Boston weighs giving legal, non-US citizens voting rights
Boston weighs giving legal, non-US citizens voting rights
The City Council is considering ways to make city elections more inclusive.
Andrea Campbell's order for a hearing says Boston has more than 190,000 foreign-born residents. –David L Ryan / Globe Staff
AP,
3:20 PM
BOSTON (AP) — Non-U.S. citizens living in the country legally may one day be allowed to vote in Boston elections.
The City Council is holding a hearing Tuesday on the idea at the request of Council President Andrea Campbell. The council is considering ways to make city elections more inclusive, including allowing immigrants with legal status in the country the right to vote in municipal races.
That could include legal permanent residents, visa holders and those on Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Campbell’s order for a hearing says Boston has more than 190,000 foreign-born residents, which represents 28 percent of the city population. It also says non-U.S. citizens paid $116 million in state and local taxes and generated over $3.4 billion in spending according to a 2015 city report.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-ne...-voting-rights
Boston Considering Giving Non-Citizens, Including DACA Recipients VOTING RIGHTS
by Cassandra Fairbanks July 9, 2018
Boston is reportedly weighing giving non-U.S. citizens the right to vote.
The Boston Globe reports that City Council is holding a hearing on Tuesday to explore ways to “make city elections more inclusive” by “allowing immigrants with legal status in the country the right to vote in municipal races.”
In 2017, there were roughly 6,300 DACA recipients in Boston. If the city council allows the changes, they could be included in those who are granted voting rights — along with legal permanent residents and visa holders.
The changes would allow non-citizens to vote in local races such as mayor and city council, but they would still be unable to vote in federal or state elections.
According to Council President Andrea Campbell, who called for the hearing, Boston has 190,000 non-citizen residents, which represents 28 percent of the city population.
Hyde Park City Councilor Tim McCarthy has promised to push back against the effort.
“Voting is a U.S. citizen’s privilege, it’s the ultimate privilege,” McCarthy told the Boston Herald. “And I for one will continue to fight that it remains that way. … Voting for noncitizens is a step too far.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...voting-rights/