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Deadline looms for a proposed LA city ballot measure to extend local voting rights to noncitizens
A proposed November ballot measure could extend voting rights to residents without U.S. citizenship status in the city of L.A. for local elections.
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Ronaldo Bolaños
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LAist
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Topline:
L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez on Tuesday pushed his colleagues to consider a November ballot measure that could extend voting rights to residents without U.S. citizenship status.
The background: Soto-Martínez introduced a motion in April. It was sent to the city’s Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, but that group has yet to discuss it. The last action was taken on May 28, when the item was continued until an undetermined date, and it was not on the committee’s June 5 agenda.
What does this mean? If placed on the ballot and approved by voters, the mayor and City Council would have the ability to make changes to the city’s ordinance that would allow noncitizen residents to vote in local elections. It would affect residents like Grace McManus, a legal permanent resident who has lived in L.A. since 2002. “Like so many longtime residents, I contribute to this city every day, yet I’ve often felt invisible and unheard,” McManus said in a statement. “Residential Voting is about making sure people like me have a voice in the decisions that affect our families and our communities.”
Why is the council member pushing for this? Soto-Martínez and supporters of the measure say everyone who lives in and contributes to L.A. should be represented in the democratic process. “My own parents spent decades working, paying taxes, and raising their children in Los Angeles without the right to vote,” Soto-Martínez said in a statement. “Their story is the story of hundreds of thousands of Angelenos who contribute to this city every day and deserve a voice in the decisions that affect our community.”
Is there a deadline? Yes, the City Council has until June 17 to place a ballot measure on the General Election ballot in November.
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