making promises they cannot keep, saying, “I have apprehension of making false promises that give the suggestion that we’re able to advance something without even further vetting the ability to implement this. I don’t want to pretend that people are going to take away from this that this is going to be available to them, and it’s not, because it’s not been baked out.”
The noncitizen voting measure was part of a package of proposed city charter changes that will be placed before voters on the November 3rd ballot, including a measure that would allow the council to set policy at Los Angeles Police Department.
The City Attorney will now draft language for the proposed ballot measures, which must then be approved by the City Council before going before voters.