DC Council advances bill for allowing noncitizens to vote

A new bill that would allow noncitizens to vote in Washington, D.C., local elections advanced in the D.C. Council, and will be up for a final vote of approval.

"This bill is in line with our D.C. values and this council’s history of expanding the right to vote and welcoming new voices into our political process and government," Allen said before the vote at Tuesday's legislative session. "Our immigrant neighbors of all statuses participate, contribute and care about our community in our city. They, like all DC residents, deserve a right to have a say in their government. They raise families here, contribute to their community. They run businesses that people depend on, and they pay taxes that we decide how to spend. Yet they have no ability to elect the local leaders who make decisions about their bodies, their businesses and their tax dollars."

Allen went on to say that D.C. already allows those who do not pay taxes to vote, those without a fixed residence, those who are incarcerated, college students who hail from "far-away states," and those who cannot read to vote.