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Judge tosses San Francisco law allowing non-citizens to vote

July 30, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

A San Francisco law allowing non-citizen parents to vote in local elections was struck down Friday by a judge who said it violates both the state constitution and state statutes.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer ruled a 2016 ordinance that gave voting rights to non-citizen parents “cannot stand.” The ordinance allowed green card holders, work visa holders and undocumented immigrants to vote in school district elections.

Ulmer also issued a permanent injunction that bars the city from allowing non-citizens to vote in the future.

A month ago, a judge struck down a New York City law that allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections because it violated the state constitution.


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Citizen verification. Voter role analysis. Mail-in ballots only by request as needed. Election day set aside as a national holiday and the only day to vote. No excuses. What’s so hard about this? Just who is “disenfranchised”?


54

Agree with all your statements except for election day being a national holiday, too many national holidays already, unless we take away one or just have one national holiday each month that celebrates all events for the month.


1

Finally sanity in the California courts.


75

A bad decision. ALL parents should have the right to vote for school board officials. After all, a school board makes policies for these parents’ children.


Noncitizen parents eligible to vote in San Francisco’s school board elections did include permanent residents, immigrants with temporary visas like students or workers, such as those in the tech industry, and undocumented immigrants.


This suffrage for non-citizens was voted on through the referendum process in 2016. It had been set to expire at the end of this year but was recently codified by the S.F. Board of Supervisors.


The American Revolution was partly fought on the principle of no taxation without representation. If these non-citizens, some of whom, I’m sure, make excellent wages, are not able to vote for something that directly impacts their lives, they shouldn’t have to pay taxes.


-114

I can see your point on voting on school issues possibly but if they really want that voting right then they need to apply for citizenship. Why is it that so many immigrants that come here legally and illegally don’t even want to apply for citizenship?


53

As a legal emigrant, i can answer that.it took me 15 years to become a citizen.i told myself, if Obama is elected i will do it and did it.

When i came over i had these grandiose ideas about Usa.

Now after almost 40 years i think this country sucks.i live here, hire workers, pay good taxes,send my kids to college, i am not leaving

Usa is not the best country in the word like many are saying.

It is a decadent country where people hate eachother in the name of God, Freedom and money.

To go back to voting:yes they should be able to vote if they work,pay taxes,and have a green card.

Lets change this stupid constitution that old back social justice


-22

Going back to the home country then? Doubt it very very very much…


4

Well said, Varian. Our country was based on a set of ideals about fairness. Unfortunately, in 2022, we have abandoned those ideals for the sake of partisan politics. Six years ago, immigrants were made to be the villain by the Republican Party on the say so of one sociopathic individual. It continues today.


There was a day when immigrants were valued by conservatives. Reagan signed the largest amnesty bill in the history of the nation and George W. Bush went out of his way to welcome Latinos and other immigrants to the U.S.


The current racism of the Republican Party is an abomination. Lincoln must certainly be rolling over in his grave.


-11

Allowing people who are here legally and paying taxes for schools they’re sending their children to is not that crazy. They’re not allowed to vote in federal, state, or citywide elections. They’re only allowed to vote in elections involving the schools where their children attend and that they are paying taxes.


A fundamental principle this nation was built on is the idea of no taxation without representation, but let’s be honest, this isn’t about that. Republicans take great offense when anyone points out they’re a white racist party, but any time they here people of color might vote, they just assume those people will automatically vote Democrat. Why would that be? I mean if you’re not a party of white racists, why couldn’t your ideas win out? Hmmmmm hmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


-97

I wonder how many of these obvious non-citizen ineligible ”voters” have registered to vote since the S.F. ordinance passed six years ago and will they now be removed from the voter rolls?


67

Finally, judges with common sense. Why aren’t the people who passed the laws allowing illegal aliens to vote in prison?


65

Is it possible that our Country is heading back to being “Law and Order”?


67