Los Angeles voters could decide whether noncitizens can fill ballot in city elections
Measure allowing noncitizens votes going to Nov. ballot
The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-5 to advance a measure that would let voters decide whether noncitizens can vote in city and Los Angeles Unified School District elections.
LOS ANGELES - This week, the Los Angeles City Council moved forward with a plan to let voters decide if noncitizens should join them in city elections.
"This is a very new concept that hasn’t been proven anywhere else, so here we are, Los Angeles, being a political lab for the rest of the nation," political analyst Luis Alvarado said.
The measure would allow the City Council to pass an ordinance allowing noncitizens to vote only in citywide and Los Angeles Unified School District board elections.
The measure was proposed by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, who was not available for an interview with FOX 11 on Thursday.
"The proponents of this measure are those that have more of an ultra-progressive tendency that feel that the local communities are disenfranchised because they are being taxed for services, but they don’t have a voice," Alvarado said.
The vote was 10-5, with Councilmembers McOsker, Blumenfield, Lee, Nazarian and Rodriguez voting against allowing this to move to the ballot.
"Those that are detractors say that the U.S. Constitution is very firm, and if they wanted to have a change in the Constitution, they should use the natural system that’s built into the Constitution," Alvarado said.
He said whether the measure passes could come down to fundraising.
"The question is, for the electoral process, who is going to put money into it and who’s going to put money into the campaign to defeat it," Alvarado said.
If the measure passes on the Nov. 3 ballot, it will likely be challenged in court.