noncitizen voting – A Los Angeles councilmember wants voters to consider letting noncitizens vote in city elections, a proposal critics say could undermine citizenship and raise safety risks.
Los Angeles is moving closer to a citywide debate over who gets a say in local government.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez has released a proposal that would ask voters on Nov.. 3 to give the City Council authority to allow noncitizens to vote in city elections. including races for mayor and City Council. as well as Los Angeles Board of Education seats.. The plan. co-signed by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado. would take effect only after multiple steps—first approval by voters. and then additional action by the council to revise city election law.
The political stakes are already clear in a city where immigrant communities make up a major share of the population.. Soto-Martínez, whose parents were once undocumented, framed the issue as a matter of basic local voice.. He argued that residents who work. pay taxes. and raise children in public schools often influence community outcomes through daily life—yet historically have had no vote in the local decisions that shape their neighborhoods.
The proposal’s path is anything but simple.. Even if the council puts the measure on the ballot, voters still must approve it.. After that, the council would need to pass an ordinance updating city election rules.. That layered process creates multiple points where political momentum could fade. especially if opponents succeed in portraying the plan as legally risky. administratively difficult. or politically dangerous.
For advocates, the core argument is about representation at the local level.. Angelica Salas. who leads the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. said many Angelenos—such as green card holders. DACA recipients. and others—experience the consequences of local policy without equal electoral power.. Her position centers on the idea that people contribute to city life in ways that are often indistinguishable from citizens’ daily responsibilities. but lack the same influence at the ballot box.
Opponents, however, say the proposal strikes at the meaning of citizenship.. Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform said his organization would oppose the effort. arguing that allowing noncitizens to vote undermines the concept of citizenship and what it means to belong fully in American society.. Mehlman also warned against the idea that noncitizens should gain the same voice in how the city is run. saying that voting authority is a right reserved for citizens.
Other critics worry less about the principle and more about the practical consequences.. Dylan Kendall. running against Soto-Martínez. argued that the proposal could lead to the creation of an official list of noncitizen voters at a time when the federal government is intensifying immigration enforcement.. Her concern is that any formal system for recording noncitizen voting could increase exposure for undocumented residents or those living under fear of federal scrutiny.
The debate also taps into a legal reality that cities and states have wrestled with for years: federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections. but local jurisdictions may set rules for local contests and school board races.. Supporters point to examples in other places—such as San Francisco. where noncitizens won the right to vote in school board elections. and Oakland. where voters approved a similar measure that has not yet fully taken hold.. Others point to recent setbacks, including Santa Ana’s rejection of a noncitizen voting proposal in 2024.
What makes Los Angeles different—and more complicated—is that the proposal would extend beyond school board races into broader city elections. including top political offices.. That shift could change the political calculus for voters who are sympathetic to representation but hesitant about altering the local election framework more broadly.. It could also heighten scrutiny from people concerned about how election systems would be administered. how residency is verified. and how safeguards would work.
Meanwhile. supporters argue the larger issue is the relationship between immigrant communities and local government—especially during periods when immigration enforcement becomes more visible nationwide.. Soto-Martínez linked his proposal to immigrant communities facing heightened pressure. saying his plan is a way to ensure local residents with deep ties to the city retain a voice in decisions that affect schools. neighborhoods. and daily life.
The proposal is now headed to the council’s rules committee, where it will face questions about feasibility and process.. Soto-Martínez, who is also running for re-election in the June 2 race, is not the only figure backing the concept.. Several candidates in other city races have expressed support. suggesting the issue could be more than a procedural vote—it may become a campaign topic that forces Angelenos to decide what local democracy should look like.
In a city where local elections often drive visible change. the outcome of this ballot question could influence how future Los Angeles candidates talk about belonging. representation. and the role of citizenship in everyday governance.. If voters approve the first step. the next phase would bring even more difficult questions—about enforcement. administration. and protections—into sharper focus.