Voters to decide whether to allow noncitizens to vote in California city’s elections — AP News

By Jaimie Ding

Voters will decide whether Santa Ana — a city of about 310,000 in Orange County that’s southeast of Los Angeles — could become the first in California to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections under a ballot measure this November.

It’s illegal for people who are not U.S. citizens to vote for president or other federal offices, and there is no indication of widespread voter fraud, though Republicans have turned the specter of immigrants voting illegally in the U.S. into a major flashpoint. They argue that legislation is necessary to protect the sanctity of the vote.

But a growing number of communities across the United States are passing laws allowing residents who aren’t U.S. citizens to vote in local elections such as city council and mayoral races. Supporters say it’s only fair since they live in the communities and pay taxes.

Other states with municipalities that allow residents without citizenship to vote include Maryland, Vermont, and recently, Washington, D.C., New York City granted local voting rights to noncitizens in 2022, but a state judge struck down the law months later and stopped it from ever going into effect. The city is now in the process of appealing the decision.

“It’s been taxation without representation,” Santa Ana city councilmember Benjamin Vazquez said. “Almost a third of the city doesn’t get a say in how the government is run.”

Residents of Santa Ana who aren’t citizens contribute about $117 million in state and local taxes every year, according to an estimate by the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice. Many are Mexican and Central American immigrants.