It’s time to let noncitizens vote in local elections

SAN DIEGO >> Americans like to tell themselves they don’t have anything against immigrants. It’s just “illegal immigrants” they don’t like.

That’s a fairy tale. Many of those same folks will then turn around and disrespect legal immigrants. They’ll back Republican-led efforts in Congress to limit legal immigration or support anti-immigrant think tanks that want to keep out just about everyone, no matter their legal status.

Many Americans also oppose efforts by local municipalities to give the right to vote, in local elections, to green card holders who — while noncitizens — are in the country legally.

Of course, the Constitution settles the question of whether U.S. citizenship is a prerequisite for voting. It is.

But that prohibition only applies to federal elections, such as those for Congress or president. The founding document is silent on whether citizenship is required to vote in local elections.

After all, the Constitution limits the power of only the federal government. Besides, the 10th Amendment specifies that all powers not granted to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are “reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

No state allows noncitizens to vote in state elections, such as those for state legislature or governor.

But at the local level, it’s a different story.

Last week, members of the New York City Council adopted a commonsense measure to allow residents who are not U.S. citizens to vote for mayor and city council positions. Undocumented immigrants are still barred from voting, and noncitizens still can’t vote in state or federal elections.

More than a dozen other cities — including Chicago, San Francisco, two cities in Vermont, and 11 in Maryland — currently allow noncitizens to vote in either city council or school board elections. Other cities and towns are mulling over proposals to follow suit.

In fact, the question is not why noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections. The better question is why should they not be allowed to vote in local elections.

On what legal, moral or practical grounds should legal, permanent residents be barred from voting for the people who represent them at the municipal level? Honestly, I can’t think of any.

A lot of Americans say they don’t like undocumented immigrants.

That’s easy to say when those immigrants do, among other things, the household chores that allow many Americans to go to work and live their lives. Still, these people do have documents. They’re called green cards. Once again, these people are in the country legally.

On the other hand, several arguments do come to mind as to why noncitizen voting should not just be permitted but encouraged.

First, there is the issue of fairness. Noncitizens pay sales taxes, income taxes, payroll taxes and property taxes. So what we have now is — what was that phrase, oh yes — “taxation without representation.” Anyone want to throw a tea party?

Next, America should look for every opportunity to do right by legal immigrants. All those Americans who like to claim at dinner parties, and on talk radio, that they support legal immigration should be falling over themselves to provide rights to those who play by the rules.

Also, much of the opposition to noncitizen voting is presumably coming from the nativist wing of the GOP. Or has that poison infected the whole bird by now? Anyway, I thought Republicans worshiped

local control. They sure do when it comes to abortion. But not when it comes to voting?

Finally, for those who don’t think noncitizens should vote because they hold U.S. citizenship to be sacred, I’ve got good news. Letting individuals vote at the local level might incentivize them to go through the process of becoming

citizens, so they can go on to vote in federal elections.

But you didn’t really have to hear those arguments. You know that allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections is the right thing to do.

It is also the American thing to do. One of our greatest traditions is constantly expanding the voting franchise.