Election integrity group sues Burlington for allowing non-citizens to vote

An election integrity group is suing Burlington, Vermont's largest city, for allowing non-citizens to vote in its elections.

Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE) filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of two registered voters who live in Burlington and asked the state court to declare "that authorization of noncitizen voting on matters involving the City of Burlington’s school board and education budget is unconstitutional and void." 

Derek Lyons, president of RITE, said in a statement on Tuesday that "[a]ctivists are working overtime to undermine democracy in Vermont by extending the right to vote to noncitizens. This anti-democratic agenda is progressing at an alarming pace. It began in two small towns and has now reached Burlington, Vermont’s largest city."

Burlington approved a charter amendment in March 2023 to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, the lawsuit noted. The Vermont General Assembly approved the amendment in May 2023 but it was vetoed by the Republican governor. The state legislature then overrode the veto in June 2023.

"Non-citizen voting violates citizens’ inherent right to direct how their communities are governed. This is simple. U.S. jurisdictions should be governed by U.S. citizens," Lyons asserted. "The non-citizen voting movement achieves the left’s goal of legalizing foreign interference in American elections. It threatens the rule of law and must be stopped before it further infects Vermont and other states in this country. RITE is supporting this lawsuit to enforce the constitutionally protected rights of citizenship."