Local Suffrage Increases non-EU Citizenship Acquisition: Evidence from the European Union

How does local non-citizen enfranchisement affect citizenship? Although some contend suffrage reduces naturalization by removing a key benefit of citizenship, I posit that early suffrage encourages rather than deters naturalization. I test this theory in a quantitative case study and multiple cross-national analyses within the European Union. First, I exploit origin-specific variation in access to Spain’s 2011 municipal elections to estimate the effect of non-EU suffrage on naturalization. Next, I explore this relationship beyond Spain, using bilateral OECD naturalization figures among 21 EU destinations and 131 non-EU origins between 2007 and 2014. Across each analysis, I find local voting rights increase formal membership. I further reveal these patterns are not present for other forms of immigrant political rights and are associated with increased immigrant identification with one's state. Together, these findings challenge cost-benefit approaches to national membership, revealing local suffrage reinforces rather than degrades citizenship.