On April 30, 2026, two Los Angeles City Council members, Hugo Soto-Martínez and Ysabel Jurado, introduced a proposal to allow noncitizens to vote in city elections, including races for mayor and city council positions. This proposal is part of a larger effort to empower long-term residents who are noncitizens.
• The proposal aims to include noncitizens, such as green card holders and DACA recipients, in local voting, arguing they pay taxes and contribute to the community.
• If the full council supports the measure, it will be placed on the ballot for November 3, 2026. Voter approval would be required before amending city election laws.
• Supporters, including Angelica Salas from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), emphasize that many noncitizens are directly affected by local policies and deserve a voice.
• Critics argue this undermines citizenship and the idea that voting should be exclusive to citizens. Ira Mehlman from FAIR labeled it an assault on the concept of American citizenship.
• Concerns have arisen that allowing noncitizen voting could lead to risks, such as creating a list of noncitizen voters that may expose undocumented individuals to immigration enforcement.
• Previous attempts to extend voting rights to noncitizens in California have met with mixed results; Santa Ana residents rejected a similar proposal in 2024, while San Francisco's measure was struck down by a judge. However, Oakland voters approved a comparable measure in 2022, which has yet to be implemented.
The proposal by Soto-Martínez and Jurado is now set to head to the council's Rules Committee for consideration. Its success will depend on city council support and the outcome of the ballot vote. The ongoing debate reflects broader national conversations about immigration, citizenship, and voting rights, testing whether the public believes that elections should be decided by citizens alone.
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