L.A. council bid would let noncitizens vote locally

noncitizens vote – Advocates rallied at Los Angeles City Hall to back a proposal from Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez that would allow noncitizens to vote in Los Angeles city and Los Angeles Unified School District elections. The measure is expected to be considered as part of

Ana Cruz stood at a podium inside City Hall on Tuesday and described a simple idea that still hasn’t been within reach: the chance to vote.

Cruz arrived in the United States from Mexico at age 13 and has lived in Los Angeles for 23 years. raising two children and working as a community organizer. But because she is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. she has never been able to vote in any elections because her status doesn’t offer a pathway to citizenship.

“For me, it will be the first time I will have a chance to vote and help decide who represents me,” Cruz said during a press conference in support of the measure at City Hall Tuesday. “Without a doubt, this strengthens our democracy.”

The proposal she backed would allow noncitizens to cast ballots only in Los Angeles city and Los Angeles Unified School District elections—not in county. state or federal contests. Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez is seeking council support to include the measure in a package of City Charter reforms that will go to voters for approval in the Nov. 3 general election. The council is scheduled to discuss this and other proposed charter changes Friday.

Soto-Martínez, who represents District 13—an area that includes Echo Park, Hollywood and Filipinotown—said his effort is aimed at local representation and local democracy.

“People have spent many years here, and in many cases, decades, contributing to the city of Los Angeles,” he said. “This is about local representation and local democracy.”

Pushback came quickly as well. Ira Mehlman. spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform. said Tuesday that noncitizens who pay taxes benefit from public services. and that temporary status functions as a probationary period until people take an oath to become citizens. He argued that citizenship carries more meaning than simply participating in civic life.

“Citizenship does mean something, it means you are a fully participating member of society,” Mehlman said. “It doesn’t seem unreasonable to say you’ve got to do some time here and demonstrate that you’re somebody that we want as a citizen.”

If the proposal reaches the ballot and voters approve it. the City Council would then need to pass an ordinance creating a residential voting program and establishing eligibility requirements. Those requirements have yet to be determined. though Soto-Martínez’s office has said advocates have discussed options such as extending voting to lawful permanent residents. green card holders. DACA recipients and others who live. work and pay taxes in Los Angeles.

Soto-Martínez first pitched the idea in April, with the support of councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who also signed the motion. In describing why he brought it forward. Soto-Martínez pointed to the fear he says immigrant communities feel under the Trump administration. citing mass immigration raids and family separations.

“We say L.A. is for everyone, and that means no exceptions,” he said.

Among those who said the vote would change their day-to-day feeling of being shut out was Grace McManus, a Filipina mother and caregiver who has lived in Los Angeles for 24 years. She said that even with permanent resident status, she has no say in electing officials who shape everyday life.

“With permanent resident status, she said she has no say in electing officials who shape her everyday life, despite contributing taxes and caring for the elderly,” the remarks continued.

“I am too familiar with the feeling of working and taking on low-wage work while feeling invisible because my voice is disregarded just because of our broken immigration system,” McManus said.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting included public speakers urging approval as well. Julie Van Winkle, vice president of the United Teachers Los Angeles, argued that the measure is necessary to counter efforts she said would shrink voting access.

“Trump and MAGA want to limit voting. We need to fight to expand it, so all of our neighbors have the same rights as us,” Van Winkle said during public comment.

Martha Arévalo, executive director of the Central American Resource Center, stood alongside Soto-Martínez as he rallied for support.

“We know that immigrant communities uphold the economy in this nation, and I think that people who contribute to their community, that call this home, should have a say in their local government,” Arévalo said.

The proposal also joins a growing list of similar measures in other jurisdictions, including Maryland, Vermont and San Francisco.

Ahead of Friday’s council discussion. the measure now sits at the center of a debate about who should count most in local decisions: people living and paying taxes in Los Angeles communities every day. or those who have taken the formal step of becoming citizens. On the Nov. 3 ballot, voters will decide whether Los Angeles should expand the right to vote in local elections beyond citizenship status.

Los Angeles City Charter reforms noncitizens vote DACA Hugo Soto-Martínez LAUSD elections immigration policy local representation