Hopkinton considers letting noncitizens vote on town issues. Not everyone is on board
HOPKINTON — Select Board members earlier this month discussed a potential Town Meeting article that would ask voters to allow non-U.S. citizens who legally reside in Hopkinton the right to vote in local elections.
The article, first proposed by Select Board Chair Muriel Kramer during the panel's Dec. 5 meeting, would allow lawful permanent residents 18 and older to be placed on a list of registered voters established by the town clerk. This would enable them to vote in any election regarding local office holders or ballot questions — such as the recent Elmwood Elementary School project — and during special and annual Town Meetings.
If such an article were to pass, the town would seek a home rule petition from the Legislature. Non-citizen residents cannot vote in state or federal elections.
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Kramer spoke in support of the proposal during the Select Board's Jan. 9 meeting.
"It's a very special right and privilege," she said. "The conversation to make sure that we are including the votes of folks who live here and pay taxes here and are raising families here is an important conversation to have. This is not my tag line, but I think we are better together."
Kramer added that she hopes the board can have an inclusive, respectful conversation about the proposal.
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Select Board member Mary-Jo LaFreniere said she was not in favor of the proposal, stating that those who vote should be United States citizens.
"Some of these people will be voting in two countries, even if it's local," she said. "Voting is an opportunity, it's also a right and it's something very special for citizens of the United States and us even as a town. People are here on work permits, they're taking advantage of our towns, of our society, everything we have to give."
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LaFreniere stressed that her own mother was an immigrant, and that she welcomes everyone.
"Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I feel very strongly that it's something very special for the citizens of this country," she said.
Town clerk points to challenges his office would face
Town Clerk Connor Degan spoke of the administrative burden that such a policy would place on his office. During the Jan. 9 meeting, he expressed disappointment with the Select Board, saying only LaFreniere consulted with the elections office.
"There are a lot of challenges to passing this kind of legislation," Degan said. "It would dramatically affect how we run elections in Hopkinton. And the fact that we weren't consulted on how this can be implemented, if it's possible, if it's something we can do, it's unfortunate."
Degan also raised concern over the timeline of the policy, saying he doesn't believe the town has done its due diligence to implement it. He also said that, if passed, the amount of work would also increase to the point that it would require an additional full-time staff member in the Town Clerk's Office.
If the proposal were to pass at Town Meeting — Hopkinton's is scheduled for May 6 — Select Board members would then file a home-rule petition with the Legislature to exempt the town from state law requiring citizenship to vote in local elections.
Debra O'Malley, communications director for the Secretary of the Commonwealth, told the Daily News that there are no instances in which the state has approved a municipality allowing non-citizens to vote.
"There are proposals that have passed Town Meetings, but none of those have passed the Legislature," she said.
Communities that have approved non-citizen voting at the local level include Amherst, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Leverett, Northampton, Sharon, Somerville and Wayland.
The Select Board next meets on Jan. 30.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hopkinton Select Board ponders allowing noncitizen vote locally
