{"id":2117579,"date":"2023-12-06T14:38:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T19:38:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boston-considers-allowing-immigrants-with-legal-status-to-vote-in-local-elections\/"},"modified":"2023-12-06T14:43:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T19:43:31","slug":"boston-considers-allowing-immigrants-with-legal-status-to-vote-in-local-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boston-considers-allowing-immigrants-with-legal-status-to-vote-in-local-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston may allow immigrants with &#8216;legal status&#8217; to vote in local elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fboston-considers-allowing-immigrants-with-legal-status-to-vote-in-local-elections%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2117579&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Boston City Council\u2064 Considers Allowing Noncitizen\u2064 Immigrants to Vote \u2062in Local Elections<\/h2>\n<p>The Boston City Council\u200c is \u200dcurrently deliberating a new resolution that could grant noncitizen immigrants with &#8220;legal status&#8221; the right to vote in local elections. This proposal follows \u200ca similar resolution already in effect in Takoma Park, \u2064Maryland.<\/p>\n<p>Councilwoman Kendra Lara \u200cintroduced the resolution on Tuesday,\u200d receiving support from immigration advocates. The Boston Herald \u200dreports that the council and city \u2064election officials are\u200d now engaged in a debate regarding this matter.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2064 have people who, despite\u200d not being\u200b given a voice in their local government through the ballot, have worked, sacrificed, and invested in their neighborhoods, and all people should\u2063 have a say in the decisions that impact their daily lives,&#8221; expressed Lara during the council meeting.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Takoma Park, a much smaller city than Boston, has already implemented a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-reveal-the-one-policy-they-want-biden-to-announce-at-state-of-the-union\/\" title=\"House Republicans Reveal The One Policy They Want Biden To Announce At State Of The Union\">similar policy change<\/a>. According \u200cto Takoma Park City Clerk Jessie Carpenter,\u2063 hundreds \u200dof registered \u200dnoncitizen voters participate in local elections \u2062without being questioned about their immigration status. \u2064They only need to provide proof of residency and \u200dlegal identification. The city maintains a record of these\u2064 voters\u2063 through an Excel spreadsheet, updating \u2064it when eligible noncitizens relocate.<\/p>\n<p>Elections Commissioner Eneida Tavares raised concerns about the size difference between the cities, \u200bas it poses a challenge for managing \u2063a spreadsheet like the one used in Takoma Park. Tavares\u2063 suggested\u2062 utilizing\u2062 the secretary\u200c of\u2064 state&#8217;s \u200ddatabase as a more \u200defficient \u200csolution, consolidating all voter information\u200c in one place.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Our preferred method would be to \u2064use the secretary of state&#8217;s database because\u2062 it&#8217;s just one place where we\u2062 can house everything,&#8221; Tavares explained. &#8220;It&#8217;s easier to update voting, voter information, give voter history to \u2062voters, and everything of that nature.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>During the council meeting, other members \u2062expressed concerns \u2062that noncitizens might accidentally vote in state\u2064 or federal elections, which is illegal\u200d and could jeopardize their pathway to citizenship.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;If they&#8217;re on a pathway \u2064to \u200dcitizenship, you \u2063didn&#8217;t want a mistake to happen that would put that in jeopardy because the federal\u200b government has a big black-and-white, all-or-nothing approach to these\u2063 things,&#8221; warned Councilwoman Liz\u200c Breadon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This development occurs amidst a \u200bsignificant influx of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-dem-gov-complains-about-illegals-flooding-his-state-he-doesnt-mention-stopping-it\/\" title=\"Illinois Dem Gov voices concern over influx of undocumented immigrants, but offers no solution.\">illegal \u2063immigrants entering<\/a> the\u2062 United States\u2063 through the southern border, causing\u200b challenges for both the\u2062 city and state. Liberal &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; \u200dcities\u200c have seen a surge in \u200cthousands of immigrants in recent months. In response, Governor \u200dMaura Healey (D-MA) has declared a &#8220;state of\u2063 emergency&#8221; due to the strain on the state&#8217;s housing system and has \u200deven activated the National\u2062 Guard to assist with the crisis.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here \u200dto \u200cread more from the \u2063Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the concerns raised by those \u200dwho oppose the resolution of granting noncitizen immigrants the right to vote in local elections?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Icipated in local \u2064elections since the policy was put into \u2063effect in 1992. This demonstrates that \u200dallowing noncitizen immigrants to vote in local\u2062 elections is\u2062 not an unprecedented move, and that it can be successfully implemented without compromising the democratic process.<\/p>\n<p>Proponents of this resolution argue\u2062 that noncitizen immigrants are active \u2064members\u200c of their communities and should therefore have a voice in local decision-making processes. They argue that many noncitizen \u200bimmigrants pay taxes, own\u200b property, and contribute to \u2063the local economy, and as\u2064 such, they should have a say in how their \u2063tax dollars are spent and how their\u200b neighborhoods are governed.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, proponents argue that granting noncitizen immigrants the right to\u2064 vote in local elections would empower them and foster a sense of belonging and\u200c civic engagement. By allowing them to participate\u200c in the democratic process, noncitizen immigrants would feel more invested in their \u2063communities \u200cand\u2063 be more likely to contribute positively \u2063to society.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are also valid \u2064concerns raised by those who oppose this resolution. Some argue that allowing noncitizen immigrants to \u200dvote\u2064 in local elections undermines the significance of being a citizen and can lead to a dilution of citizen&#8217;s voices. They contend that voting is a fundamental right and privilege that\u2063 is\u2063 earned \u200cthrough citizenship, \u2064and extending this right to noncitizen immigrants diminishes its value.<\/p>\n<p>Critics also worry that allowing noncitizen immigrants to vote in local elections could\u2063 open the door to fraud and manipulation. They argue that verifying the legal status of noncitizen immigrants and\u200c ensuring the integrity of the voting \u200bprocess would be challenging and could potentially undermine the credibility of local elections.<\/p>\n<p>There is no doubt that the Boston City Council&#8217;s consideration of this \u2063resolution has ignited a robust debate. Both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oregon-gun-law-clears-federal-trial-now-being-argued-in-state-court\/\" title=\"Oregon gun law cleared federal trial, now in state court.\">sides present compelling arguments<\/a>, and\u2063 it is important for city \u2063officials to carefully weigh the pros and \u200bcons before making a decision. Ultimately, the Boston City Council must\u200b carefully consider the potential benefits and challenges of allowing noncitizen immigrants to vote in local elections and ensure that the decision reflects the values \u200dand interests \u2063of all residents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Boston City Council may permit noncitizen immigrants with &#8220;legal status&#8221; to vote in local elections. This resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Kendra Lara and backed by immigration advocates, mirrors the one already in place in Takoma Park, Maryland. The council is currently deliberating on this proposal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2117581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2117579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2117579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2117579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2117581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2117579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2117579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2117579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}