The City Manager confer with the City Solicitor on the possibility of allowing non-citizen Cambridge residents to vote …

How it started

Proposed by Councillors Mazen and McGovern — a statement of the Council’s position, not a request for action.

What happened

✅ Adopted, 8–1 — first paused by a charter right, then adopted the following week; the request now goes to the City Manager. (Order adopted · Nov 7, 2016)

Voted yes (8)

Dennis Carlone
Leland Cheung
Jan Devereux
David Maher
Nadeem Mazen
Marc McGovern
Timothy J. Toomey
E. Denise Simmons

Voted no (1)

Craig A. Kelley

Roll call from the city's record · photos: City of Cambridge

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Taken upNov 7, 2016

Held — charter rightone member's right to pause

Order adopted, 8–1

The item's path through the council — every recorded step. How the request pipeline works

The document Agenda item attachment · 2 pages

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Notwithstanding the provisions of section one of chapter fifty-one of the general laws, or any other general or special law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, non-citizens eighteen years or older who reside in the City of Cambridge, upon application, have their names entered on a list of voters, established by the Election Commission, for the city of Cambridge and may thereafter vote in any election for school committee members, City Council, and municipal ballot questions. Such non-citizens members shall remain eligible to vote in school committee and City Council elections for so long as they remain domiciled in Cambridge.

SECTION 2.

The Election Commission is authorized to formulate regulations, guidelines and registration forms to implement the purpose of this act. The voter registration forms include a declaration to be signed under pains and penalties of perjury by the non-citizen voter that: 1) s/he is over the age of eighteen; 2) s/he currently resides in Cambridge; 3) s/he does not hold a non-immigrant visa.

SECTION 3.

Nothing in this act shall be construed to confer upon non-citizens the right to vote for any state or federal office, any state or federal ballot questions, or the right to run for any public office.