Topline:
Santa Ana voters will decide in November 2024 whether to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in city elections. If the ballot measure is approved, the city’s charter will be amended.
Why it matters: City Attorney Sonia Carvalho said it’s the first of its kind in California. In Oakland and San Francisco, measures have passed allowing noncitizens to vote in school board elections.
Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez said there are around 80,000 undocumented residents in Santa Ana per the most recent census report, 60,000 of which are potential voters.
The group deserves the right to vote, he said, because the decisions made “are already impacting families, families who are undocumented, who are business owners, who are employing your neighbors, who own property.”
Voices of caution: Carvalho strongly advised the council against approving the item because it could lead to the city being sued in federal court.
Go deeper: .. to learn about federal voting requirements plus previous litigation in non citizen voting cases.