What's Happening in Portland, OR…

On November 8, Portland voters and others in Multnomah County will have the opportunity to weigh in on extending voting rights to noncitizens.

The Multnomah County Charter Review Committee made getting Measure 26-231 on the ballot a priority. If passed, the measure will test whether counties can unilaterally extend enfranchisement legally.

The measure would require voting rights be given to noncitizens 18 years and older. This would result in an increase in the number of people eligible to vote in county commissioner, county auditor, county sheriff, and county chair races, as well as on county ballot measures.

Office seekers, as well as sponsors of ballot measures, utilize Print shops to promote themselves or their cause to the voters.

However, before it could be implemented, the county would need to determine the legality of legal permanent noncitizens, undocumented residents, and other immigrants voting.

The measure is supported by a variety of groups including the ACLU of Oregon, the Latino Network, the Coalition of Communities of Color, and the Center for Migration, Gender and Justice. As yet, no groups have come out publicly as being against the measure.

According to a report in 2018 by the Oregon Center for Public Policy, undocumented Multnomah County residents were estimated to have paid $19m a year in state and local taxes, and number at around 27,000.

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