PORTLAND — The League of Young Voters turned in 5,600 signatures Tuesday, meeting the threshold for putting a legal resident voting rights amendment on the ballot in November, according to the City Clerk’s office.

With thousands of legal immigrants living in Portland, the proposed charter amendment would allow immigrants to vote in municipal elections with proof of identity, age, residency and legal status. It takes a minimum of three to five years for these non-citizen legal immigrants to begin the citizen application process, during which time they are expected to pay taxes and are currently not permitted to vote.

“The principal of our petition is that same that founders of this country believed—‘no taxation without representation,’” said Mohammed Dini, an original member of the petitioner’s committee and a Somali immigrant who has become a U.S. citizen.

If approved by residents in November, the amendment will allow legal immigrants to vote during city-wide elections, not state or federal voting. The amendment will not allow illegal immigrants to vote, nor will it open the door for legal immigrants that are not yet citizens the right to run for local office.

The League of Young Voters launched this local ballot initiative in March after the City Charter Commission declined to tackle the issue by a 7 to 5 vote. The league exceeded the 4,487 signatures required by Aug. 9 to qualify the charter amendment for November’s ballot.

“In November, Portland voters will get the chance to give every legal resident of our community a voice,” Maine State Director of the League of Young Voters Will Everitt said.  “Democracy is about a diversity of ideas, opinions, and backgrounds.  This amendment to our city’s constitution will allow everyone that is living legally and paying taxes in Portland to have a say in our community.”

The petition was a grassroots campaign effort and circulated by 40 volunteers since it launched March 22. Maine Peoples Alliance, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, and the Portland Green Independent Party helped provide support and volunteers to the campaign.

“Today we’re one step closer towards making our local government more open, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our city’s residents,” said Jenna Vendil, a member of both the Portland School Committee and the petitioner’s committee. “Including all legal residents in our elections will foster civic participation and community engagement on crucial issues, such as quality public education.”

“Democracy would be well served in Portland to extend the voting franchise to a larger base of our community,” said Anna Trevorrow, a Charter Commissioner who voted to extend the franchise to residents that are legal immigrants.