Few noncitizens take advantage of vote

“The thought is that whether or not they are citizens, because they are residents of the city they should have a say in local government,” City Clerk Jessie Carpenter said. Carpenter said there are currently 461 noncitizen registered voters in Takoma Park.

However, in this November’s city election, only 10 noncitizens voted, for a turnout rate of 2.2 percent. In comparison, 1,000 of 9,360, or 9.4 percent of registered U.S. citizens in the city, voted. Carpenter said she gets a few phone calls from people outside the area who are “irate” about noncitizens, and possibly illegal immigrants, being able to vote in elections. She said she tells them, “It’s not our position to question the immigration status of individuals … so we don’t ask that question.”

Officials with the Maryland board of elections said the Maryland election code, which requires voters to be U.S. citizens, specifically exempts municipal elections and the agency has no jurisdiction over such matters. Carpenter adds that five other Maryland cities allow noncitizens to vote.

Brad Botwin, founder of anti-illegal-immigration group Help Save Maryland said his group opposes illegal immigrants “participating in anything in our community.”

“Takoma Park is a nuclear-free zone and a so-called sanctuary city for illegal aliens,” Botwin said. “I continue to scratch my head at the policies of Takoma Park.”

Kim Propeack, spokeswoman for immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland, said city elections should be treated differently from federal elections.

“We’re not talking about the same types of decisions that are made at a federal level,” Propeack said. “If somebody lives in a local community, pays taxes into a local community, there is no reason in the world they should not have input on how the garbage is collected.”

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