By Scott Smyers
Mr. Eldridge,
You must be incredibly tone-deaf to the political landscape.
You are sponsoring a bill to allow illegal immigrants to vote in local election while one who lives in your City just got arrested for raping and impregnating his daughter. This is the kind of person you are giving political cover to while our communities suffer.
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/SD369
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD2170
Change your ways or look forward to disgrace and defeat.
I’ve cc-ed some of your allies in the Acton Selectboard who should be aware that the same types of illegal behavior may be occurring in shelters YOU and the Acton Town Manager helped facilitate in Acton or nearby shelters in Concord, Ayer, etc.
Sincerely yours,
Scott Smyers
Acton
Scott,
Sen. Eldridge’s bill would not allow an incestuous rapist–immigrant or not–to vote in any election. Massachusetts currently forbids any felon from voting while they’re incarcerated, and if the guy you featured is found guilty, I imagine he’d be locked up for quite some time.
But people who are not naturalized citizens who have made a town around here home should be allowed to vote in local elections that might affect their families or their kids’ education, and they should be allowed to serve as volunteers on town boards–what is the harm in people feeling invested enough in their community to show up and vote or to lend their voice on this or that committee, if they have time and expertise?
Several years back there was a state-level bill to allow institutionalized prisoners to vote in local elections. I remember it caused quite a stir in Concord, which like Acton has a Town- meeting format of government and a very small group of citizens who show up to vote on warrant articles. Concord, like Acton, has a consent process where articles may be added to the warrant with a very thin vote. The concern of Concord residents was that a concerted effort of a prison population could force funding and laws on Concord that were not in the best interest of local residents. Acton voters should be concerned much the same could result from concerted immigrant voting, given the recent influx of immigrants.
I strongly believe voting is a right of citizenship, and any immigrant wanting to vote should attain citizenship. If the process is backed up, our immigrant population should be leaning on Eldridge and our Federal representatives to improve the procedures. We should not simply waive the citizenship requirement because we lack the will to streamline the process. Additionally, if illegally crossing the U.S. border is deemed to be a felony, (open debate) I believe that would result in the illegal alien population not being able to vote. As you are likely aware, wording of the 14th amendment is being discussed presently as it applies to birthright citizens, and interpretation may well come from the courts and be responsive to your wish.
For what it is worth, there is yet another effort to allow felons to vote. Because of the closing of MCI-Concord, local residents can breathe a sigh of relief.
Bob Hertz
I don’t agree with non-citizen voting. However, when there’s a 100+ year waiting list for some Green Cards applicants, I understand the rationale. The way you have mischaracterized this bill is absolutely appalling. Did you even read it?
This is the definition of a non-citizen voter in the bill. “ “noncitizen voter”, a person 18 years of age or older with legal immigration status who is not a citizen of the United States.”
Eldridge has not done much for me over the years. I have asked, countless times, he join other senators to stop the foolish changing of clocks twice a year. It jeopardizes my life and limb as I try balancing to get to the wall clocks. Evidently this is below him. Instead, he will press Massachusetts to allow voting by immigrants who are not citizens, and who may have little interest in becoming a citizen. I assume he is doing so because he is searching for a few more Democrat votes although in this state one wonders why. When not doing that, he will spend time chasing me off my gas lawnmower or absconding with my gas stove – not that it will make a tinkers damn in the scheme of things since we give India, China and others carte blanch to do what they like to the world for years to come. Perhaps he can make some breakthroughs in the cannabis area. Now that we have basically eradicate cigarettes we fill the air with the whiff of weed – that’s what a little more tax money for the state coffers can get done.
With the number of illegal immigrants streaming across the U.S. border, we are bound to have some (perhaps many) bad apples. These people should be deported or jailed. I hope he will agree although it is not a given since Massachusetts is a Sanctuary State, a position on which he appears to agree.
Many so-called experts (ACLU, Factcheck among them) suggest an immigrant crossing the United States border without receiving the proper clearances is not a criminal. These left-leaning groups have been wrong many times – past and present. Court proceedings will decide whether the illegal-crossing act rises to the point of being a punishable crime, and whether the crime blocks a person from voting. I am sure my liberal neighbors will test what is being done via court action. I hope the other immigrants among us will choose citizenship.
As an aside, thanks for continuing the Forum. It and the newsletter produced by Marion Maxwell (and others) are my sources of information about Acton. I have never found the Exchange of much value, sorry to say.
Thank you for bringing this proposed legislation to the attention of the community. Thank you also for including links to the primary source of information – the proposed legislation itself.
I read the proposed legislation, and see that it would give the vote in municipal elections to a “noncitizen voter” which the bill defines as “a person 18 years of age or older with legal immigration status who is not a citizen of the United States.” Legal immigration status. Legal. I believe examples include green card holders, H1B visa holders, student visa holders, and more.
Yet the open letter to Senator Eldridge reads as “You are sponsoring a bill to allow illegal immigrants to vote in local election…”. Illegal immigration status. Illegal.
Perhaps the open letter can be adjusted to be more accurate, and thus more persuasive.