Conditions For Inclusion Into The Polity: Public Opinion Of Noncitizen Enfranchisement In Switzerland, Sweden, And The US.

In democracies, political rights are generally reserved for citizens, yet some countries are politically integrating immigrants prior to naturalization by offering local and sometimes regional enfranchisement and opportunities to engage. Citizens can act as gatekeepers to the political sphere when they participate in referenda, elect officials, and participate themselves on topics regarding political integration. However, we know little about the actual preferences they hold on immigrant political rights and what conditions immigrants (would) need to fulfil in order to secure political rights prior to naturalization. The paper analyses citizens’ preferences towards granting noncitizen residents voting rights, the conditions under which they are willing to grant such rights, and what variables influences citizens’ propensity to grant political rights to immigrants. It does so by leveraging a unique survey experiment fielded in Switzerland, Sweden, and the US to evaluate what policy packages citizens would support around the topic of noncitizen resident enfranchisement in local, regional, and national elections. The packages evaluate criteria found in current enfranchisement laws, such as residency requirements, permit types, and language ability, but also asks whether other markers of integration, such as volunteer work, informal political participation, among others, impact citizens evaluations.