The House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting noncitizens from voting in Washington, D.C.’s local elections. The legislation repeals the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022.
“An individual who is not a citizen of the United States may not vote in an election for public office in the District of Columbia or in any ballot initiative or referendum in the District of Columbia,” the bill says. “The Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 is repealed, and any provision of law amended or repealed by such Act shall be restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted into law.”
The bill received the support of 56 Democrats and 210 Republicans.
Rep. August Pflugerville (R-TX), the Congressman behind the bill, said in a statement, “The radical D.C. Council decided to allow noncitizens—including illegal aliens and foreign agents—to vote in local elections. Even worse, they then proceeded to encourage noncitizens to vote for Mayor, Attorney General, and more.”
“It’s no secret that local elections determine critical matters, and allowing noncitizens to vote in them opens Pandora’s box to D.C.’s already radical local policies, diluting the voting power of citizen voters,” he said, adding, “Let me be clear: anyone who voted against my bill voted for the transfer of political power away from legal voters.”
D.C. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) criticized Republicans’ efforts to reform D.C. elections, claiming noncitizen voting has been permitted in the U.S. “since its founding, with nearly 20 cities allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections.”
“Republicans introduced 26 bills or amendments to change local D.C. voting laws, including 14 to prohibit noncitizens from voting in D.C. or to repeal, nullify or prohibit the carrying out of the local D.C. law that allows residents who are not citizens to vote in local elections last Congress,” she stated. “Yet Republicans refuse to make the only election law change D.C. has requested: making D.C. a state so that it can hold elections for voting members of the House and Senate.
