Noncitizens in Santa Ana Are Organizing for the Right to Vote in Local Elections — Truthout

By Aina de Lapparent Alvarez

When he was in second grade, Alexis Jaimes asked his undocumented parents who they would be voting for in the upcoming elections.

“They said they couldn’t, and I found that so strange,” Jaimes, now a 30-year-old teacher, told Truthout. “Why can’t they, but others could?”

On election day, Santa Ana, a city in the greater Los Angeles region, will be voting on whether its 24 percent residents who aren’t citizens can vote in local elections. Jaimes canvassed for the first time. He felt nervous but hoped his drive would make up for his inexperience.

If the measure passes, Santa Ana will join 19 jurisdictions across Maryland, Vermont, California, Illinois and Washington, D.C. to give noncitizens the right to vote in local elections such as city council or school board races. To convince voters, a coalition led by Asian and Latino residents have been arguing that “parents and taxpayers” should have voting rights.