VANITY: How Many Cities in the World Allow Non-Citizen Residents to Vote?

I recently did a Q&A chat with an artificial intelligence Chatbot called CLAUDE.AI .

In which country’s or cities in in the world’s municipal elections are non-citizens allowed to vote?

I got the following response… you can check if the information provided is true… 👇👇

- United Kingdom - Resident foreign nationals can vote in local elections in the UK, but not national elections. This includes cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham.

- Ireland - Non-citizens are eligible to vote in local and district elections after 3 months of residency. This applies to cities like Dublin, Cork, Galway.

- New Zealand - Permanent residents can vote in territorial authority elections, which cover major cities like Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch.

- Chile - In 2020, Chile passed a law enabling foreign residents to vote in mayoral and municipal council elections. Applies across cities like Santiago, Valparaiso.

- Stockholm, Sweden - Allowed non-citizens to vote in local elections if resident for 3+ years. Overruled nationally in 2022.

- Oslo, Norway - Permanent residents can vote in city elections after 3 years of residency.

- Toronto, Canada - Studied allowing non-citizen voting in municipal elections but proposal did not pass.

So in summary, many major global cities follow similar rules to parts of the US in allowing foreign residents and non-citizens a vote in local city and council elections. National elections remain mostly limited to citizen voting.

What other cities in the USA have passed similar election laws that allow non-citizen residents to vote such as the one in NYC?

- San Francisco, CA - In 2016, San Francisco passed Proposition N which allowed non-citizen parents and guardians of school-aged children to vote in San Francisco Unified School District school board elections.

- Chicago, IL - In 2022, Chicago changed its election law to allow lawful permanent residents to vote in municipal elections for mayor, city council and city clerk. This enfranchised over 40,000 non-citizen green card holders.

- Burlington, VT - A 2021 charter change in Burlington enabled lawful permanent residents to vote in city council and school board elections. Around 3,000 new voters were enfranchised.

- Takoma Park, MD - Since 1992, this Washington DC suburb has allowed all residents including non-citizens to vote in city council and mayoral races. It was one of the first U.S. jurisdictions to do so.

- Cambridge, MA - A 2019 ordinance allows permanent residents to participate in municipal elections and run for office.

So while the scale is smaller than New York City, these cities represent a growing trend of select locales opening up voting rights for non-citizen residents, mainly in school board and city/town council local elections. The laws vary in scope across the cities.

Based on what I observe… there seems to be a trend in many of the western democracies to allow non-citizens to vote.

Yes, it starts with small municipal elections… but based on the principle of the slippery slope, who’s to say that this trend will not eventually become nationwide?

If you have access to other AI Chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard, you can ask the same question I asked, I’m sure you’ll get the same information.

RE: “How many countries in the world allow illegal aliens to vote?”

I asked your question to the Google Chabot: BARD.

Question: “How many countries in the world allow illegal aliens to vote?”

Here is its response:

It’s important to clarify two things before answering your question:

Terminology: The term “illegal alien” is considered offensive and inaccurate by many people. A more respectful term is “undocumented immigrant.” Both terms refer to someone residing in a country without legal permission, but “undocumented immigrant” avoids negativity and acknowledges their humanity.

Scope of Voting Rights: In almost all countries, undocumented immigrants cannot vote in national elections. However, a small number of countries allow non-citizens (including legal permanent residents and undocumented immigrants) to vote in local elections under certain conditions.

Therefore, the answer to your question depends on how you define “illegal aliens” and the scope of voting rights you’re considering.

If you consider “illegal aliens” to be synonymous with “undocumented immigrants,” then the answer is essentially 0 for national elections. There are a few very rare exceptions, but they are highly specific and limited circumstances.

If you’re asking about non-citizens voting in local elections, then the answer is around 45 countries. However, the specific conditions and eligibility requirements vary greatly between these countries.

It’s important to note that the debate over non-citizen voting is complex and there are strong arguments on both sides.

_____________________

I then continued asking: Name me these countries that allow non-citizens (including legal permanent residents and undocumented immigrants) to vote in local elections under certain conditions. And tell me what these conditions are.

Here is Bard’s respose:

As previously mentioned, almost no countries in the world allow undocumented immigrants to vote in local elections. Their lack of legal residency status typically serves as a major barrier to enfranchisement in these cases.

However, several countries do grant voting rights in local elections to non-citizen residents, including legal permanent residents, under specific conditions. Here are some examples:

1. European Union:

Belgium: Resident EU citizens can vote in local elections after residing in Belgium for at least 6 months.

Estonia: Resident EU citizens who have lived in Estonia for at least 5 years can vote in local elections.

Ireland: Resident EU and British citizens can vote in local elections after residing in Ireland for at least 3 months.

Lithuania: Resident EU citizens who have lived in Lithuania for at least 5 years can vote in local elections.

Netherlands: Resident EU citizens can vote in local elections after residing in the Netherlands for at least 5 years.

Slovenia: Resident non-EU citizens with permanent residency permits can vote in local elections after residing in Slovenia for at least 5 years.

2. Other Countries:

Cape Verde: Resident foreign nationals who are nationals of former Portuguese colonies or who are married to Cape Verdean citizens can vote in local elections.

New Zealand: Resident permanent residents who have lived in New Zealand for at least 1 year can vote in local elections.

Paraguay: Resident legal permanent residents can vote in local elections after residing in Paraguay for at least 3 years.

Conditions for Non-Citizen Voting:

The specific conditions for non-citizen voting vary significantly across these countries. Here are some common requirements:

Residency status: Most countries require legal residency (often permanent residency) for a minimum period, ranging from 3 months to 5 years or more.

Citizenship: Some countries, like Slovenia, only grant voting rights to non-EU citizens with permanent residency, while others like Belgium extend it to all EU citizens regardless of legal status.

Registration: Non-citizens may need to register separately to vote in local elections.

Taxation: In some cases, paying local taxes might be a requirement for voting.

Important Note:

It’s crucial to understand that this list is not exhaustive, and individual country-specific laws and regulations can change over time. It’s highly recommended to consult official government sources or reliable research agencies for the most up-to-date information on non-citizen voting eligibility in any specific country.

I hope this clarifies the previous information and provides a more accurate overview of non-citizen voting in local elections across the globe.

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