Boston City Council floats letting noncitizens vote amid federal immigration crackdown

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald on Mar 18, 2026

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BOSTON — The Boston City Council is weighing legislation that would grant immigrants with “legal status” but without full citizenship the right to vote in local elections.

Councilor Julia Mejia introduced a home rule petition Wednesday that would extend voting rights to noncitizens with “legal status” — a number she put at roughly 28% of the city’s population, recorded at 675,647 by the 2020 census.

“Boston is home to thousands of legal residents who contribute every day,” Mejia said at the Council meeting. “They are our workers, parents, students, small business owners, people who deeply invest in their neighborhoods and in the future of the city.

“They pay taxes and they do their fair share of heavy lifting when it’s time to act, yet they’re excluded from decisions that directly shape their schools, their public safety, and their daily lives,” Mejia added.

The Council passed a similar home rule petition to grant voting rights to noncitizens at the end of 2023, by an 8-4 vote. Mejia indicated Wednesday that Mayor Michelle Wu signed the petition to advance it to Beacon Hill, saying that it “was sent to the State House, where everything goes to die.”

Referencing the federal immigration crackdown, Mejia said she was rehashing the effort to grant voting rights to noncitizens to “elevate their voices” at a time when immigrants are “facing increasing attacks.”

Boston is being sued by the federal government over its sanctuary policies.

“Today, we’re back again because the urgency of this issue has only grown at a time when immigrant communities are facing increasing attacks, harmful rhetoric and fear,” Mejia said. “We have a responsibility at the local level to respond.

“This is about morale and whether our immigrant neighbors feel seen, valued, and protected in the cities that they call home,” she added.

According to Mejia’s petition, immigrants with “legal status” constitute more than 28% of the city’s population, pay on average $2.3 billion in taxes annually, and hold roughly $6 billion in spending power.

Her proposed petition states that noncitizen voting rights have been granted in 11 municipalities in Maryland, two in Vermont, and in San Francisco and New York City.

The measure passed the City Council in late 2023 over legal concerns raised by then-Councilor Michael Flaherty and logistical challenges flagged by the city’s Elections Department.

Flaherty cautioned against the “serious ramifications” that could arise from extending voting rights to noncitizens, who could mistakenly register to vote in a federal or state election, when the new law would only apply to city elections.

Liz Breadon, now the City Council president, added at the time that such a mistake could jeopardize an immigrant’s chances of attaining full citizenship.

New City Council rules implemented by Breadon this term prohibit debate on matters that aren’t being voted on at Council meetings, meaning that Mejia, as the petition’s sole sponsor, was the only councilor allowed to speak on her proposal on the Council floor.

Seven of the 13 councilors signed onto Mejia’s order, indicating that there may be some early opposition.

Councilor Ed Flynn, who didn’t sign onto the measure, confirmed that was the case. He told the Herald he was opposed to extending voting rights to noncitizens.

“Although I have a strong record in support of immigrants in Boston, I firmly believe the right to vote is a unique privilege reserved for U.S. citizens, including those who have gone through the extensive citizenship application process,” Flynn, a U.S. Navy veteran, said in a statement.

“During this time in our country, it’s critical that we maintain the faith of all neighbors in our electoral system and democracy, and avoid any changes that may prove counterproductive to that goal,” Flynn added.

Signing onto Mejia’s petition were Councilors Breadon, Miniard Culpepper, Ruthzee Louijeune, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, Ben Weber, and Brian Worrell.

Councilors Flynn, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Sharon Durkan, John FitzGerald, and Erin Murphy did not add their names to the petition.

The matter was referred to the Government Operations committee for a hearing.

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