Los Angeles Council Sends 10-5 Noncitizen Voting Measure to November Ballot
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 19
Los Angeles Council Sends 10-5 Noncitizen Voting Measure to November Ballot
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 19
Summary
A 10-5 Los Angeles City Council vote advanced a charter reform package that would let voters decide in November whether the council can later authorize noncitizens to vote in city and school board elections.
The measure does not itself grant voting rights; it directs the city attorney to draft a 2026 charter amendment giving the council authority to pass a future ordinance on noncitizen voting.
Hugo Soto-Martínez argued longtime noncitizen parents deserve more say in local schools than newly arrived citizens, while opponent Monica Rodriguez warned Los Angeles County may not be able to implement such a system.
Elon Musk and Republican senators including Mike Lee and Rick Scott blasted the move, framing it as part of a broader fight over immigration enforcement and voter eligibility.
Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, but the Los Angeles proposal is limited to municipal races and the Los Angeles Unified school board.