Immigrant Voting Rights - Big Big Forums

Jolie Rouge · 04-12-2006, 06:40 PM

FOCUS ON :VOTING RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT REINTRODUCTION

New York City Council Members Charles Barron and Kendall Stewart, along with several of their colleagues, will re-introduce the historic Voting Rights Restoration Act on April 5, 2006. This landmark piece of civil rights and government reform legislation would allow noncitizen residents 18 years of age or older to vote in New York City elections if they have been lawfully present for six months.

DEMOCRACY FOR ALL: RESTORING IMMIGRANT VOTING RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES

The Immigrant Voting Project is pleased to announce the publication of a new book on noncitizen resident voting rights in the United States, Democracy for All: Restoring Immigrant Voting Rights in the United States. The book examines the politics and practices of noncitizen voting, chronicling the rise and fall - and re-emergence - of immigrant voting in the United States. In addition to making the case for noncitizen voting, Democracy for All takes a close look at the politics of and actors in recent campaigns that successfully reestablished noncitizen voting, others that failed, and ones that are currently underway. Democracy for All explores the prospects for a truly universal suffrage in America.

PANYA, THE IMMIGRANT MOUSE, MUSES ON NEW YORK CITY'S 2005 ELECTIONS

Rhoda Muchoki, an artist and storyteller who was born in Kenya, contributes her energy, dedication, and creativity to making this city the greatest in the world. She also takes her identity as a New Yorker seriously and cares about the future of the city. But as a legal resident who, like many immigrants, is a genuine New Yorker but must wait many years to become a citizen, she is frustrated that she cannot contribute her voice at the polling booth on election day.

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS - CNN
November 16, 2005
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Segment: Racism May Be Immigration Issue (transcript)

Queens Tribune
November 17, 2005
ALIEN SUFFRAGE: City Mulls Granting Voting Rights To Queens’ Disenfranchised 28%

Portland (Maine) Press-Herald
November 3, 2005
Right to Vote Is Restricted or Even Denied for Too Many People
Community Voices/Leigh Donaldson

City Limits Magazine (New York City)
November/December 2005
20 Big Ideas for Our Next Mayor : "It’s time to give all New Yorkers the voice they deserve."

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HISTORIES

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN FLORIDA HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN CALIFORNIA HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN COLORADO HISTORY NEW!

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN CONNECTICUT HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN ILLINOIS HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN MAINE HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN MARYLAND HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN MINNESOTA HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN NEW JERSEY HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN NEW YORK HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN NORTH CAROLINA HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN OREGON HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN TEXAS HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN VERMONT HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN VIRGINIA HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN WISCONSIN HISTORY

IMMIGRANT VOTING IN WASHINGTON STATE HISTORY

http://www.immigrantvoting.org/

This site is a member of the US Immigration webring

Jolie Rouge · 04-12-2006, 06:48 PM

Immigrant Voting Rights Receive More Attention
By Ron Hayduk, Borough of Manhattan Community College
Michele Wucker, World Policy Institute
November 1, 2004

The foreign-born population of the United States is now 33 million, or 11.8 percent of the total - the highest absolute level since the great wave of immigration that took place between 1880 and 1920. Today, many communities in New York, Florida, and California have immigrant populations of 40 percent or more.

Most of the estimated 12 million legal permanent residents cannot vote although they may work, pay taxes, send their children to school, and serve in the military. This gap between the electorate and the total population raises important issues about government accountability to residents who cannot vote, and the civic responsibilities newcomers are expected to assume toward their communities.

In response, several communities across the United States are seeking to grant non-citizen residents the right to vote in municipal and/or school board elections. Most Americans are unaware that non-citizen voting was widespread in the United States for the first 150 years of its history. From 1776 until 1926, 22 states and federal territories allowed non-citizens to vote in local, state, and even federal elections but gradually repealed this right. The US Constitution gives states and municipalities the right to decide who is eligible to vote.

Non-citizen voting rights, however, were largely repealed due to the anti-immigrant sentiment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the Civil War era, Southern states resented immigrants' opposition to slavery. In many states, wartime hysteria and the Red Scare after World War I made Americans want immigrants to "prove" their loyalty before receiving the privilege of voting. And in others - like Texas during the women's suffrage struggle - ending the immigrant vote was a way for political status quo supporters to counteract the broadened electorate that came with the 14th Amendment (voting rights for African-American men) and 19th Amendment (voting rights for women).

Today, the practice of non-citizen voting has spread to more than 20 countries around the world, including to communities in New Zealand, Chile, Israel, and all Member States of the European Union (see sidebar for complete listing). Non-citizen voting caught on in Europe in the 1960s as European unification and the growing number of guest workers prompted nations to think about ways to integrate mobile populations into their new communities.

Non-Citizen Voting in the US Today

The US Constitution allows non-citizen voting, and the practice is enjoying a revival in the United States. Non-citizen voting initiatives have been gaining in popularity, particularly since the early 1990s, when divisive riots in Washington, DC, and elsewhere convinced many community members that a more concerted effort to incorporate immigrants into civic life was needed. Non-citizen voting thus has been seen as a way to make sure unmet needs do not explode into unmanageable social problems. All of the initiatives so far have been in municipal or school board elections; none contemplate voting rights in federal elections.

San Francisco voters will decide in a November 2004 referendum whether or not to allow all non-citizen residents - including the undocumented - to vote in school board elections. Precedents for this include New York City, where non-citizens voted in school board elections from 1970 to 2003 (when school boards were dissolved as part of a recentralization effort), and Chicago, where non-citizens received school board voting rights in 1988.

In July 2004, the Washington, DC City Council introduced a bill to allow local non-citizen residents to vote in municipal elections; similar legislation is expected to be introduced in New York in November 2004. Both of these efforts have precedents in Takoma Park, Maryland, which in a 1991 non-binding referendum approved voting rights for non-citizen residents. Five other Maryland towns also permit non-citizens to vote.

Amherst and Cambridge, Massachusetts, have both passed non-citizen voting initiatives, which are awaiting state legislative approval. Another Massachusetts town, Newton, has launched an initiative of its own. Portland, Maine, is considering a municipal elections measure. A Minnesota state constitutional amendment was introduced in January 2003, but the initiative remains all but dormant.

Similar initiatives are in various stages in Connecticut, New Jersey, Colorado, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, as well as three cities in California - Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Bernardino. A bill was introduced in Texas in 1995 but died in committee.

All these jurisdictions have large non-citizen populations - ranging from about five percent to as much as 30 percent of the total adult population. They are composed of newcomers from Latin America, East and South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Russia.

Arguments for and Against Non-Citizen Voting

Both historical and contemporary practices come from the same democratic principle: members of a community should have a stake in making decisions that affect that community. Yet, to many Americans, the idea is discomforting because of the strong belief, popular for most of the last century, that citizenship should precede voting.

Thus, the most common objection to non-citizen voting is that immigrants should only obtain voting rights by becoming citizens. As Rodolfo de la Garza, of Columbia University and the Tomas Rivera Institute, states: "Immigrants should become citizens and then vote. Otherwise you create the possibility of people voting who have no stake in society."

Supporters of non-citizen voting counter such statements by arguing that most immigrants intend to become US citizens, but the cumbersome naturalization process has become a barrier. The US Customs and Immigration Services has had a two-year backlog of naturalization applications in recent years; such delays increased after September 11, 2001, because of new security measures.

Supporters also maintain that non-citizen voting is a pathway to citizenship, not a substitute. They contend that non-citizen voting promotes civic education and participation among future Americans. In doing so, it encourages naturalization. For many immigrants, the biggest reason to hesitate before applying for citizenship is often emotional, not rational; many do not want to take the Oath of Allegiance until they "feel American."

The following issues are also frequently mentioned in regards to non-citizen voting.

Quote:

The US Constitution allows non-citizen voting, and the practice is enjoying a revival in the United States.

Can someone verify this ?? I was always taught ( and taught when I was in the field ) that you had to be a US citizen to be able to legally vote.

Jolie Rouge · 04-12-2006, 06:49 PM

The following issues are also frequently mentioned in regards to non-citizen voting.

Loyalty questions

Immigrants who become US citizens are generally believed to be loyal to the United States. Until that moment, there could be doubt as to whether an individual would vote in the best interests of their local community or the best interests of other immigrants and possibly their home country. For example, non-citizens might be more likely to favor state public assistance to undocumented immigrants or permit bilingual instruction in the public schools. Naturalization, some say, proves an immigrant's commitment and loyalty to the US.

Yet, most immigrants are already members of their communities and assume all the other responsibilities of local citizenship. They already have an inherent interest in safe, clean streets, and services the community needs to survive.

In addition, non-citizens are not a homogeneous group. They may well have different interests, just as native citizens have different interests and vote accordingly. Some evidence from research on newly naturalized US citizens and non-citizen voting in Europe suggests only modest shifts in the political balance of power, if any, would occur.

Another measure of loyalty is willingness to take up arms for the United States - a measure many non-citizens meet. All legal permanent residents must register for the Selective Service, and the US military actively recruits immigrants. Green card holders who serve in the US military have their waiting period for citizenship waived. Today, there are more than 70,000 foreign-born, including nearly 40,000 non-citizens, in the US armed forces. Of the 1,000 US soldiers killed in Iraq through early September, at least 36 were foreign-born, and 10 were waiting for citizenship.

Preparation for voting

In a democracy, ideally all participants understand the election process, know the candidates and their positions, and make an educated choice. Non-citizens can lack sufficient familiarity with American political institutions and issues to make informed voting decisions. Newcomers may need more time in the United States before they understand the issues and the candidates.

However, if specific knowledge were a prerequisite for political participation, many native-born US citizens would fail tests of even basic political knowledge, as survey research has consistently shown. More important, most voter "education" on campaign issues occurs in the months before an election, not years prior, in the form of media coverage and campaign commercials.

Electoral fraud

A concern with any type of election is electoral fraud, which includes ballot stuffing, bribery, registering false voters, voter intimidation, multiple votes by one person, and interference with vote counting. Non-citizen voting could open doors to electoral fraud by relaxing registration laws, thus making it easier for more people to vote and increasing turnout.

Yet there is no evidence to show that non-citizens' votes are more likely to be bought or sold than those of citizens. Furthermore, if non-citizens intend to commit vote fraud, they could do so without being able to vote legally.

To be sure, managing the simultaneous registration and voting of different classes of electors presents practical, administrative problems. Jurisdictions would have to determine whether voters must provide identification at poll sites and/or during the registration process, as well as whether to restrict voting to legally admitted non-citizens who have resided in a jurisdiction for a certain period of time.

Conclusion

The practice of non-citizen voting is as old as the United States. A growing number of countries and some American cities now allow all legal residents to participate in elections. Nonetheless, there remain significant tensions between those who support non-citizen voting and those who question its legitimacy and meaning.

The many initiatives being debated across the United States will build the body of knowledge on non-citizen voting. With an estimated 12 million votes potentially hanging in the balance, the results will be especially important for many US communities and for those interested in voting as a tool for political incorporation.

http://www.migrationinformation.org/...lay.cfm?id=265

Jolie Rouge · 04-12-2006, 06:57 PM

Non-Citizen Voting: Discussion

Here are some opinions FOR and AGAINST non-citizen voting:.

Non-Citizen Voting Rights
- Pros & Cons -

People have different opinions about voting rights for non-citizens. It is very controversial. Here are some opinions FOR and AGAINST non-citizen voting:

Arguments FOR non-citizen voting rights

1. Non-citizens work hard, pay taxes and contribute to society

"No taxation without representation" is an important American principle. Non-citizens work hard and pay taxes, the same as American citizens. Many non-citizens even fight and die in the country's military. People say that non-citizens have earned the right to vote because of these sacrifices to our nation.

2. More people will become involved in their community and their government

Voting is a very important part of living and participating in our democracy. By allowing people to vote and be part of the democratic process, you encourage them to be active members in our society.

3. Preventing non-citizen residents to vote is unfair

Politicians often do things to please voters. Because non-citizens cannot vote, politicians do not feel responsible for helping them in their lives. As a result, the needs of non-citizens are ignored. Voting rights would make politicians more accountable to the needs of non-citizens.

Arguments AGAINST non-citizen voting rights

1. Voting should be a privilege of citizenship.

People should become citizens first if they want to vote. Why would people become citizens if they could already vote?

2. Non-citizens are more loyal to their native country than they are to the United States.

People say that non-citizens do not have the best interests of the United States in mind. Although they live and work in the United States, non-citizens are more loyal to their native country.

3. Non-citizens do not know enough about American society to make good decisions

Non-citizens do not know enough about the American system. A person cannot make good decisions about their community if they have only lived in the United States for a small amount of time.

http://www.fhch.org/ncv/d01.html

Google "noncitizen voting" - you might be surprised at what you find.

Immigration Activists March Across California
By Michael Muskal and Robert Salladay, Times Staff Writer
April 10, 2006, 9:51 PM PDT

From Sacramento to San Diego, thousands of protesters carried American flags as they walked through the streets, often singing and dancing as they pressed for greater rights for immigrants who entered the United States illegally.

At rallies organized by union leaders, Democratic politicians, Latino advocates and top Roman Catholic prelates, they heard impassioned speeches calling for reforms of an immigration policy that was last changed two decades ago.

The California demonstrations were part of a protest from coast to coast as hundreds of thousands of people called for a new policy to deal with undocumented immigrants and demanded that a House bill, with its criminal provisions, be rejected.

In Los Angeles, where 500,000 people took to the streets last month, about 4,000 people gathered tonight at La Placita Church in the historic section of the city founded by Latinos. They marched in a candlelight vigil toward Fletcher Bowron Square.

Speaking in English and Spanish, Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney again called for immigration changes to allow a path toward citizenship. He also called for workers' rights and efforts to reunite families separated by borders and economic necessity.

"We are America, the nation of immigrants seeking a better life for ourselves and our children," Mahony said. "We are all God's children, united for a just immigration reform."

Mahony also tried to defuse the criticism that came at other demonstrations where protesters waved Mexican and Central American flags.

Roll up the flags of other countries, he said. "They do not help us get the legislation we need."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also encouraged the protesters to stress their American ties.

"Today we say: 'America we've come here to work, we clean your toilets, we clean your hotels, we build your houses, we take care of your children. We want you to help us take care of our children as well,'" Villaraigosa said.

"Today we say to this great America, America you were founded on the backs of immigrants."

Emily Figueroa, 23, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was among those who gathered at the church. Figueroa said she left her young daughters behind when she paid a coyote $3,500 to come to the U.S. in 2004.

She said she left her country because she could no longer support her family on $300 a month taking care of other people's children. Now she makes $800 a month working in a restaurant and sends some money back each week.

If she is ever able to gain legal status, she said she will bring her girls to the United States.

"I suffered a lot when I first got here," she said, "but I want to stay."

Tecilio Montero, 39, his wife, Marcela, 36, and their son, Miguel, 7, also attended the rally. Tecilio, who works in the garment industry, said he came to the U.S. as an illegal immigrant 17 years ago because his home country is so poor and offers few opportunities.

He said he believes all illegal immigrants should be granted legal status.

"I've spent 17 years paying taxes," said Tecilio, whose wife works as a teacher's assistant. "I deserve to have the same rights as any American citizen."

The protest clogged traffic during the evening rush hour. Earlier, police said no streets would be closed to accommodate the protest.

Several thousand demonstrators marched in the rain at the state Capitol, marking one of the largest political protests in Sacramento this year. The peaceful demonstration featured a noticeably larger number of U.S. flags than Mexican flags, with several protesters combining the two.

Most lawmakers were out of town for spring break. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger held meetings in the Capitol.

The governor did not speak to the protesters, but in comments to reporters later, Schwarzenegger chastised Congress for leaving on spring recess without passing a bill.

"I hope when they come back from their little break, that they act very quickly," the governor said. "This is extremely important that the United States secures its borders and also has a guest worker program."

In an opinion piece in today's Wall Street Journal, the governor said the solution was not expelling every immigrant and building a wall, or simply giving up when it comes to border security, but rather a more measured and "compassionate" approach. He called for a temporary guest worker program as well as better equipment and more money for Border Patrol agents.

In Santa Ana, demonstrators filled a downtown plaza. Santa Ana Police Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo estimated the crowd at 300, but organizers said there were more than 1,500 people.

"I've lived here more than 20 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Edwin Rivera, 39, a native of Guatemala. "Hopefully, the awakening of the people will have an effect."

Even though Santa Ana is a city where more than half the population is foreign-born and 77% of the population speaks Spanish, the protest startled many passersby.

Azucena de la Cruz, 31, waved an American flag as she watched her 5-year-old daughter in a stroller at the rally.

"I heard about it on television and I wanted to be here so our message gets out and we get some respect."

More than 2,000 marched in Oakland, and nearly 1,000 in Fresno.

In San Diego, protesters placed 400 tiny crosses on the lawn at Chicano Park representing immigrants who have died attempting to cross into the country illegally through the mountains and desert. On Sunday, 50,000 people demonstrated in the city's Balboa Park.

http://ktla.trb.com/news/ktla-nation...ll=ktla-news-1

Jolie Rouge · 06-08-2006, 04:01 PM

Democrats court Hispanics during World Cup
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
Thu Jun 8, 8:17 AM ET

WASHINGTON - World Cup soccer is "mas que un partido" — more than a game — to a group of Democrats. It's a chance to win over Hispanic voters.

The New Democrat Network is starting a $2 million Spanish-language campaign of radio and television ads urging Hispanics to get involved in the political process. The five-month effort begins with ads during the World Cup soccer games that begin this weekend in Germany.

Simon Rosenberg, president of the New Democrat Network, said the group wants to use a "major sport like soccer to brand Democrats for a wider audience."

The TV ad shows an empty soccer field as an announcer says: "For years now, we've been awaiting this moment. Our country is again ready to return to being the great nation that all of us always dreamed of. Get involved. It's up to you."

The ads will run on Univision, Telefutura, Fox Sports en Espanol and Futbol de Primera, the radio soccer network of well-known broadcaster Andres Cantor. Cantor — know for his trademark exclamation "GOOOOALLLLL!" — will be featured on an early radio ad.

The radio ad will air in 70 markets nationally and the television ad will focus on six states and nine major markets — Albuquerque, N.M.; Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; El Paso, Texas; Las Vegas; Orlando and Tampa, Fla.; and Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.

Hispanics are the fastest growing minority in the United States. Rosenberg has focused much of his efforts on trying to build support for Democrats among a group that makes up about 14 percent of the U.S. population. The total of Hispanic registered voters is about half the percentage of Hispanics overall.

Strategists from the Democratic group suggested that the current immigration debate has motivated many eligible Hispanics to register to vote, making this year a critical time to connect with potential voters.

Democrats need an aggressive approach to keep their historic advantage among Hispanics, especially since President Bush got an estimated 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, Rosenberg said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060608/...MzBHNlYwM3MDM-

___

On the Net:

New Democrat Network: http://www.ndn.org

janelle · 06-08-2006, 04:54 PM

I think most of their money goes to Mexico to their family.

They can vote here if we can vote in their country when we are on vacation there. After all, our vacation dollars helps Mexico tourist places. We pump a lot of money into Mexico so they should let us vote there. And maybe they would have a less corrupt government if the American people were allowed to vote and also to influence who runs.

I know a lot of American people would plan their vacation plans around their elections. Also, they HAVE to have the ballet in English and the poll workers be able to speak English fluently to help the English speaking people who come in to vote.

tngirl · 06-08-2006, 09:56 PM

If someone has immigrated to this country legally and earned their US CITIZENSHIP, then they can vote. Otherwise, heck NO!

Jolie Rouge · 09-05-2006, 05:31 PM

Will felons be the critical swing vote this fall? Stay tuned.

In Tennessee, liberal activists are busy registering ex-felons to vote in time for the November elections. Tipster Tom sends a press release issued by the local NAACP chapter:

Quote:

100,000 Ex-Felons Gain Right To Vote In Tennessee - In Time For November Elections

On September 5, 2006 at the Clarksville - Montgomery County Board of Education, Building 621 Gracey Ave., Clarksville, TN, starting at 6:30 p.m. a special panel of guests that will include:

Representatives from the Election Commission, TN Bar Association, The Brennan Center for Justice, as well as a Former Convicted Felon who will vote for the first time in his life, will participate in a "Get Your Right to Vote Back" Town Hall Meeting.

What was once the country's most confusing voter restoration system, with six different procedures and sub-categories for restoration, has now been streamlined into a single restoration process which will give back the state's 100,000 former felons their right to vote, has many of them flocking to town hall meetings hosted by the ACLU & NAACP across the state.

The meeting is expected to be attended by Former Felons, Family Members of Former Felons, Attorneys, Law Enforcement, City & County Officials, Judges, Politicians, Church Clergy, Etc. and a tentatively scheduled special appearance by TN Governor Phil Bredesen, who signed the bill into law in June 2006.

The League of Women Voters will be on hand to conduct voter registration for Former Felons and any other potential voters in the Community.

We urge you, the Media, to come out to cover and learn more about this important voting rights issue.

UNLOCK YOUR VOTING RIGHTS TODAY!

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs....609050306/1002

Jolie Rouge · 07-20-2007, 01:31 AM

Does your senator support voter fraud?

On the Senate floor right now, members just finished voting on an amendment to a student loan bill that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls. You know, so illegal aliens and other ineligible people don’t undermine the integrity of the election process.

The amendment failed 42-54.

Stand by for the roll…

PrincessArky · 07-20-2007, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jolie Rouge

Does your senator support voter fraud?

On the Senate floor right now, members just finished voting on an amendment to a student loan bill that would require voters to show photo ID at the polls. You know, so illegal aliens and other ineligible people don’t undermine the integrity of the election process.

The amendment failed 42-54.

Stand by for the roll…

well doesnt that just freaking figure......as some of you know my hubby is from Australia and yeah he is here legally with no intentions of every becoming an American citizen. Every law ever passed in this country effects him in some way or another so do I think he should be allowed to vote??? HELL NO he is NOT an American citizen simple as that

IthinkNOT! · 07-20-2007, 10:09 AM

nope, if they want to vote, they need to be a citezen. Lets work on getting more americans to use there right to vote, rather than allow non citezens!