Washington’s new law on noncitizen voting took effect Tuesday and drew its first legal challenge from the Immigration Reform Law Institute, which says it harms the voting rights of actual citizens.
The new law applies to all city dwellers who have lived in the District more than 30 days, and allows them to cast ballots in any city contest, though they are still not supposed to vote in races for federal office. It is the most expansive noncitizen voter policy on the books anywhere in the country.“This law doesn’t just give foreign citizens a voice in our country’s affairs, it gives them voting power that politicians inevitably will have to respond to.
The measure cleared city council over the opposition of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who allowed it to become law without her signature.The House passed a resolution disapproving of the voting changes, with more than 40 Democrats joining the GOP in voting to strike the law down. But the Democrat-led Senate never acted.
One reason for that is President Biden, who initially expressed opposition to both bills, but then reversed himself on the crime bill once it became clear it would pass the Senate. But a recent push by immigrant-rights advocates to lessen distinctions between citizens and noncitizens has reignited the issue. Takoma Park, a town that sits in Maryland just across the D.C. border, has allowed the practice for several decades, and other towns in Maryland have followed suit.
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