In 2004 and 2010, San Franciscans voted on ballot measures that would have extended the right to vote in school board elections to non-citizens. The thinking: parents and caregivers of SF children who don't have citizenship should still get a say in their kids' education. Mission Local recalls that the 2004 measure failed 51 percent to 49 percent and that the 2010 measure lost 54 percent to 46 percent, with Board of Supervisors President David Chiu calling it "a disappointment for the education system and for immigrant parents.”
But the third time's a charm, Supervisor Eric Mar is betting: The Associated Press reports that he thinks Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's anti-immigrant statements might motivate voters to stick up for non-citizens, with more Latinos and others arriving at the polls this fall to try to stop him.
San Francisco voters will also see another ballot measure that attempts to bring nontraditional voters to the polls. A charter amendment to lower the voting age to 16 passed its way through the Board of Supervisors in May, the Chronicle reported at the time.
Related:
Majority Of Supervisors Supports Amendment Lowering Voting Age To 16