Los Angeles mayoral candidates clashed Wednesday night when a simple yes-or-no question on whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections exposed a sharp divide.
During a debate hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo, moderator Enrique Chiabra pressed candidates for a yes-or-no answer. Democrat Mayor Karen Bass declined to do so, while Republican challenger Spencer Pratt responded flatly, “No.”
Bass instead said, “It depends,” adding, “It’s not a yes or no.”
The exchange comes as a Los Angeles city councilmember has renewed debate on the issue and is pushing to put the question before voters on the November ballot.
While federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, some U.S. cities — including a few in California — allow limited forms of noncitizen voting in local races.
When explaining her answer, Bass said the term “noncitizens” can include legal residents.
“Well, first of all, when you say noncitizens, it doesn’t mean they’re here illegally. It doesn’t mean they’re undocumented. They can have green cards. They could be here perfectly legal,” Bass said. “And there’s a lot of states and cities that do that on very, very local elections. We have to see what the councilman is proposing.”
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