New try to let non-citizens vote

Non-citizen immigrants whose children are enrolled in San Francisco public schools would be able to vote in school board elections, under a proposed charter amendment for the fall ballot that Board of Supervisors President David Chiu will introduce Tuesday.

The proposal resurrects a ballot measure that city voters narrowly rejected six years ago, with 49 percent in favor and 51 percent opposed.

Chiu ran the 2004 campaign in favor of the limited extension of voting rights and said the idea deserves a second airing. He said an estimated 1 in 3 households with children in public schools are headed by parents who aren't citizens.

Allowing them to vote in Board of Education races would help boost their involvement in their children's education, Chiu said. ''And that helps improve the quality of the schools,'' Chiu said.

Posted By: Rachel Gordon (Email) | May 17 2010 at 06:53 PM

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