Brief

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez introduced a motion, seconded by Ysabel Jurado, to examine the feasibility and implications of allowing noncitizens to vote in Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education elections and municipal elections. The motion directs city officials to study the legal, administrative, and policy requirements for such enfranchisement and report back on whether a charter amendment should be placed before voters. The matter is currently pending in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which continued it without a set hearing date on May 21, 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, representing the 13th District, moved this proposal to expand voting rights to noncitizens in City of Los Angeles municipal elections and LAUSD Board of Education elections. Rather than directly enfranchising noncitizens by ordinance, the motion takes a two-step approach: it asks the City Attorney to draft the documents needed to place a charter amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would grant the Council the authority to later pass an ordinance authorizing noncitizen voting. In other words, voters would first decide whether to give the Council that power, and the Council could then use it to act. The motion frames the proposal as a response to federal immigration enforcement actions, citing raids, family separations, attempts to revoke birthright citizenship, and travel bans as part of an unprecedented attack on Los Angeles's more than 1.35 million immigrants. The motion argues that while the City cannot halt federal immigration enforcement, it can use Charter reform to empower noncitizen residents to participate in the local decisions that affect their daily lives. It also situates the proposal within the ongoing Charter Reform process already underway under Council File 26-0489, calling that process a timely avenue for enshrining noncitizen enfranchisement. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on April 29, 2026. The committee scheduled a hearing for May 21, 2026, but continued the item without setting a new date, leaving it pending as of late May 2026. To meet the November 2026 ballot deadline, the Council would need to act within the coming months.

Activity (3)

• 2026-05-21 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
• 2026-05-20 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 21, 2026.
• 2026-04-29 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

Documents (3)

• 2026-05-21 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-05 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-04-29 Motion · motion