Bill
S 512
The bill allows lawful noncitizen residents to register and vote in municipal elections, run for and hold local offices, while preserving federal and state voting limits.
Status snapshot
- Introduced: February 11, 2025. Read twice and referred (see Procedural Status below).
- Sponsor/petitioner in text: Senator James B. Eldridge.
- Note: the provided packet contains inconsistent metadata (alternate titles, committee referrals, and a list of federal senators as "sponsors"). This summary focuses on the bill text itself, which proposes municipal voting for noncitizen residents.
Purpose
- To permit certain noncitizen residents of the Commonwealth to register, vote, participate in town meetings, and run for/serve in municipal elected offices, while preserving explicit limits on voting for federal and state offices and certain state-constitutional initiatives.
Key provisions
- Definitions:
- “Noncitizen voter”: any person 18+ with lawful immigration status who is not a U.S. citizen.
- “Municipal election”: includes mayoral, city/town council, board of selectmen/select board, school committee elections, local ballot referenda, and similar local contests.
- “Noncitizen voting limitations”: explicitly bars noncitizen voters from voting for (1) President, Vice President, Presidential electors, U.S. Senators or Representatives per 18 U.S.C. 611; (2) state offices; and (3) initiative petitions under Article XLVIII of the state constitution.
- Registration:
- The Secretary of the Commonwealth must issue a dedicated “noncitizen voter registration form.”
- Municipal election officials shall add a person to a list of noncitizen voters upon receipt of that form.
- A registrant must sign a declaration under penalty of perjury that they are a resident of the municipality.
- A noncitizen may be registered in only one municipality at a time.
- Notification and warnings:
- Within 5 days of registration, municipal officials must notify the registrant of (a) their noncitizen voting rights, (b) the noncitizen voting limitations listed above, and (c) that voting in a federal election may jeopardize their U.S. citizenship application.
- Rights granted:
- Registered noncitizen voters may vote in municipal elections, participate in town meetings (open or representative), and be candidates for — and serve in — municipal elected offices.
- Administration:
- The Secretary must disseminate the noncitizen registration form in the same locations and manner as the regular voter registration form, and must promulgate implementing regulations.
Who would be affected
- Eligible: lawful noncitizen residents (18+) of a municipality in the Commonwealth who complete the specified registration.
- Impacted entities: municipal election officials/town clerks (new registration list, notification duties), Secretary of the Commonwealth (forms, regulations, outreach), local governments (expanded electorate; potentially new candidates).
Procedural status & next steps (from provided record)
- Feb 11, 2025: Introduced; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary (records also show referral to Election Laws and scheduling for a May 6, 2025 hearing). Additional entries reference other committees (Children and Families) — see note on inconsistencies.
- May 6, 2025: Hearing scheduled (per provided actions).
Potential legal/administrative considerations (not part of the bill text)
- The bill attempts to preserve federal and state limitations on noncitizen voting, but implementation could raise legal questions about state authority vs. federal law, and would require administrative changes for municipal election operations.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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