San Jose City Council
August 23, 2022

8/18/2022
1 Should San Jose Expand Voting Rights?San Francisco State University Immigrant Voting in U.S. History: 1776 to 1926
1 2
8/18/2022
2 Immigrant Voting (IV) in PracticeIV encouraged newcomers to build a stake in their adoptive homeIV fostered engagement & citizenshipYet, IV also buttressed the power and privilege of white male property owners and fostered a form of settler colonialismPeriods of nativism led to the repeal of IV, state by state ending in 1926.

Civil Rights = Human RightsThe Civil Rights Movement eliminated barriers to voting and helped open doors to immigrants.Today, immigrants write themselves into this history, similarly seeking voting rights as a tool for their full and equal inclusion. 3 4
8/18/2022
3 Five statesrecently enacted constitutional changes that explicitly prohibit non-citizens from voting, including Colorado, Florida, Alabama, North Dakota and Arizona, and Ohio will have a ballot measure in November 22 that, if passed, would ban immigrant voting rights. 5 6
8/18/2022
4 Immigrant Voting in PracticeImmigrants vote, though turnout can vary sharply (NYC, Maryland, SF).Factors that affect turnout -- competitive elections, public debate & media, grassroots organizing. Immigration enforcement dampens turnoutElection Administration Issues—MD & SFoRegistration forms, voter rolls, election cycles oRisks, concerns, safeguards Citizenship first, voting second
Voting is privilege of citizenship. If you wish to vote, become a citizen.

But we can promote citizenship AND expand democracy at same time – they are not mutually exclusive Average time to naturalize is 7-8 years, or longer
Many immigrants (legal residents) are not eligible to become citizens (e.g., students, workers) In the meantime, immigrants contribute in countless ways to life of their communities and cities 7 8
8/18/2022
5 Immigrant voting dilutes citizenshipIV devalues citizenship and reduces incentives to naturalizeThere are 12 rights and privileges gained by becoming a citizen (benefits, jobs, travel, petition relatives); voting is only one (local), so many incentives remain to naturalize Immigrant voting would invigorate our politics and make policy outcomes more democratic Noncitizens lack sufficient knowledge to voteCannot make informed decisionsSpecific knowledge is not a pre-requisite to vote; Citizens fail tests of basic political knowledgeSimilar reasons for literacy tests, opposing suffrage for women, African Americans, youthIf you move to new town, need to learn about town’s politics, candidates, issues, culture, but can register and vote within 25 days. Paternalistic; immigrants know their interests 9 10
8/18/2022
6 Election safeguards and administrationOpponents argue IV will lead to vote fraud; Advocates fear possible detention/deportation Allegations of vote fraud have been debunked; safeguards work fine elsewhereBut immigrants’ fear of detention and deportation is real and deters engagementIf there is the political will, there is a technological way VOTING AND DEMOCRACYAlthough we have good elected officials, good fortune should not play a role in good governanceThe vote is a proven mechanism to keep gov’t responsive, representative and accountable to allDiscriminatory policies are the by-products of immigrant political exclusion -- immigrants score low in wages, housing, education, health care.Restoring immigrant voting can rectify inequities 11 12
8/18/2022
7 Expand local democracy“Immigrant rights are the civil rights” of the day and “by that logic, noncitizen voting is the suffrage movement” of our time. Jamin RaskinProfessor of Law and CongresspersonWebsite: www.immigrantvotingrights.comEmail: [email protected]