Can legal non-citizens vote in the US?
Share
Sign Up to our social questions and Answers Engine to ask questions, answer people's questions, and connect with other people.
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this answer should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported.
The constitution does not actually prohibit non-citizens from voting. All it says is that citizens aged 18 or older cannot be denied the right to vote based on age, race, gender and failure to pay tax. Non-citizens cannot vote in federal election by federal law which can be changed just like any other with majorities in each house and presidential ratification. It would be a pretty insane move politically though. Some non-citizens can already vote in certain local elections.
Non-US citizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections. Local elections may allow immigrants to vote because local politics frequently involve things that immigrants are directly, personally involved in. The US has a lot of local elections; judges, sheriffs, and school board members are often elected by the public, rather than appointed as they might be in many other countries. And non-citizens still have a clear stake in the short-term outcome of these elections because the outcome directly affect them.