Connecticut State Rep. Juan Candelaria of New Haven thinks it’s time to allow undocumented immigrants living in the Constitution State to vote in state and local elections. And he’s not alone.
“When we talk about undocumented individuals, they are part of our fabric of this nation and of the state. … They’re part of the community and they should have a voice,” Candelaria told Governing magazine.
His proposed amendment to the state’s constitution would “allow undocumented immigrants who are residents of the state to be admitted as electors for purposes of voting in municipal and state elections,” if they meet certain residency and other requirements.
Candelaria isn’t optimistic his amendment will pass soon. But he wants to start a conversation with the hope that it will become a fact “in the next couple of years.”
The proposal is not as farfetched as it might seem. According to Ballotpedia, “As of June 2023, the District of Columbia and municipalities in three states allowed noncitizens to vote in some or all local elections: California, Maryland, and Vermont.” That’s 11 in Maryland, three in Vermont, one (Oakland) in California, and the District of Columbia.
The New York City Council “extended the right to vote in municipal elections to lawful permanent residents and other non-citizens authorized to work in the United States” in 2021. But the state Supreme Court struck it down as unconstitutional.
Similarly, San Francisco voters approved a referendum allowing non-citizen parents of public school children to vote in school board elections. But a judge struck it down as violating the state Constitution.
Apparently, non-citizen voting used to be even more prevalent. Governing points out, “Thirty-nine U.S. states permitted ‘Alien Suffrage’ for local, state and federal elections between 1776 and 1926. … The U.S. government did not explicitly prohibit non-citizen voters in federal elections until the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.”
But whether you are ready or not for both legal and illegal immigrants voting, a slight majority of Americans think illegal immigrants will “influence” the 2024 election. As the Rasmussen polling company reported last September, “The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 51% of Likely U.S. voters believe it is likely that the outcome of the 2024 presidential election will be influenced by illegal immigrants voting, including 28% who think it’s Very Likely.”
January 23, 2024