Ex-California congressman submits proposal to ban noncitizens from voting in state elections

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San Francisco letting non-citizens vote in school election

California city is allowing illegal immigrants to vote in a school board election. William La Jeunesse explains.

A former GOP congressman proposed a new measure on Wednesday that would ban noncitizens from voting in state elections, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Doug Ose, who represented California’s 3rd District in the U.S. from 1999 to 2005, told the paper he was convinced to submit the proposal after San Francisco passed a law in 2016 that allowed non-U.S. citizens over age 18 to vote in school board elections.

It's very simple. I don't think noncitizens should be voting.

— Doug Ose

“It’s very simple,” he said. “I don’t think noncitizens should be voting.”

The city’s registering of noncitizens last week has brought renewed attention to the measure. Ose said he believes his proposal has the potential to be a viable political campaign.

“There’s no shortage of people who are interested in being involved,” he said.

While his proposal would amend California election law, it does not explicitly state how citizenship will be verified, The Times reported. California does not require voters to provide identification.

Ose briefly ran for governor earlier this year, but dropped out amid slim prospects. His Wednesday proposal will require 365,880 to appear on the 2020 California ballot.