Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
In a recent development that has stirred controversy, the District of Columbia conducted a training session specifically designed to educate illegal immigrants and other noncitizens on how to vote in local elections. This session, revealed by the watchdog group Judicial Watch through documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, took place amidst legislative moves by House Republicans to enforce stricter voter registration requirements nationwide.
The event, labeled as the “Non-Citizen Voting Education Virtual Training,” was orchestrated by the D.C. Board of Elections on April 10. According to the obtained documents, including a 13-page PowerPoint presentation, the training detailed that non-U.S. citizen residents are permitted to vote in District elections—including those for Mayor, Attorney General, and D.C. Council members—but are barred from voting in federal elections.
This revelation comes when the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project has voiced apprehensions about noncitizen voting rights in the District. The Heritage Foundation established The Daily Signal in 2014 and has historically scrutinized voter integrity issues.
The District of Columbia is not alone in this practice; several local governments across California, Maryland, and Vermont similarly allow foreign nationals to vote in local elections, despite federal laws restricting voting rights to U.S. citizens for federal elections. Efforts in New York City to extend voting rights to noncitizens were halted by state courts, showcasing a national divide on the issue.
Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, criticized the allowance of noncitizens, including illegal immigrants, to vote, describing it as a threat to the integrity of elections. He argued that such practices dilute the votes of U.S. citizens and should be deemed unacceptable.
Last year, the D.C. government amended its election code to accommodate noncitizen voting for local offices. These changes are part of a broader debate highlighted in “The Myth of Voter Suppression,” a book by Fred Lucas, which argues that such adjustments to election laws are strategically aimed at benefiting Democrats by mimicking historical tactics used by political machines like New York City’s Tammany Hall.
The training also clarified the qualifications for non-U.S. citizens to register to vote in D.C., stating requirements such as being at least 17 years old (and 18 by the next General Election), maintaining residency in D.C. for at least 30 days prior to voting, and not claiming voting rights in any other jurisdiction.
As this issue unfolds, neither the D.C. Board of Elections nor the office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has commented on the situation, leaving many questions about the implications of such policies on the sanctity of local and national elections.
