'It feels very welcoming': Non-citizen immigrants on voting in Takoma Park

Just two weeks before Election Day, Yared Tebabu spent a Tuesday night going door-to-door in a twelve story apartment building that holds more than 140 units. The Essex House, which sits on Maple Avenue in Takoma Park, is home to hundreds of residents, many of them low-income and immigrants from countries like Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and El Salvador.

"We need more engagement, and the best way to do that is bringing the government to the people's doorstep," said Tebabu, the 23 year-old son of Ethiopian immigrants.

Tebabu knew it would be a laborious process to run for city council but he saw this as the best way to reach his would-be constituents. Takoma Park is composed of more than 2,000 people in Ward 5 and allows non-citizens to cast their ballot in municipal elections, so Tebabu knows every one of their votes counts.

This effort is also personal for Tebabu. His family lived in the same building when he was younger. Tebabu Assefa, who is Tebabu's father and campaign manager, believes this type of outreach is what's necessary to motivate the immigrant communities that have been left out of the American political system.

"There's a social, economic and cultural barriers that limits people from partaking in the government of the people," said Assefa.

Among those who were motivated to cast their ballot for the first time was Tsinat Shiferaw. She's 17 years-old, born in Ethiopia, and is a green card holder. But because of Takoma Park's extended voting rights, she was able to vote in this year's election.

"Seeing how they connect everybody around for a common cause, it's been really inspiring," said Shiferaw, a senior at Blair High School. "[Voting is] very useful. A lot of people move [to the United States] and can't vote because they're not citizens or permanent residents, but it's possible in Takoma Park."

Non-traditional voting is a key feature of the largely progressive city, which has a population of about 17,000 people – of which more than 30% were born outside the U.S. according to Census data. In 1992, the city passed a charter to allow non-citizens the right to cast their ballot in municipal elections. In 2013, the city began allowing 16 and 17 year-olds to do the same.

While Takoma Park has mostly stood as an outlier throughout the state and the United States, other cities have pushed for extending voting rights to noncitizens – including Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, and Riverdale Park in the neighboring Prince George's County alone. Last month, the D.C. council also advanced its own piece of legislation that would allow undocumented residents the right to cast their ballot in local elections.

As a resident of Takoma Park for the last eight years, Gregor Wallace says the law has allowed him to vote in every election since moving there with his wife, who is a U.S. citizen. He was born in Scotland and says the extended voting rights is something that should be fully encouraged.

"Having that opportunity, it's now my duty to take advantage of that," said Wallace, who has a green card. "I think it's the right approach. Anywhere else that's resisting this approach, I think, is a little backwards. So I think Takoma Park are taking that lead and good on them for doing that."

Wallace has two children in the area middle school and owns his home in Ward 1. Although he is unsure if he'll pursue naturalization, he says being able to participate in the election process permits him to feel fully invested in his city. It's a feeling he thinks other immigrants can relate to.

"We're both seeking out better opportunities for our families," said Wallace. "We've both landed in the same place for, I think, a number of reasons. One of those is Takoma Park and America is a great place for new people to come."

It's a similar experience for Marisa Silveira, who was born in Brazil and has a G-4 Visa, which is an immigration status for employees of international organizations and NATO. She says she has lived in the D.C. region since 2009 but this is the first year that she's voted in a local election after moving to Takoma Park in January.

"You know, it feels good to vote, to have a voice," said Silveira, who dropped off her ballot at a community center. "It feels very welcoming."

Mayoral candidate Seth Grimes is the co-founder of Takoma Park Mobilization, a volunteer organization that was founded in 2016 to support local immigrants and Muslim communities. He also was part of the effort to extend voting rights to 16 and 17 year-olds in 2013. Grimes says that Takoma Park is leading the way for non-citizens to participate in their community both on election day and beyond.

"Giving them a voice in the electoral processes is really a part of including them in everyday civic life and helping people, especially who are immigrants, assimilate into American political culture. And it strengthens our political culture to have that diversity," said Grimes.

Civic engagement is a value that Patience Aloh has learned to carry in the years since becoming a U.S. citizen. Aloh was born in Cameroon and used to vote in Takoma Park every year as a non-citizen. Now, she says she continues to vote in each election because "I want to see improvement in our community in every way."

Aloh lives in the Essex House with her husband and four kids. While life has changed for Aloh in recent years, she feels that immigrants are still left out of the biggest decisions in their community, such as housing and school resources. She says it's a matter of speaking out long after the polls have closed.

"We are immigrants and we cannot say that the people of color are not still suffering," said Aloh. "We have to fight for this community."

While opponents of non-citizen voting have argued that the process can be expensive and lead to logistical challenges due to the need to print separate ballots, city officials in Takoma Park don't see it that way. Matthew Ling is the interim director of the Takoma Park Board of Elections and believes it's worth it.

"Democracy can be expensive and that's not a good reason to disenfranchise people," said Ling. "There are a lot of people here with all different types of status and they've been living here for a long time. And I think it would make a lot of sense to include them and their voices."

According to Ling, all it takes to register to vote as a noncitizen in Takoma Park is a photo ID and a document as proof of residence. He also says that the municipal ballot is completely separate from Montgomery County's, which also includes statewide and federal elections. As a result, he says it's relatively straightforward for both voters and city officials.

"We want to encourage people, you know, as much as possible to vote," said Ling.

For Delia Mekonnen, the election in Takoma Park was all about getting her family involved. Although she's only 9 years-old, Mekonnen successfully convinced her parents to register to vote. She said they, like others in the community, deserved to have their voice heard.

"It's really important to include everybody in this community," said Mekonnen. "And everybody should have a part in something. Because you don't know what they've been through, you shouldn't judge them based off of that."

In the days leading up to the election in Takoma Park, Tebabu held firmly onto the idea that both the city and its immigrant communities could benefit from greater voter turnout. While he would ultimately lose the race for Ward 5, he argued that his work to get more people registered to vote was just getting started.

"Win or lose, this campaign is building momentum," said Tebabu. "If you vote, you have a bigger say in what goes on. You're more likely to be paid attention to."

This story originally appeared on DCist.com.