San Francisco’s Department of Elections issued new voter registration guidelines that will give illegal immigrants the right to vote for the city’s Board of Education this November.
School Board member Matt Haney, who co-authored the resolution to extend the vote, praised the decision, saying he believed it is “critical that all of our families have a voice in the governance of our schools.”
But not everyone is onboard: Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican National Committeewoman from California, slammed the decision–and stated she had voted against a similar measure back in 2016.
“The reason I voted against it is that I think the right to vote is something that goes along with citizenship and should be,” said Dhillon.
“I don’t think that people who have otherwise tenuous ties to San Francisco given their lack of legal residence should be making long term decisions about that structure and process,” said Dhillon.
To be able to register, non-citizens–including illegal immigrants–must be residents of San Francisco, 18 years old, and have children under the age of 19 who also live in San Francisco.
San Francisco becomes the first city in California to let non-citizens, let alone illegal immigrants, have access to the ballot box.
As of now, there are no plans for the city to allow illegal immigrants to vote for anything besides Board of Education.
