Voting and Citizenship

Takoma Park, Md., recently passed a referendum which recommended that municipal voting powers be extended to residents who are not American citizens. The referendum was non-binding and narrowly passed (51-49%), but many believe such action could spark similar measures in other American communities.

The American public should look very hard at this action in Takoma Park and the announced intent by certain activists to promote non-citizen voting in other communities. Such actions undercut democracy, undermine the importance and value of U.S. citizenship and could lead to a serious erosion of our institutions of government.

Jamin B. Raskin, a law professor in Washington and Takoma Park resident, defended the Takoma Park action as within the U.S. Constitution and legal system (Commentary, Nov. 13). He also advocated expansion of our institutions of government.

For public policy and common sense reasons, non-citizen voting is a bad idea, which should be rejected by the Takoma Park City Council and any other American community where the issue may arise.

Our country is a nation of immigrants. In many countries of the world, an alien is always an alien--they never become part of the community. In America we are proud that people of all races and cultures become an integral part of our city. Our laws and social policies encourage legal residents to become citizens.

Any legal resident alien can become a citizen in five years. That is not an unreasonable time to wait to be able to be fully participate in our democracy. No resident alien is excluded from political membership in their communities as Raskin asserts.

We encourage our legal residents to become citizens. As a much better approach, let us promote citizenship and the exercise of the voting franchise by all citizens--new and old.

ALAN C. NELSON

Sacramento

Nelson served as commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service from 1982 to 1989.