Over 42,000 Non-Citizens, Including Perhaps 20,000 Illegal Immigrants, Could Vote in D.C. Elections
By Jason Richwine on February 4, 2023
Last fall, the D.C. City Council passed a bill that will allow noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote in local elections. If it survives review by Congress, the new law’s impact on elections will not be negligible. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, a little over 42,000 voting-age noncitizens live in the district, and roughly half of those noncitizens are likely to be illegal.1 For context, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser won her party’s nomination last year by fewer than 11,000 votes.
Even if noncitizen voting does not swing any elections in D.C., the symbolism will be significant, as the nation’s capital embraces a mindset that residents need not be fully committed to the country before they begin casting votes that affect its future. While it is objectionable enough that legal noncitizens can vote before they become naturalized Americans, the D.C. law goes further to grant voting rights to people whose very presence in the U.S. is illegal. That is an even more significant debasement of citizenship and the rule of law.
Because the Constitution grants Congress “exclusive” control over D.C., laws passed by the district’s city council are valid only to the extent that members of Congress tolerate them. Next week the House Rules Committee will consider a bill sponsored by Rep. James Comer that repeals D.C.’s election law. A companion resolution has been sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton.
The DCist quotes Councilmember Brianne Nadeau’s opposition to repeal:
https://cis.org/Richwine/Over-42000-NonCitizens-Including-Perhaps-20000-Illegal-Immigrants-Could-Vote-DC-Elections
