Noncitizen Voting Defeated in Santa Ana  

Santa Ana voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed for noncitizen and undocumented resident voting by a wide margin, 62% to 38%, in yesterday’s election, with 100% of precincts reporting, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

“Our campaign has now set the trend against noncitizen voting and discovered the keys to future victories in similar ballot measures across California and beyond,” said James V. Lacy, who organized the campaign against Measure DD, as it was known in Santa Ana.  “The key to victory in the campaign is to elevate citizenship, and the crown jewel possessed only by citizens – their precious right to vote.”  Lacy, a former General Counsel in the Reagan Administration, has been a statewide advocate and litigator in opposition to noncitizen voting measures across California.

Measure DD was placed on the ballot by a divided 4-3 vote of the Santa Ana City Council, who unlawfully tried to influence the outcome of the measure by placing prejudicial language in favor of it on the ballot.  An Orange County Superior Court Judge ruled against the City to remove the biased wording, in response to a lawsuit filed by Lacy.  The Judge’s Order is available here.  Last week, the City paid Lacy and other plaintiffs over $35,000 for their attorneys fees in bringing the successful “public interest” lawsuit to correct the ballot measure language.

After winning the lawsuit, Lacy, with financial support from the conservative advocacy organizations United States Justice Foundation and Policy Issues Institute, organized “Santa Ana Citizens for Voting” with the assistance of Pasquale Talarico, a Santa Ana resident, who managed the campaign against Measure DD, which placed 1,500 street signs against the measure, and included social media and direct mail advertising.   Opponents of Measure DD also included the Orange County Register editorial board, the Santa Ana Police Union which spent $9,000 on a mailing against the measure, and prominent citizens including the Mayor.

Lacy said, “voting is a precious right that citizens will not so easily give up or dilute.  Naturalized citizens work hard, and must take a test, and pledge their allegiance to our nation to gain this important right.  They are not about to devalue their achievements.  We will continue to be vigilant in protecting this right at the ballot box and in the courts.  We call on other cities and agencies that have been considering diluting voting rights in the past, such as San Jose, and even the San Diego Unified School District, to take notice of our success in Santa Ana and reject noncitizen voting.”