Immigration, Politics

D.C. Advancing New Bill to Let Non-Citizens Vote

The city council of Washington, D.C., voted 12-1 on Tuesday to advance a bill that would allow non-citizen residents to vote in future local elections.

The bill will move ahead to an upcoming final vote before being sent to Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).

“Our immigrant neighbors of all statuses participate, contribute and care about our community in our city. They, like all DC residents, deserve a right to have a say in their government,” D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen said during the Tuesday legislative meeting, according to The Hill.

“They raise families here, contribute to their community. They run businesses that people depend on, and they pay taxes that we decide how to spend. Yet they have no ability to elect local leaders who make decisions about their bodies, their businesses and their tax dollars,” Allen added.

The bill, if approved, would permit non-citizen residents in the District of Columbia to vote in local elections that include its mayor, attorney general, and school board members. Read more…

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