House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil is raising concerns about a new law in Washington D.C. that allows non-citizens to vote in local elections, while still being barred from federal elections. The law, called the Local Resident Voting Rights Act, was passed by the D.C. Council in October 2022 and allows non-citizens who have resided in Washington, D.C. for at least 30 days to vote in local elections if they are otherwise qualified. The law also permits non-citizen residents to run for government offices and serve on the city’s Board of Elections. However, it does not allow illegal immigrants to vote.
The implementation of the law has sparked outrage among Republicans, with an unsuccessful effort in Congress to overturn it. In his letter to the D.C. Board of Elections, Steil expressed concern that officials are actively encouraging non-citizen voting. He pointed to examples such as a virtual townhall hosted by Board staff focused on the ability of non-citizen D.C. residents to vote, as well as a postcard mailed by the Board advocating for non-citizens to register to vote in D.C. elections. Steil’s letter raised questions about how election workers will differentiate between those qualified to vote and those not, whether embassy personnel representing foreign capitals will be able to vote, and why a form for non-citizen registration allegedly does not have the requirement that an applicant not be in jail for a felony conviction.
Additionally, Steil’s letter referenced a bill introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, to require proof of citizenship in any municipal election in D.C. This issue is not unique to Washington D.C., as New York City passed a similar bill on noncitizen voting in December 2021, only for it to face a legal challenge. A New York judge ruled in June that the bill was illegal and violated the state’s constitution. The debate over non-citizen voting in local elections raises questions about the rights of legal immigrants and the potential impact on election integrity. Steil emphasized the need for elections to be reserved for American citizens only, in order to maintain confidence in the electoral process.
Steil’s efforts to hold the D.C. Board of Elections accountable and push back against non-citizen voting in local elections reflect broader concerns within the Republican Party about election integrity and the rights of American citizens. The controversy over the implementation of the Local Resident Voting Rights Act in Washington D.C. is part of a larger national debate about voting rights and the role of non-citizens in the electoral process. As the issue continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how state and local governments will address concerns about non-citizen voting and maintain the integrity and security of elections moving forward.
