By Bob Walsh
On June 21 the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to place a measure on the November ballot that would allow non-citizens to vote in school board elections. It is generally believed there would be 13,000 people in Oakland who might be able to participate in this plan. The council asserts that about 14% of the residents of Oakland are non-citizens.
However the United States Justice Foundation and the California Public Policy Foundation have sued to keep the measure off the ballot. The California constitution is pretty clear on the issue, stating "A United States citizen 18 years of age and resident in this state may vote."
The organization has managed to successfully fight a similar ordinance in San Francisco which has recently been blocked. It is believed that a total of 92 otherwise not authorized voters voted in the school board elections in San Francisco between 2018 and 2021. The ordinance was blacked this June.
Both the city of San Francisco and the city of Oakland assert that a strict interpretation of the law says who MAY vote but does not say who may NOT vote. By their logic stray dogs and Maritans could vote if they happened to reside in the city.
The current lawsuit against Oakland is winding its way thru court process in the Alameda County Superior Court.
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