The GOP is suing the town of Winooski in Vermont to stop a local law that lets foreigners vote in school board elections.

Foreign nationals have been able to cast ballots in local elections in Winooski since last year, including those for the mayor, council members, and school board.

The RNC, the Vermont Republican Party, and two locals have now filed a lawsuit against the city of Winooski, alleging that it is unlawful for foreign nationals to vote explicitly in the town’s school board elections because the money authorized for the board is funded by the state.

The complaint claims:

“School finance and budgeting are statewide freeman issues in Vermont. Since the landmark ruling in Brigham v. State, 166 Vt. 246 at 249 (1997), Vermont has implemented a statewide funding scheme to equalize school funding throughout the state. Votes on local school budgets, therefore, have an effect on the state budget and consequently the financial interests of Vermonters in general. Upon approval by the local governing body, the proposed budget is then submitted to the state legislature for approval.”

“Defendant has now increased the electorate that decides matters to include noncitizens, regardless of the fact that those votes directly involve Section 42’s restriction on the franchise to United States citizens since they have significant extra-municipal and statewide ramifications. The RNC and Vermont GOP claim that if foreign voters are permitted to cast ballots in Winooski, American citizens’ votes “would be diluted by the noncitizen vote.”

“The RNC and VTGOP also plan on having to devote extra money on ‘get out the vote’ and some other election efforts as well as for recruiting and voting for candidates that will have to deal with an increased voter pool with unconstitutional noncitizens voting in elections for the school board also with respect to the school budget,” the lawsuit says.

The organizations had previously filed lawsuits against Winooski and Montpelier for allowing foreigners to participate in local elections. The Vermont Constitution permitted towns to provide foreign citizens the right to vote, according to the state’s supreme court.

This Monday, a resolution allowing foreign nationals, including some illegal aliens, to vote in local elections was decisively passed by Burlington, Vermont, voters. Governor Phil Scott (R) and the state legislature must now ratify the charter modification.