The City Council in Washington, D.C., has preliminarily approved bills that would enable non-citizens to vote in elections and make mail-in voting permanent.
The City Council approved the bills in a first reading. The Democrat-controlled body must do so again in the next vote, called the final reading, for the legislation to be sent to Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.
B24-0300, or the Local Resident Voting Rights Act of 2021, would allow non-citizens who are otherwise eligible to vote in the District to vote in local elections.
“This allows us to expand voting rights to eligible residents of the district who are not citizens,” Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau, a Democrat, said before the vote, including illegal immigrants.
“It’s really critically important that folks have a voice. So if we’re going to continue to work toward a more inclusive democracy, and full participation in our elections, we need to vote in support of this bill today,” she added later.
Councilwoman Mary Cheh, another Democrat, questioned how the change would play out.
“The concern here is not at all about their immigration status, whether legal or illegal,” Cheh said. “It’s asking whether somebody who is a complete stranger to our community, to our nation, and who happened to be sent here on a bus from Texas, and managed to remain resident for 30 days could actually vote in our elections.”
Cheh was the only member to vote against the bill.
Members of the public testified in support of the bill during a hearing over the summer. None appeared to oppose it.
Critics of the measure and others like it say allowing non-citizens to vote dilutes the voice of citizens and undermines their rights.
The council on Tuesday also unanimously advanced B24-0507, known as the Elections Modernization Amendment Act of 2021. The bill would require district officials to mail every voter a mail-in ballot for each election, making permanent a change officials introduced for the first time in the 2020 presidential election.
B24-0507 also requires officials to operate at least 55 ballot drop boxes and enables voters to vote at any voting center, regardless of the precinct to which they’re assigned.
“Voters value the convenience and flexibility that mail-in ballots, ballot drop boxes, and Vote Centers provide,” Councilman Charles Allen, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement.
He said that the changes made in recent years have increased voter turnout, adding, “To me, it’s a no-brainer to make these changes part of every election moving forward.”
Members of the public testifying about the bill expressed support during the public hearing in January.
“We fully support the following provisions of this bill, which we believe will further reduce barriers to voting or will improve the voting experience,” said Kesh Ladduwahetty, operations director for DC for Democracy.
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