Advocates Defend San Francisco Noncitizen Voting Program Amid Federal Inquiries
Photo: KQED News
Advocates in San Francisco are defending a local program that allows noncitizen parents with children in the public school district to vote in school board elections, following federal scrutiny and investigations into noncitizen voting. City Attorney David Chiu refused a Department of Justice request to hand over personal information of hundreds of individuals registered under the program, citing state and local law. Meanwhile, eligible noncitizen voters face concerns that federal actions may deter them from participating in upcoming local elections.
Read the full story at KQED NewsWhy It Matters
The conflict directly impacts the participation of hundreds of legally registered noncitizen parents in San Francisco school board elections, while raising broader questions about local autonomy over election administration versus federal enforcement efforts.
Key Facts
- In 2016, San Francisco voters approved Measure N to let noncitizen parents with a child in the local school district vote in Board of Education elections.
- A state appeals court ruled in 2022 that San Francisco has the legal authority to include noncitizen parents in school board elections under the California Constitution.
- The 2022 school board recall saw 235 eligible noncitizens participate using special ballots restricted to school board races.
- The U.S. Department of Justice requested personal information, including Social Security and driver's license numbers, for 441 individuals registered under San Francisco's noncitizen voting program.
- San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu refused the federal administration's request for voter records, stating it violated state and local law.
- A federal judge denied a Trump administration request to force California election officials to set aside 20,000 ballots statewide.
- Noncitizen voters in San Francisco register using a different form, and their information is kept in a local database separate from the statewide system for citizen voters.
- Federal authorities recently announced criminal charges against 28 legal resident noncitizens in California for allegedly illegally voting or registering to vote.