TheCambridge Record
Agenda ItemsPolicy Orders

POR 2016-296

The City Manager confer with the City Solicitor on the possibility of allowing non-citizen Cambridge residents to vote in municipal elections without a home-rule petition

How it started
Nov 7, 2016 · Proposed by Councillors Mazen and McGovern: a formal request from the Council to the administration.
What happened
Nov 7, 2016 · Held by charter right the city's note: “EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR CHEUNG, ORDER AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTION”
Nov 21, 2016 · ✅ Order adopted, 8–1. The Council's request went to the City Manager.
View the roll call

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 of Nov 21, 2016 · from the council’s minutes · photos: City of Cambridge
What’s next
No response on the docket: nothing has been filed back under this request's number. Answers sometimes arrive as other items; this ledger tracks only this one.
The document Agenda item attachment · 2 pages

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.

🗓 The meeting where this was taken up: Nov 7, 2016