LA Mayoral Candidates Split on Noncitizen Voting in Debate

Los Angeles mayoral candidates clashed Wednesday night during a debate when asked if noncitizens should vote in local elections.

The forum, hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo, featured moderator Enrique Chiabra pressing candidates for yes-or-no answers. Democrat Mayor Karen Bass declined, saying, "It depends." She added, "It's not a yes or no."

Republican challenger Spencer Pratt responded, "No."

The exchange follows a Los Angeles city councilmember's push to place the question on the November ballot.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, but some U.S. cities, including a few in California, permit limited noncitizen voting in local races.

Bass explained her response by noting that "noncitizens" includes legal residents. "Well, first of all, when you say noncitizens, it doesn't mean they're here illegally. It doesn't mean they're undocumented. They can have green cards. They could be here perfectly legal," she said. "And there's a lot of states and cities that do that on very, very local elections. We have to see what the councilman is proposing."

Councilwoman Nithya Raman, another Democratic candidate, also sidestepped a direct answer. "I would say again, it does depend," she said, pointing out that noncitizen residents vote in certain local elections like school board races in some places.

Pratt stuck to his position with a one-word reply: "No."

Bass and Pratt are among 13 candidates for mayor. Pratt ranks as one of the top challengers to the incumbent.

The primary is June 2, with the general election on Nov. 3.

Fox News Digital contacted Bass’s office and the Pratt and Raman campaigns for comment.