Non-citizen suffrage occasionally alien suffrage (US; archaic) is the enfranchisement of non-citizen residents in municipal, regional, or national elections. This right varies widely by region, though there has been a trend over the last 30 years to enfranchise more non-citizens, especially in Europe.
Arguments Non-citizen suffrage can improve political participation. Democracies are widely believed to function better when more people vote, so the wisdom of the crowd can help make more fully informed choices. Examples in New York, Chicago, and Maryland have all shown positive results after immigrants were allowed to vote in local elections, such as school boards.
Universal suffrage means "One Person One Vote", so if immigrants cannot travel to the country of their citizenship (Right of return) or do not have either non-resident citizen voting rights or non-citizen suffrage, the ethics and the legitimacy of the democratic process has been called into question. Non-citizen suffrage can help non-citizens to export the democratic best-practices to their home country.
Non-citizen suffrage creates dual transnational voting which violates political egalitarianism and "One man, one vote" slogan. Emigrants can vote in their home country by travelling or through non-resident citizen voting.
Donations by non-citizens to political campaigns from foreign sources is criticized by some as foreign electoral intervention. For this reason many nations restrict the ability of Non-citizens to contribute to campaigns.
Michael Bloomberg argued in an op-ed on NYC's Non-citizen enfranchisement, that it "[…]devalues citizenship." by removing a major incentive for acquiring citizenship, stating: "Voting is a major reason many immigrants seek to obtain citizenship. […] stripping away that incentive won’t help." Wishing more immigrants to become citizens; arguing that the route to "[…] citizenship is too slow and too restrictive."
By region
David C. Earnest surveyed the practice of voting rights for resident non-citizens, concluding that the practice is widespread and the details varied considerably from country to country. In another 2003 paper, Earnest compared voting rights for resident non-citizens in 25 democracies, grouping them into six categories as follows:
0: No rights (Australia by grandfathered franchise after 1984, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark before 1977, Finland before 1981, France, Germany except for 1989–90, Greece, Ireland before 1962, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands before 1979, Norway before 1978, Spain before 1985, Sweden before 1976, the United Kingdom before 1949, and the United States before 1968). 1: Rights granted only by sub-national governments (Canada from 1975 to the present; West Germany in 1989, the Netherlands from 1979 to 1981, Switzerland from 1960 to the present, and the United States from 1968 to the present). 2: Local rights, discriminatory (Denmark from 1977 to 1980; Finland from 1981 to 1990; Israel from 1960 to the present; and Norway from 1978 to 1981). 3: National rights, discriminatory (Australia from 1960 to 1984, Canada from 1960 to 1974, Ireland from 1985 to the present, New Zealand from 1960 to 1974, Portugal, the United Kingdom). 4: Local rights, nondiscriminatory (Denmark after 1980, Finland after 1990, Hungary, Ireland 1963 to 1984, the Netherlands after 1981, Norway after 1981, Spain after 1985, Sweden after 1976). 5: National rights, nondiscriminatory (New Zealand after 1975; Uruguay for 15-year residents, since 1952/1934; Chile since 1980; Malawi since 1994; Ecuador since 2008)
In some countries, some administrative divisions have granted voting rights to non-citizens. Other countries have granted voting rights to non-citizens who hold citizenship of a country which is a fellow member of a supranational organization (e.g. members of the European Union). In a few cases, countries or other governmental entities grant voting rights to citizens and non-citizens alike.
Supranational groupings A number of separate supranational groupings of countries exist, and membership in some of these groupings may involve multinational agreements and treaties in which member countries agree to some degree of reciprocity regarding voting rights. Some individual countries are members of more than one supranational grouping, and some supranational groupings of countries are members of other supranational groupings of countries.
European Union (EU)
The 1992 Maastricht Treaty imposed reciprocity inside the European Union concerning voting rights in local elections; this already existed for the European elections. In several European states, the public debate on the right of foreigners to vote was therefore renewed, as some foreign residents had the right to vote (European foreign residents), while others, non-Europeans, did not. As a result of this debate, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Slovenia and Belgium extended the right to vote, in different manners, to all foreign residents (which was already the case in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands).
The European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the Baltic Sea States ConferenceVoting Rights and the Right to Stand for Public Office, Council of the Baltic Sea States, February 1996 have produced various recommendations in favor of the introduction of the right to vote and of eligibility to all foreign residents in local elections. The 1992 Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level, a treaty by the Council of Europe, came into force in 1997 and is open for member-states to ratify. Then there is the Council Directive 94/80/EC from the 19th of December 1994 defining to which political organs other EU citizen can vote.
Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth and formerly as the British Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 54 independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies of the British Empire. A few Commonwealth countries, including the United Kingdom itself, allow Commonwealth citizens (formerly "British subjects") voting or eligibility rights at all levels, either with or without specific restrictions not applying to local citizens: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Malawi (all foreign residents, not only Commonwealth citizens), Mauritius, Namibia (all foreign residents, not only Commonwealth citizens), New Zealand (all foreign residents, before 1975 only Commonwealth citizens), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Antigua and Barbuda Commonwealth citizens may vote and are eligible for parliamentary elections, but "allegiance to a foreign State" is a criterion for ineligibility.
Argentina Though foreign residents cannot vote in national elections (president and vice–president and national legislators), they can vote in provinces which have legislation to allow foreigners to vote in provincial/municipal elections. To exercise this right it is a preliminary requirement to know the corresponding provincial legislation. Nevertheless, in all cases it is mandatory for the foreign resident to count with a National Identity Document (DNI) and to be enrolled in a special register set up for that purpose.
Article 61 of the Constitution of the city of Buenos Aires states that "Suffrage is free, equal, secret, universal, compulsory and not accumulative. The foreign residents enjoy this right, with the correlative obligations, on equal terms with Argentine citizens registered in this district, in the terms established by the law."
In 2012, there was a law proposal by the government to grant voting rights for all elections to legal foreign residents, as in Chile and Uruguay but with a residency requirement of 2 years.Michael Warren, "Argentina wants foreigners, 16-year-olds to vote", Associated Press, August 20, 2012, Accessed May 22, 2013 It was presented by Justicialist Party senators Aníbal Fernández and Elena Corregido.Anibal Fernandez, "Más democracia: Derecho a voto de extranjeros residentes ", August 17, 2012Laura Zommer, "No tantos extranjeros podrían votar en el país", La Nacion, September 23, 2012 A similar proposal had been rejected by the National Congress in 1890, reportedly due to concerns for anarchist and socialist immigrants.María José Greloni, El voto extranjero en Argentina: El caso de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, June 2012
Australia All British subjects who were enrolled to vote in Australia before 26 January 1984 retain voting rights at federal and state elections in Australia.Australian Electoral Commission, 2009–15, British Subjects Eligibility (19 July 2019). As of that date, the right of other British subjects to enrol to vote was abolished. A right to vote has been grandfathered: a British subject who was enrolled to vote before 26 January 1984 can re-enrol at any time, even if his/her enrolment has lapsed subsequently for any reason. British subjects on the electoral roll, like all other people enrolled to vote in Australia, are subject to compulsory voting. The term "British subject" not only includes British citizens, but citizens of other countries in the Commonwealth of Nations resident in Australia, such as New Zealand.These 106,000 people might not be Australian citizens, but they can vote on the Voice, SBS World News, 7 October 2023
In most cases, local government electoral rolls in Australia are open to all adults, including non-citizens, who meet other criteria – such as residency requirements.
Before 26 January 1949, people born in Australia were known under Australian law as "British subjects", and there was no legal distinction between them and other British subjects. From 1949, anyone born in Australia was officially termed an Australian citizen, although British subjects retained voting rights in Australia.
Austria (EU member) In 2002, non-citizens were granted voting rights in state elections in Vienna, but the decision was overturned by the Constitutional Court in June 2004.("The Constitutional Court rejected on the end of June the law adopted in December 2002") EU nationals may vote and stand for office in local elections (in Vienna only at borough level, because Vienna is a state of Austria and the Gemeinderat and Landtag of Vienna both consist of the same members).
Barbados As of 1990, Commonwealth citizens may vote for parliamentary elections with a 3 years residency requirement.
Belgium
(EU member) European Union residents in Belgium were given the right to vote and to be candidates for the 1994 European Parliament election, then for the 2000 municipal elections. At first they only had the right to be elected as municipal councillors, not as members of the executive (schepen/alderman or burgomaster/mayor); from the 2006 municipal elections they could access the function of alderman; they still cannot access the function of mayor, because it includes responsibility for the local police force. In accordance with EU regulations, EU residents are subject to the same residence conditions as Belgian nationals, i.e. residence in the commune at the closure date of the electoral roll (July 31 for the municipal elections).
In 2004, voting rights in municipal elections were extended to non-European Union foreigners living in Belgium, with certain conditions attached. Non-EU foreigners must have been living in Belgium for at least five years before becoming entitled to vote. Any non-EU foreigner who wants to take advantage of the new legislation must also sign an oath of allegiance to the Belgian constitution, formally agree to respect the country's laws and sign the European Convention on Human Rights. Also, non-EU foreigners are not allowed to stand as candidates.