RNC Sues Vermont Cities That Allow Noncitizens to Vote

 The Republican National Committee is suing two Vermont cities over their controversial policies of allowing noncitizens to vote in municipal elections, according to a new report.

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News that the committee will sue Montpelier and Winooski in an attempt to thwart Democrats’ efforts to “dismantle the integrity of our elections.” 

“In addition to attacking widely supported safeguards like voter ID, Democrats also want foreign citizens to vote in American elections,” she said. “Republicans are fighting back on this far-left assault against election integrity — unlike radical Democrats, we believe that our elections should be decided solely by American citizens. This is a matter of principle and we will fight in all 50 states to ensure this remains the case.” 

The suit comes after the state Senate approved changes to the cities’ charters in May that will now allow noncitizens to vote on local issues despite pushback from Republican lawmakers and the governor, who vetoed the legislation.

“Allowing a highly variable town-by-town approach to municipal voting creates inconsistency in election policy, as well as separate and unequal classes of residents potentially eligible to vote on local issues,” Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, wrote in a letter to legislators.

The Senate voted 20-10 to override the governor’s veto.

State Senate President pro tempore Becca Balint said at the time that the veto’s override would “continue Vermont’s track record supporting strong citizen engagement, and uphold the tradition of local control in our towns and cities.”

The RNC says its lawsuit “raises important concerns about how the laws will be implemented and whether non-citizens will end up on the same voter registration lists used for state-level and federal elections.”