Amid national scrutiny, LA takes step toward noncitizen voting

Source: USA Today

Updated May 2, 2026, 11:49 a.m. ET


A Los Angeles official is looking to open up a pathway for noncitizens to vote in local elections. It’s an effort that — if it goes forward — would play out amid continued scrutiny over elections and voting security in the United States. Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez presented a motion on April 29 to begin the process of placing a measure on the November ballot.

The measure in and of itself wouldn’t immediately grant noncitizen voting if approved by Los Angelenos — city officials would still need to adopt an ordinance to establish how noncitizen voting would work, according to the councilmember’s office.

“For me, this is a simple issue of fairness,” Soto-Martínez said. “After my parents immigrated here from Mexico, they worked hard, paid taxes, raised their kids in our public schools, but for decades, they had no voice in the decisions shaping their community until they became citizens.”

While Los Angeles doesn’t have the authority to “fully halt” federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, it can “enfranchise and empower its immigrant population to participate” in city and Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member elections by reforming the city’s charter, according to the motion.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/california/2026/05/02/los-angeles-voting-rights-for-noncitizens/89881705007/