AMHERST — Amherst is likely to renew its efforts in seeking legislation to allow noncitizen residents who are at least 18 years old to vote in municipal elections and run for local elective office.

If successful, the town would join several other communities in adopting the measure, including Northampton and Warwick.

The Town Council is considering a request to state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, to file a special act that, if approved by the Legislature, would allow lawful permanent residents to register to vote.

“To have a voice in Amherst, you need to be able to vote,” District 2 Councilor Pat DeAngelis, who is sponsoring the measure with District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne, told the Town Council on Monday. “To have a voice anywhere, you need to be able to vote.”

The council is referring the special act for review by its Governance, Organization and Legislation committee next week, before a vote is taken on the measure, possibly later in February.

A memo provided by DeAngelis and Bahl-Milne states that 4,249 Amherst residents are not U.S. citizens. They make up about 61% of the 6,890 foreign-born residents in Amherst, and pay taxes, belong to churches and deserve a meaningful voice, DeAngelis said.

“Throughout American history every disenfranchised group has achieved greater social and civil rights by obtaining the right to vote. Why should non-citizens in Amherst who work just as hard, support our schools, fire, police, and CRESS departments with their tax dollars, and even risk their lives serving in our military be denied the right to vote on local issues?” they write in the memo.

The memo adds that “lawful permanent residents” are defined as those who “may accept an offer of employment without special restrictions, own property, receive financial assistance at public colleges and universities, and join the Armed Forces.”

Asking the Legislature for noncitizens to have the right to vote in town elections had regularly been a part of appeals made by Amherst Town Meeting, prior to Amherst changing its form of government in 2018. In 2017, the legislative body voted 153-4 to seek the legislation.

But like previous efforts, the special act languished in the Legislature.

The concept was supported by Town Meeting since the late Vladimir Morales first brought the issue forward in 1996, when the measure passed 96-41. By 2009 it was recommended 136-14, and in 2013 it passed 159-4.

Bahl-Milne, an immigrant from India, said that there are obstacles to people getting the right to vote, with the sacrifice of one’s own citizenship the biggest for her. Even though she was in the United States in 2001, she postponed becoming an American citizen.

“It was really hard to give up my own country’s citizenship,” Bahl-Milne said.

For others, there can also be the need to learn English, hire lawyers and pay other expenses.

“Meanwhile they lose out on the opportunity to vote,” Bahl-Milne said. “It’s also not good for the town because the town is losing out on the skills and gifts of so many immigrants who could be more involved in the town.”

Bahl-Milne credited Razvan Sibii, of Spring Street, for convincing her to sponsor the legislation. Sibii said he started voting in municipal elections once he got his citizenship, even though he has been a resident for 20 years.

A fundamental principal underlying voting is that people affected by their government should have a say in how it’s run, he said.

“Non-citizen permanent residents are just as affected by taxation and policing as residents who are citizens, and therefore they deserve the suffrage as well,” Sibii said.

While the special legislation has fallen short in the past, DeAngelis said there is renewed hope for success due to similar support in Northampton, Warwick, Boston, Cambridge and Wayland.

“The difference for us now is there seems to be a commitment by other communities to reapply with us and there’s all a direct commitment for our state senator and our state rep to really shepherd this and push this,” DeAngelis said.

“I’m so exited about this. I think it’s great,” said District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier, noting that she appreciates those affected would be able to sign petitions and run for Town Council, School Committee and trustees for the Jones Library, should they choose.

“I support this, too,” said District 4 Councilor Pamela Rooney.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>