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Council unanimously re-files three voting-related home-rule petitions
Summary
Northampton City Council voted unanimously April 3 to re-file three home-rule petitions seeking to allow noncitizen residents to vote in municipal elections, lower the municipal voting age to 16, and enable ranked-choice voting if the state approves.
Northampton City Council voted unanimously April 3 to re-file three home-rule petitions with the state legislature that would allow the city to: permit resident noncitizens to vote in municipal elections, let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in city elections, and adopt ranked-choice voting if the state approves.
The measures, all products of the city’s Charter Review work and prior council votes, are being refiled because local approvals expire after the legislative session. Councilor Moulton, who chaired the 2019 Charter Review Commission, summarized the committee’s prior unanimous endorsements and said the petitions reflect a longer-term effort to expand civic participation.
Advocates who testified at earlier forums and during tonight’s public comment were cited by Moulton and other councilors. Robert Bulrus, who chaired the ranked-choice implementation work, described the local history of the petition and noted broader municipal momentum across the state. Mayor Sheila (Sherra) Sciarra indicated the mayor’s office supports re-filing the three petitions.
Council members moved to suspend the rules to allow immediate action and then approved all three orders without roll-call opposition. The city clerk will forward the signed materials to Representative Natalie Sabadosa and coordinate with Senator Jo Comerford’s office to pursue re-introduction in the current legislative session. If the legislature approves any measure, Northampton ordinance or charter changes would still require local steps (for example, a local referendum for ranked-choice voting).
The council’s action simply re-starts the state process; it does not itself change voting eligibility in Northampton. Any change would require further state action and then local implementation steps.
Votes at a glance - Motion: Suspend rules and approve re-filing of three home-rule petitions (noncitizen voting; voting at 16; ranked-choice). Outcome: approved unanimously (10-0). The packet will be sent to Representative Sabadosa and Senator Comerford.
Ending The three orders now move to the state legislature for consideration; councilors and petition supporters said they will track the bills and return to the council if additional local steps or a referendum become necessary.
