Noncitizens cannot vote in in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Croatia. Any legal resident can vote in Ireland. In Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Belgium, and the Netherlands the ability of foreigners to vote is governed by the length of legal residence. [1] In France, foreign residents who are citizens of European Union member states have the right to vote in municipal elections and hold municipal elected office. [2]
Foreign citizens do not have the right to vote in Japan, however, 42 municipalities allow foreigners to vote in referendums but not general elections. [3] Voting is allowed in Communist China, but the rules are complicated and restrictive. Not all governmental positions are elective offices. Non-citizens are not allowed to vote in China. In General, Chinese citizens who are at least 18 years old are allowed to vote in at least some of their elections. [4]
Not all Americans are in favor of considering what other countries do when deciding how things should be done in the Unites States. I agree. It is sometimes helpful, however, to be aware of how others are dealing with the same issue.
The attitude Americans have toward the right to vote varies. Some are quite cavalier. Others doubt that their vote matters. Many want the right to vote to be manipulated in order that their candidates or causes will prevail in our elections. Others believe that the integrity of the vote is foundational to democracy.
In the United States the right to vote has always been subject to qualifications. Its history is long and a little confusing. The following is borrowed from the University of Northern Texas because of its clarity and completeness. However, some entries were left out for the sake of brevity out of respect to our reader’s time:
This timeline shows milestones of voting laws in U.S. history. This timeline also offers information about the U.S. government denying and granting citizenship to groups of U.S. residents. Citizenship is a requirement of voting in the United States.
1789: The U.S. constitution did not establish any
specific voting rights, instead states were given the power to regulate
voting laws. As a result, most states limited voting to white male
landowners.
Representatives were elected by the people, Senators were selected by state legislatures, and the President was elected by state legislature appointed electors.
… 1856: All white men can vote—the requirement for property ownership was eliminated. This was a state-by-state change. North Carolina was the last state to remove this requirement in 1856.
1866: Civil Rights Act of 1866 granted citizenship to all persons born in the United States, regardless of color or previous enslavement. This act allowed all citizens of the U.S. equal protection under the law. This act excluded the rights of citizenship to indigenous people who did not pay taxes.
1868: The 14th Amendment extends citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.” The 14th Amendment enshrined the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as part of the Constitution, protecting it from being overturned by the Supreme Court. The 14th Amendment secured citizenship for freed slaves and black folks but did not include rights of political participation, including voting.
1870: The 15th Amendment granted black men the right to vote -- “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States of any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Some Suffragists opposed the 15th Amendment because it did not extend voting rights to women.
1876: The Supreme Court ruled Native Americans are not citizens as defined by the 14th Amendment, even those that are "tax paying." The decision was offered in Elk v. Wilkins.
1882: Chinese Exclusion Act denies people of Chinese ancestry from naturalizing as American citizens.
1887: The Dawes Act grants citizenship to Native Americans who disassociate from their Nations.
1890: Indian Naturalization Act required some indigenous peoples to apply for U.S. citizenship. In spite of being granted citizenship, indigenous peoples were still denied the right to vote until 1924.
1890: Wyoming becomes a state and the first allowing women the right to vote. Wyoming originally granted women the right to vote in 1873, when it was still a territory. Women's right to vote was not extended to federal elections, only state and local elections. Between 1890 and 1920, several other states extended suffrage to women.
1913: The 17th Amendment gives the power of selecting Senators to the (male) people. Prior to the 17th Amendment Senators were selected by state legislatures.
1920: The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.
1922: Supreme Court rules that people of Japanese heritage
are ineligible to become naturalized citizens. The same is ruled
for Asian
Indians in 1923.
1924: The Indian Citizenship Act, also known as the Snyder Act, grants indigenous peoples citizenship regardless of nation affiliation. Previously, indigenous peoples were expect to renounce their tribal affiliations to gain U.S. citizenship.
1943: The Magnuson Act repeals the Chinese Exclusion Act, giving Chinese immigrants citizenship and the right to vote.
1952: The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, or the McCarran-Walter Act, granted all Asian-Americans the right to citizenship and to vote. This act also granted citizenship to residents of U.S. territories though not the right to vote in federal elections.
1961: The 23rd Amendment gives residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote for president, but not Congressional representation.
1965: Voting
Rights Act is passed.
1971: The 26th Amendment made the minimum voting age 18, previously the minimum voting age was 21.
1986: The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act granted U.S. Military, Uniformed Services, Merchant Marines, and other U.S. citizens living abroad right to vote.
1993: National Voter Registration Act passes, making registering to vote at DMVs and other public assistance centers easier.
2002: The Help America Vote
Act requires voter ID for all new voters in federal elections who
registered by mail and who did not provide a driver's license number
or the last four digits of a Social Security number that was matched against
government records. Many states have voter ID requirements. The National
Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) provides state
by state voter ID laws and requirements. … [5]
The argument that the Save American Voter Eligibility Act, that is currently being vigorously debated in Congress, is an without historical precedent, and is an effort to limit the right to vote is spurious. It is clear that Americans have striven to improve the fundamental fairness of our elections. It is also clear that suffrage has always been set aside for citizens.
The provisions of the Save American Voter Eligibility Act include:
The bill defines "documentary proof of United States citizenship".
Valid documents for verifying citizenship, as stated by the bill, are one of the following:
1.
A form of
identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID law
that indicates citizenship;
1.
A valid U.S.
passport;
2.
An official US
military identification card together with a service record indicating a place
of birth in the United States;
3.
A valid
government-issued photo ID card that lists a place of birth in the United
States;
4. Any other valid government-issued photo ID card together with evidence of birth as a US citizen or naturalization, such as a US-issued birth certificate, a naturalization certificate, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). [6]
Opponents argue that existing law prohibits non-citizens from voting. They believe that the law acts to prevent some eligible Americans from voting. They believe that the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) already requires registrars to verify voter citizenship through databases maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Social Security Administration, and the U.S. Postal Service. [7] They say that the Save America Act would increase the cost of elections.
Concerns about non-citizens being allowed to vote have been elevated by the policies of the Biden Administration which allowed an estimated 15 million people to enter and remain in the United States illegally. In some states like California attempts have been made to allow non-citizens to vote in state and local elections.
Photo IDs are required for everything from buying beer to airline travel. You can’t buy a gun without a picture ID. Voting in both houses of Congress is limited to elected and approved members. Voting is limited to members or shareholders in the governance of churches, corporations, private organizations, and many other groups. Disadvantaged persons must show proof of identification and residence to obtain public assistance. If they want to smoke cigarettes, they have to show a picture ID to by them. If disadvantaged persons can obtain a picture ID for these and other activities, they can obtain the identification necessary to vote if they really want to.
Conclusion
I think that the integrity of our elections is fundamental to the preservation of democracy in our Constitutional Republic. Unlike Parliamentary Democracies, Americans are stuck with the results of an election for from two, four, or six years until the next election cycle. Free, fair, and legal elections are essential to maintaining the ability of American Citizens to have faith in their representative government. Although recent voter turnout has been higher than in the past, it is clear that many Americans feel disenfranchised – that their vote does not count. Although recent national elections have been very close, it is evident that a lot of our fellow citizens have lost faith in our elections - and whether their vote matters.
Attempts by the Democrats to pay people to vote more than once, to manipulate voter turnout through absentee ballots, and to discourage others by intimidation by Black Panthers at the polling places have indicated a need for more stringent voting laws. The Obama Administration weaponized the IRS to crush the Tea Party, in blatant violation of their First Amendment Rights. Voters have good cause to be cynical.
Therefore, any legislation that strengthens the belief in the integrity of our elections is justified. I urge you to telephone, email, and write your Senators and Congressional Representatives to vote for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act immediately. Time is critical as a vote on the bill is imminent.
Learn how your Senators
and Congressional Representatives voted on this one. Remember it when you “get out and vote” in
November. Thanks. We need to win this time.
[7]
Ibid.
