ANDREA DAI

09/25/2017-On Sept. 12, the College Park City Council voted 4-3 with one member, Fazlul Kabir, abstaining on an amendment to the city’s charter that would allow non-U.S. citizens to cast ballots in municipal elections. Shortly after the decision, the amendment failed, according to the statement from the Mayor and Council. 

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“It is with considerable embarrassment and regret that we acknowledge our oversight regarding the vote on the proposed Charter Amendment to allow voting by non- citizens in College Park City elections.” 

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Apparently, the yes votes were insufficient under the City Charter amended in June, which requires six votes for the approval. 

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The issue was first introduced in June, supposed to be voted on in August, but was postponed because of continuing threats and harassments toward councilmembers. After a heated public hearing, nothing changed. However, the controversy over the non-citizens’ rights not only stirred the debate locally, but also drew national attention. 

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“Voting is a right of the citizens. It's plain and clear. It's constitutional. It's also written at the state level and it also belongs at the local level. Voting rights equal citizenships,” said Beth Debrovsky, a College Park resident, according to Fox News. 

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So, should non-citizens be allowed to vote in local elections? 

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Some argue non-citizens do not possess enough knowledge of the U.S. political system to vote. Is it a reasonable criterion? Most states have a 30-day residency requirementfor voting. What if a person just moved to New York from California for a month, barely knows anything about the candidates, the state laws, but he is able to vote -- does it make sense?

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Another concern prevails, especially with Donald Trump as president, that non- citizen voters may have an effect on the national level. 

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“In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally,” Trump tweeted a couple weeks after the election. The issue of voter fraud was heatedly controversial during 2016. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, foreign born persons took up 13.2 percent of total population in the U.S. in 2015. 

 

A paper published by three scholars from the academic journal Electoral Studies reported about 6.4 percent of non-citizens actually voted in 2008 the
Presidential election. No one can know the exact number of the non-citizen votes in the election, however, there is a possibility that the number might be significant. In this case, it is unconstitutional for non-citizens to vote because it negates the right of U.S. citizens. 

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Some people believe voting is a privilege for reserved for citizens, no matter if it involves national elections or local issues. If we do not question the citizenship statuses, the blurry line between legal residents and undocumented immigrants may undermine the voting power given to American citizens. 

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Opponents say that it is all about fairness and equities for non-citizens. Voting right sustains the democracy and engages people into the politics and society. Those residents, documented or undocumented, permanent or temporary, might not be eligible as a U.S. citizen, but there is no denying they are part of our community, and they should engage and be allowed to vote -- local issues. 

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Historically, this controversial topic was not a big deal. During the Colonial Era, all white men with property were allowed to vote. This continued after the Declaration of Independence was signed into law in 1776. Forty states and federal territories allowed noncitizens to vote in local, state and sometimes federal elections, and voting among immigrants was very common especially on local level. 

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In the past century, more and more people have immigrated to the U.S. and many races and nationalities have gathered together in this melting pot. Today, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, making up 13.4 percent of the population, according to the Pew Research Center. They own properties, attend schools, start their own businesses; They work in every sector of the economy but still paying billions in taxes each year, and make countless contributions to their communities and the country. 

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However, their voices are seldom be heard. They do not have a formal channel to speak on, because some of them are lack of citizenships. These non-citizens and immigrants suffer from social and economic inequities, because they are not in policymakers’ interests. As we all know, voting is a right given to citizens to supervise the governments, and to make them responsible. 

So, why don’t they become citizens? 

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No one wants to live undocumented or illegally or unofficially in a country they have put so much effort into. It’s not that easy, though. The process could take up to a decade, even if you have documents to begin with. Some people here may not even be eligible to pursue a citizenship; for example, students with visas or green card holders. They are residents in the U.S., dedicating themselves into their communities, and they deserve a voice in the society they live in. 

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The noncitizen voting right has long been an issue, but some municipalities have already put it in practice. The city of Chicago allows non-citizens to vote in local school council elections. In November 2016, San Franciscoapproved non-citizens, including people living in the country undocumented, to vote in local school board elections. Newton, Amherst and Cambridge in the state of Massachusetts have introduced bills to confer foreigners the right to vote, but are still waiting for the state’s approval. New York City has considered allowing non-citizens to participate in city elections over the past few years. It is understandable that the requirement of citizenship to vote in the federal elections, but local elections can be a different matter. 

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Let’s go back to the College Park’s case:

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Maryland is one of a few states that delegate local government to enact ordinances deciding who can vote in local elections. In the past year, Hyattsville and Mount Rainier, both in Prince George’s County, have shared the privilege with non-U.S. citizens, as well as the neighboring Montgomery County cities of Takoma Park, Barnesville, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, Martin’s Additions and Somerset. College Park has more than 20 percent noncitizen residents, and over 6,000 international students enrolling in this university. 

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With such diversity, we still haves a long way. 

 

“To me, expanding access to the right to vote in our city is something that expands our community voice, not something that contracts it,” said Mayor Patrick Wojahn, according to The Washington Post. 

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The council meeting was packed with residents who self-segregated based on a differing of opinions. Sept. 12 was a milestone for the suffrage movement, but there’s still so far to go. As some residents suggest, it might go too fast to give them a time to respond. 

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It has been the history of voting rights expansion in the U.S., and the voice of non- citizens could never be neglected or surpassed. The right to vote helps keep our democracy inclusive and fair. Resident voting is what America's past and future as an immigrant nation requires, and it is time to rethink it.