Boston's noncitizen voting push faces Beacon Hill roadblock
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As Boston leaders weigh letting noncitizens vote in local elections, the idea was effectively killed by a panel of Massachusetts Democrats last week.
Why it matters: Beacon Hill's aversion to the issue dates back to the 19th century, when Massachusetts first imposed a literacy test to keep foreigners from casting ballots.
Between the lines: These days, noncitizen voting in local elections is an issue that perennially dies in the Legislature among thousands of other proposals.
- President Trump's claims, without evidence, that millions of noncitizens have illegally voted in federal elections — and his fraught relationship with Massachusetts leaders — are also factors.
Catch up quick: Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia introduced the home-rule petition seeking to expand voting to non-citizens on Wednesday. It was approved 8-4.
- The proposal now goes to the city's Committee on Government Operations and will have a public hearing.
State of play: The Joint Committee on Election Laws voted to send nearly three dozen voting bills to study Thursday.
- They included bills to let Cambridge and Boston expand voting privileges in local elections to noncitizens, and another to let municipalities make similar changes without having to get approval from the Legislature.
Reality check: Even if it gets Mayor Michelle Wu's signature, the proposal will likely flounder in the Legislature, just as it has for decades.
- By opting to study, rather than act on, the bills, lawmakers can avoid a vote indefinitely.
The other side: Some lawmakers have previously opposed the measure, echoing the concerns of Councilor Ed Flynn, who voted no on the Boston petition.
- "At this time, it's critical that we maintain faith in our electoral system/democracy & avoid counterproductive changes," Flynn wrote on X.
Flashback: Several states let immigrants vote in U.S. elections into the early 1900s, especially before the Civil War, when voting rights were based on property ownership rather than citizenship.
- Massachusetts was one of the first states to restrict immigrants' voting rights, amending the Constitution in 1857 to impose literacy tests for voters.
- By 1926, no state allowed noncitizens to vote.
- In Massachusetts, some cities and towns have tried to let immigrants vote in local elections without success, from Amherst in 1999 to several lawmakers in Boston and Cambridge years later.
What they're saying: Hannah Alarian, an assistant professor at the University of Florida, said the idea of noncitizens voting "isn't new."
- The European Union lets noncitizens vote in a member country if they hail from another member country, Alarian said.
- Some countries, including Portugal and the Netherlands, allow noncitizens from other countries to vote.
Zoom out: At least 17 states explicitly bar noncitizens from voting in state elections, but the practice has recently gained traction at the local level.
- Some municipalities in Vermont, California and Maryland let some noncitizens participate in their elections.
Yes, but: Others, including New York City and Yellow Springs, Ohio, passed laws letting non-citizens vote in local elections only to have those actions reversed, Alarian notes.
- In 2022, a state judge ruled the New York City law unconstitutional, and Ohio voters passed a statewide ban on noncitizens voting locally.
What we're watching: The issue will likely become even less popular as Trump pushes for the SAVE Act, which would impose voter ID laws nationwide for all elections.