With the upcoming election right around the corner, citizens everywhere are getting ready to line up or mail in their ballots — the exception being one kind of citizen: a permanent resident. Permanent residency is the legal right to live and work permanently in the United States for a person who has citizenship in another country. Despite the United States benefiting from their labor, the government has deemed them unfit to vote. Permanent citizens should be allowed to vote because they are affected by policy changes in government. Voting is the time to make changes that will affect day-to-day life. Who are they to take away the voice of permanent residents?
This country was built on immigration and the ideal that voting would be a chance to enact meaningful change in the government that affects the people. It is no surprise that the Constitution does not say non-U.S. citizens cannot vote — it would disqualify the majority of its creators. In fact, “Federal law does not prohibit noncitizens from casting a ballot in state or local elections.” State law is where this unconstitutional act of banning non-U.S. citizens from voting derives from. Although this election impacts the entire country on a federal level, states have banned non-US citizens from being able to vote on this outcome, which exceeds their power.
Some districts have attempted to grant permanent residents suffrage on a state level — such as Washington which, “Enacted a law to allow non-citizen residents to vote in all non-federal elections. New York City enacted a law allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections in 2021, but it was ruled unconstitutional by a state judge in 2022.” However, because the ban on voting is on the state level, there is great difficulty in attempting to give the right to vote in federal elections, which is why the federal government should step in and grant suffrage to non-citizens.
Some may argue that if permanent residents want to vote so badly, then they should undergo the process to become U.S. citizens. This argument ignores the difficulties involved in becoming a U.S. citizen. To become a U.S. citizen, the applicant needs to “Be able to speak, read, and write basic English, have a min. of 5 years of continuous residence in the U.S. prior and Demonstrate an understanding of U.S. government and history.”
The right to vote is just that — a right. It should not come with stipulations.
There is an estimate of 12.7 million non-citizens — “14% of the U.S. population which wield $1.3 trillion in spending power.” They contribute to this country’s economy and are affected by its policy just like U.S. citizens and therefore should be allowed to vote. It is the responsibility of all Americans to use their voting privilege to give permanent residents the chance to have a say in the policies that affect them.
