Los Angeles is at it again. This time, city leaders are pushing to let non-citizens — people who are not American citizens — vote in city elections. If you think that sounds like something that shouldn't be happening in America, you're not alone.
What's Going On
The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-5 to advance a proposal that would put a noncitizen voting measure before voters on the November 2026 ballot. The motion was introduced by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who represents the 13th Council District.
Here's the key detail: the motion doesn't directly authorize noncitizen voting. Instead, it asks voters whether the city charter should be amended to allow the city council to explore the idea down the road. In other words, they want permission to ask permission later.
City officials acknowledged during the debate that there is currently no framework in place for noncitizen voting, and confirmed that substantial work would still be required before any program could be created.
BREAKING: The LA City Council voted 10-5 to advance a proposal that would ALLOW non-citizens to vote in city and school board elections pic.twitter.com/akWe9YQeP2
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 18, 2026
The Spencer Pratt Factor
Here's something worth thinking about. L.A. just had a mayor's race. Spencer Pratt — a Republican and former star of “The Hills” — finished third in the nonpartisan June 2 primary behind two Democrats, incumbent Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
Pratt had come to prominence by channeling popular resentment against the city government for its handling of the Palisades Fire, in which he had lost his home.
He got roughly one in four votes — about 25.5% of the citywide vote, with Trump winning 26.5% of Los Angeles in 2024.
So why does this matter? Because one in three city residents is an immigrant, according to Soto-Martinez's office.
If you flood the voter rolls with non-citizens who are more aligned with the political left, candidates like Pratt — or anyone who runs on accountability, limited government, or law and order — become even harder to elect. This proposal isn't just about “fairness.” It's about math. And the left knows it.
The Count
On election night, Pratt was actually in second place. For several days, it looked like he was going it to the general election. Then the mail ballots kept rolling in.
Over the next week, the additional tabulation of ballots narrowed the gap between Raman and Pratt, and Raman eventually overtook him. With 93% of the vote tabulated on June 8, election observers concluded that Bass and Raman advanced to the runoff, with Pratt eliminated.
Pratt wasn't exactly gracious in defeat — but he wasn't wrong about the bigger picture either.
“Angelenos are now stuck with two morons responsible for all their problems, and they have to choose between dumb and dumber,” he said.
Now, the same city council pushing that elongated ballot-counting process wants to add non-citizens to the voter rolls.
San Francisco Already Did This
This isn't new territory. San Francisco voters approved a charter amendment in November 2016 called Proposition N, allowing noncitizen parents or guardians to vote in school board elections. A California Court of Appeals upheld San Francisco's noncitizen voting program in August 2023.
How'd that work out? Not very impressively, actually. The San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement estimates tens of thousands of San Franciscans are eligible to vote under the provision, but turnout has been marginal — just 235 noncitizens voted in the highly contentious 2022 school board recall.
Oakland approved a similar charter amendment in 2022, allowing noncitizen parents or legal guardians to vote in school board elections.
Low turnout today doesn't mean low turnout forever. Once the infrastructure is built, it can always be expanded.
It's Spreading Nationally
California isn't alone. Washington, D.C., enacted the Noncitizen Vote Act in October 2022, extending local voting rights to noncitizen residents. Takoma Park, Maryland, was one of the first cities to allow noncitizen voting in all local elections, back in 1992. Burlington, Vermont, extended voting rights to noncitizens for local elections in 2023. Montpelier and Winooski, Vermont, passed similar measures in 2021.
New York City tried it too — passing a law in 2021 that would have allowed noncitizens to vote in municipal elections, but the New York Court of Appeals struck it down in a 6-1 decision in March 2025, finding it conflicted with the state constitution.
So courts can stop it. But only if someone fights back.
What Conservatives Are Saying
Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform said the proposal undermines the meaning of citizenship.
“It just strikes people as fundamentally wrong,” Mehlman said. He argued that the Constitution's preamble underscores that voting is a right reserved for citizens.
He's right. Citizenship means something.
Letting people skip the line and vote anyway says the process doesn't matter — and that's a dangerous message to send.
Voters have agreed: from 2018 to 2025, voters decided on 15 ballot measures related to adding citizenship requirements for voting, and approved all 15.
What You Can Do
Nevada, pay attention. Voter ID is on your ballot this November as Question 7 — the second vote needed to make it a constitutional requirement. Passing it sends a clear signal that elections here are for citizens. Get out and vote yes.
California voters will face the noncitizen voting question directly in November. If they approve it, expect Los Angeles to become a blueprint for every other big Democrat-run city in the country.
Talk to your neighbors about why citizenship and voting go hand-in-hand. Support organizations fighting to keep elections limited to citizens. And if similar proposals ever surface here in Nevada, speak up early. These ideas spread fast — San Francisco started with school board elections in 2016, and now Los Angeles wants to hand non-citizens a vote for mayor and city council.
The left likes to frame this as compassion. True compassion means encouraging people to pursue citizenship — not bypassing it entirely.
Voting is a privilege of citizenship. Let's keep it that way.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
