Extending Voting Rights In Municipal Elections Proposed
May 4, 2009 -
A bill to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in municipal elections was up for hearing today in Augusta. The event drew extensive emotional testimony both for and against the bill.
In a hot and crowded hearing room, Democratic State Senator Justin Alfond of Portland explained to the state Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs why he wants non-citizen residents to be able to vote in local elections. "LD 1195 seeks to address a disparity that is often either not thought of or quickly disregarded. Maine has an increasingly diverse population coming from all over the globe to live 'the way life should be.'"
Alfond says that immigrants attending school and even serving in the military deserve a say in how their communities are run. "They work hard and pay taxes just like the rest of us. This bill would allow municipalities, at their discretion, the option of granting non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections. It is entirely elective and no community would be forced to allow non-citizen voting."
Read more at http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNews/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/1858/ItemId/10374/Default.aspx
