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lI <br /> September 14, 2023 <br /> Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers <br /> 20 Civic Center Plaza <br /> Santa Ana, CA 92701 <br /> ecomment(a,Santa-ana.ors <br /> Via Email <br /> RE: SUPPORT ITEM 28 - Noncitizen Voting in City Council and Mayoral Elections <br /> Dear Mayor Amezcua and City Councilmembers, <br /> I write on behalf of Chispa to express our support for Item 28, to place the issue of Noncitizen <br /> Voting in City Council and Mayoral Elections on the November 2024 ballot. The City of Santa <br /> Ana (City) must continue to expand opportunities for noncitizen residents to participate civically. <br /> As an organization based in the City, Chispa seeks to engage with excluded peoples to uproot <br /> systems of oppression and cultivate systems grounded in community accountability, solidarity, <br /> and self-determination for our communities to thrive. We are a membership based organization <br /> for young Latinxs advocating for systemic changes across Orange County. We are strong <br /> advocates for civic engagement and democratic elections where voting is accessible to everyone, <br /> regardless of citizenship status. As such, we support allowing all City residents to participate in <br /> elections. <br /> Chispa urges you to provide direction to return with options to place this issue on the November <br /> 2024 ballot, and amend the City's Charter to allow non-citizen voting. Per the Report produced <br /> for this item, "Noncitizen residents make up about 24 percent of Santa Ana's population." <br /> About 30 percent of voting age residents in Santa Ana are noncitizens. The American <br /> Immigration Council estimates that immigrant residents, including noncitizen residents, in <br /> 'Ron Hayduk,"Early American History,"accessed September 9,2023, <br /> https-//www.immigrantvotingrights.com/americanhistory <br /> Z United States Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimate,2021. <br /> 1 <br />