--- Eva Young <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> This is what I don't get. There is something called
> citizenship. Legal
> immigrants who are permanent residents should be
> encouraged to pursue US
> citizenship. If there are unfair barriers which
> impede people getting
> citizenship, we should look at those issues.
Eva, historically from Minnesota's founding you didn't
need to be a citizen to vote for ANY level of
government. It was around the turn of the century
that restrictions began to be put on higher levels of
office and eventually Minnesota became one of only a
handful of states to disallow voting by resident
aliens in local elections. This is thought to have
come about due to fear of the large number of German
immigrants during World War I and World War II.
There are very sound and rational reasons to allow as
many people in the community who are residents to
participate in electing community leaders and voting
on school referendra and the like.
I don't understand this irrational sentimentality that
falsely ties citizenship and the right to vote without
any rational basis. I can better understand
restricting federal elections to citizens but
restricting local elections in this way seems to arise
out of nothing but xenophobia.
Internationally, this is increasingly recognized as a
human rights issue. Nations cannot join the European
Union if they do not allow resident alien voting in
local elections. Japan and Australia allow some
degree of resident alien voting as does most of
Canada.
Many communities, small and large, in other parts of
the United States allow voting by resident aliens in
some or all local elections.
Why would we not want the voices of more of our
neighbors who own property, pay taxes, live and
volunteer and worship in our community, use government
services, pay for government services and otherwise
are members of our community not to have their voices
reflected in our electoral processes?
Do you believe in taxation without representation?
Do you believe parents should have a voice in their
children's school?
Do you believe property owners and business owners and
employees and workers should have a voice in public
policy that will impact them?
How does it effect your ability to have your voice
heard by city wide elected officials if more and more
of your neighbors are unable to vote? Aren't you and
your neighborhood effectively disenfranchised simply
because fewer of your neighbors of citizens?
Is it conceivable that the local government will be
less responsive to those parts of the city with fewer
voters? If so, what happens to those neighborhoods
with higher concentrations of noncitizens?
Just curious,
David Strand
______________________________________________________
Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/
REMINDERS:
1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If
you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL
PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list.
2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn
E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[email protected]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
