City Council Weighs Giving Legal Non-Citizens A Vote

Non-U.S. citizens living in the country legally may one day be allowed to vote in Boston elections.

The City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday on the idea at the request of Council President Andrea Campbell. The council is considering ways to make city elections more inclusive, including allowing immigrants with legal status in the country the right to vote in municipal races.

That could include legal permanent residents, visa holders and those on Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Campbell's order for a hearing says Boston has more than 190,000 foreign-born residents, which represents 28 percent of the city population. It also says non-U.S. citizens paid $116 million in state and local taxes and generated over $3.4 billion in spending according to a 2015 city report.