by David Lindfield
A heated moment during Wednesday night’s Los Angeles mayoral debate exposed a sharp divide between the candidates after moderators asked a straightforward question about whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote in local elections.
During the debate hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo, moderator Enrique Chiabra pressed the candidates for a simple yes-or-no answer.
Democrat Mayor Karen Bass declined to give one.
Republican challenger Spencer Pratt answered immediately: “No.”
Bass instead responded, “It depends,” before adding, “It’s not a yes or no.”
Bass Avoids Direct Answer on Noncitizen Voting
The exchange quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the debate as Bass attempted to draw distinctions between illegal aliens and legal permanent residents.
“Well, first of all, when you say noncitizens, it doesn’t mean they’re here illegally,” Bass said.
“It doesn’t mean they’re undocumented.
“They can have green cards.
“They could be here perfectly legal,” she continued.
“And there’s a lot of states and cities that do that on very, very local elections.