The Boston City Council is considering legislation that would allow non-citizens with "legal status" but without full citizenship the right to vote in local elections. The proposal was introduced by Councilor Julia Mejia, who put the number at roughly 28% of the city’s population, recorded at 675,647 by the 2020 census. She argued that this comes at a time when immigrants are being targeted due to the federal immigration crackdown. The Council passed a similar home rule petition in late 2023 to extend voting rights to non-citizen voting rights. However, then-Councilor Michael Flaherty warned of potential consequences if non-criminals mistakenly register for a federal or state election, which would only apply to city elections.