(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – In a stunning decision that has outraged American patriots, the Supreme Court of Vermont has granted the right of people who are not citizens of the United States to vote in local elections in the state capital of Montpelier.
In a ruling at the end of last week, the highest court in Vermont ruled that “noncitizen residents” may continue to elect municipal officials in Montpelier, Newsmax reported.
The court declared that noncitizens casting votes in municipal elections were not a violation of the constitution of the state of Vermont.
In doing so, it upheld a ruling to the same end by a lower court, dismissing an appeal of the Republican National Committee against noncitizens’ so-formulated right to participate in local authority votes.
“The statute allowing noncitizens to vote in local Montpelier elections does not violate Chapter II, § 42 because that constitutional provision does not apply to local elections,” the Vermont Supreme Court wrote.
In 2021, the state legislature of Vermont, which the Democrats heavily dominate, adopted two bills changing the municipal charters of the cities of Montpelier and Winooski. These allowed residents who were not US citizens to vote in local elections.
Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the US, has a population of 8,000. Winooski, the most diverse and densely populated town in the state, also has a population of 8,000. Still, it is part of the Burlington metropolitan area with a combined population of over 200,000.
Montpelier presently has nine registered noncitizens, while Winooski has 55.
The two bills favoring noncitizens were vetoed by Vermont’s Republican Governor, Phil Scott, but the legislature overrode the vetoes.
US federal law bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections. However, the Republican National Committee filed lawsuits against Montpelier and Winooski, asking the courts to declare it unconstitutional for noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Besides the two Vermont cities, about a dozen communities across the United States – such as New York City, San Francisco, and several towns in Maryland – allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.
Conversely, seven US states explicitly prohibit noncitizens from voting in local elections: Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana, North Dakota, Alabama, Colorado, and Florida.
The residents of Montpelier, Vermont, voted in 2018 to approve nonresidents’ right to participate in the election of municipal officials.
Montpelier City Council President Jack McCullough said the measure was approved two-to-one.
“We are gratified that our choice to welcome participation by all members of our community has been upheld by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement.
“Our Declaration of Independence says that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and I believe that includes all our residents. I hope this will encourage more eligible voters to register, vote, and fully participate in our democratic institutions,” the official added.
Noncitizen residents may continue to vote in municipal elections in Vermont's capital city of Montpelier, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday, stating that such voting in local elections doesn't violate the state constitution. https://t.co/W4susyqomD
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 23, 2023
