Participatory budgeting allows community members who can't legally vote to still have a voice
In 2009, residents in Chicago's 49th Ward held the first participatory budgeting vote in the U.S.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Tens of thousands of Chicagoans cannot vote in local elections due to their immigration status. The overwhelming majority are from Latin America.
Still, there is a way for some immigrants to be a part of the democratic process through something called "participatory budgeting."
Participatory budgeting is a democratic process open to most Chicagoans, including undocumented immigrants, but few know about it.
"It is very important because this gives everyone, you know, the feeling of power -- of control, said Albany Park resident, Erika Becerril.
Through participatory budgeting, community members get a voice. They can propose neighborhood infrastructure projects in their wards, such as road or park improvements, and those projects then go up for a vote in the community.
"So, you're seeing this beautiful co-creative process between residents and local government where they're really working together to actualize real community needs on the ground," said Thea Crum, associate director at Great Cities Institute at UIC.
The institute has taken the lead on spreading the word about participatory budgeting in Chicago, and that includes targeting populations who can't legally vote.
"When we explain that this is a process that they can contribute to and that they can vote -- they can have a say in how this money is spent -- we've had people tear up," Crum said.
However, it remains a challenge bringing more undocumented people into the fold.
One Albany Park mom saw this firsthand when she went door-to-door letting people know about the process and how they can vote on proposals.
"For most of them, the major concern was to, well, what's going to happen with my information that I'm giving you," Becerril said.
"Folks who are undocumented, particularly in the past few years, have really experienced an increase in ICE raids and other challenges. And so, we purposefully don't ask people about their status," Crum, added.
Participatory budgeting originated in Brazil in 1989. In 2009, residents in Chicago's 49th Ward held the first participatory budgeting vote in the U.S.
Right now, participatory budgeting happens in only seven Chicago wards, including the 33rd Ward on the Northwest Side.
Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez started using it in her first year in office, allowing anyone 14 years and older to participate.
"It takes a lot of education and the more we have been able to do it every year, it gets better," Ald. Rodriguez-Sanchez said.
Her office is focused on community outreach, including to her ward's large Latino immigrant population.
"They should be able to have a say as much as anybody else," she added.
The process is helping people feel more at home in their community, by giving them a voice in its future.
