Santa Ana voters have rejected Measure DD, a ballot measure that would have allowed non-U.S. citizens to vote in city council and mayoral elections. The O.C. Registrar of Voters reported Tuesday that just over 60% of voters rejected the ballot measure.
Had the measure passed, Santa Ana would have become the first city in California to allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in its municipal elections. Voters in cities like San Francisco and Oakland have already passed similar measures, allowing non-citizens to vote in school board elections.
Santa Ana Families for Fair Elections, a coalition that supported the measure, confirmed Tuesday afternoon to LAist that their campaign was conceding.
There are around 80,000 undocumented residents in Santa Ana, according to the most recent census report, 60,000 of which are potential voters.
What’s the reaction been like?
Activist James Lacy, who organized against the ballot measure, described voting as a precious right.
“We will continue to be vigilant in protecting this right at the ballot box and in the courts,” he said, in a statement. “We call on other cities and agencies that have been considering diluting voting rights in the past, such as San Jose, and even the San Diego Unified School District, to take notice of our success in Santa Ana and reject noncitizen voting.”
The group that backed the measure, Santa Ana Families for Fair Elections, said they reached tens of thousands of residents during their campaign.
“The movement for voting rights for all will continue to strengthen,” they wrote, in a statement released last week.
Political science experts previously told LAist if the measure passed…
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