Residents of Portland, Maine will soon vote on giving voting rights to foreign nationals


Immigration Reform Examiner
Dave Gibson


Portland, Maine
Photo: Ken Gallager

On November 2, Portland residents will vote on a ballot measure to give non-citizens the legal right to vote in local elections.

The League of Young Voters is behind the proposal, as they gathered thousands of signatures earlier in the year to force a ballot initiative. The group had until July 14th to collect 5,000 signatures.

Portland is home to about 7,000 foreign nationals, mostly from Sudan and Somalia.

In March, Will Everitt of the League of Young Voters told WCSH News: “They are here, they are going to our public schools, and the city gets federal dollars from that. So they count when it comes to getting that federal money, but they suddenly don't count in November.â€