Greenbelt passes all-resident voting, joining 15 other Maryland municipalities

Greenbelt City Council applauds after passing the all-residents voting laws, following a tribute by Jenni Pompi to the late former council member Ric Gordon. (Greenbelt City Council)

When all citizen voting was first proposed to Greenbelt voters in a 2021 election survey, the chances that it would come to fruition seemed so far away. However, after overwhelming support from voters and council cooperation, all residents now have the opportunity to vote in Greenbelt elections regardless of citizenship. 

During the public hearing segment of the meeting itself, a multitude of people advocating in favor of the all citizen legislation spoke up. One of these people was the Mayor of Mount Rainier, Celina Benitez, who said, “I applaud you guys for taking this into the agenda, but also for making sure you’re hearing the voices of the community.”

Another speaker was Kony Serrano Portillo, a council member of the town of Edmonston, MD. 

“I came down to support this initiative, in the town of Edmonston we’re also voting on this in less than a month,” Portillo said. “because we also believe in inclusion and participation in our community.”

The bill’s passage was not long after Fredrick became the largest Maryland city to let all residents vote in local elections, and Takoma Park celebrated 30 years of non-citizen voting.

Eden Aaron, a policy analyst at the community service organization CASA, a Maryland-based Latino and immigration advocacy and assistance organization, also joined the public hearing to advocate for all resident voting rights. 

“Greenbelt is a vibrant community, enriched by residents from various cultural and national backgrounds,” Aaron said. “Approximately 30% of Greenbelt residents were born outside of the United States.”

Councilmembers were also excited about giving all residents the opportunity to vote in city elections. Mayor Pro Tem Kristen Weaver said the legislation passing is “important for people who are extremely active in our community but didn’t have the fundamental right of democracy to vote.” 

Councilmember Jenni Pompi was also excited to pass the legislation forward because not only would it enfranchise noncitizens, but it also recognizes people without citizenship who are extremely active in so many different parts of the city. 

“Our noncitizen residents will know that we see them,” Pompi said. “As tax-paying residents, they deserve to have a say in who represents them on the city council and how our city is run.”