D.C. Mayor Set To Sign Bill Allowing Non-Citizens To Vote in Local Elections

The mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, is set to sign a bill that would allow non-citizen residents of the district to vote in local elections. The legislation then will be passed to Congress for final review.The city council late Tuesday voted to pass the “Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022,” with 12 council members in favor and one absent.If it is signed by the mayor and Congress allows it to go into effect, the legislation would allow both green-card holders and residents of the city who reside there illegally to vote in local elections beginning in 2024.Ms. Bowser appears poised to sign the bill, as she has previously expressed support for the measure and introduced a similar bill when she was a member of the city council.Washington would join a handful of other municipalities that allow non-citizen residents to vote, including two of its suburbs, Hyattsville and Takoma Park, and towns and cities in Maryland and Vermont.New York City enacted a similar law at the beginning of this year, but it was ruled in violation of both the New York constitution and state law.Although the district is not subject to any state-level constitution or laws, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 gives Congress the power to review and reject any laws that the city passes.The bill already has opponents in Congress, such as a congressman from South Carolina’s third district, Jeff Duncan. It also has opponents on the Washington Post’s editorial board.“It’s not often I’m on the same page with the Washington Post … but in this case, we can agree that allowing non-citizens to vote is a terrible idea,” Mr. Duncan said.Mr. Duncan is mostly concerned with the 50,000 or so residents who the bill would enfranchise, and has previously argued that it would dilute the potency of voting. He has also introduced a bill alongside Senator Rubio that would outlaw the practice nationally.“Voting is a hallmark of democracy reserved for citizens,” he said. “Senator Marco Rubio and I have introduced legislation to combat this growing trend nationwide because of the dire implications this has on our nation.”The Post’s editorial board had some similar objections concerning voting as a “foundational right of citizenship,” but also expressed concerns over the potential effect that the measure could have on the push for statehood in the district.Congress will have 30 days to review the bill before the measure becomes law. As it stands, congressional intervention looks unlikely, given leadership has shown no signs of opposition to the bill.

D.C. Mayor Set To Sign Bill Allowing Non-Citizens To Vote in Local Elections

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