Boston considers allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections: report

Officials in Boston are considering allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections, according to The Associated Press.

The City Council’s Committee on Government Operations is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss allowing immigrant residents with legal status in the United States to participate in municipal elections.

“The purpose of our local government, including the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement, is to strengthen the ability of diverse, cultural, and linguistic communities to play an active role in the economic, civic, social and cultural life of the City of Boston,” City Council President Andrea Campbell, who requested the hearing, said earlier this year, according to local ABC affiliate WCVB.

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The city is reportedly exploring methods that will make its local election more inclusive by allowing participation by legal permanent residents, visa holders and residents who are legally residing in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Immigrant residents account for almost 28.5% of the city’s population, according to Campbell. A spending report from 2015 said immigrant residents in the city have paid $116 million in state and local taxes and generated about $3.4 billion in spending.