District of Columbia council members voiced their support Wednesday for a new law that would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.
The bill, "Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015", would allow permanent residents in the city who are not American citizens to vote in elections for mayor, city council, the attorney general and State Board of Education members, among other things.
“They are our neighbors and our friends and they want to see our city flourish, yet they have no say in how the city’s government is run,” said Councilwoman Elissa Silverman. “This speaks to the fundamental fairness and justice of our democracy, and in particular our local democracy,” Councilman Charles Allen added.
One opponent is Dorothy Brizill, executive director of DCWatch, a government watchdog group in the district. “For many the right to vote is the essence of citizenship,” she said as she warned the council not to move too hastily to pass the legislation.
Brizill brought up the difficulties that arise when non-citizens are given the right to vote, which would require two separate voter registration rolls for citizens and non-citizens. “Would there be confusion at the polls?” Brizill asked of the council. If the law passes, the city’s Board of Elections would need to decide between holding an election every year or providing separate ballots for non-citizens.
If the city decides to hold an election every year, local elections and national elections would alternate each year, so immigrants and citizens can vote in local elections one year, and only citizens would be eligible to vote in national elections the next.
Clifford Tatum, director of the Board of Elections, told council members if the city decides to hold both elections the same year, the ballots for immigrants would need to look significantly different from the regular ballots so the two would not be confused.
Either way, he said, it will “require significant financial resources” to implement the law, though he couldn’t say how much it would cost. In 2014, the city enacted a law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, becoming one of just 10 states to do so.
The “limited purpose” licenses allow illegal immigrants to drive cars legally, since before the law passed they were doing so illegally. The licenses do not, though, allow immigrants to enter federal buildings or board airplanes, because they are not recognized by the federal government.
The licenses are also not recognized in any state other than the District of Columbia.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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