The ACT Greens want to extend voting rights to non-citizens who are permanent residents along with continuing a push to lower the voting age to 16.
The party announced they would take the expansion of voting to October's territory election.
The Greens unsuccessfully attempted to bring forward a bill to lower the voting age this term but this did not include permanent residents.
Andrew Braddock, the Greens' spokesman on democracy and member for Yerrabi, said there were many Canberrans who were directly affected by the decisions of their elected representatives who are currently unable to vote at ACT elections.
"They are residents here in our city of Canberra, they pay their taxes, they access government services such as schools, education and transport," he said.
"Surely they should have a say in how their cities are run and the future of our city because the decisions we, as elected representatives, make on their behalf will impact that."
The Greens' proposal would only apply to ACT elections.
University of Canberra legal scholar and citizenship expert Kim Rubenstein said there was nothing in the constitution to prevent expanding voting rights.
She said there were many precedents around the world of non-citizens having the right to vote, including some local councils in Australia allowing non-resident ratepayers to vote.
"There is a very strong political argument to say that if you're living and being governed by the laws you should have a right to vote on them ... no taxation without representation," she said.
"There's nothing really to prevent expanding as long as you don't take away from some of the principles.
"There's nothing in the constitution that directly protects the right to vote anyway but the courts have developed principles in relation to those concepts."
University of Adelaide senior lecturer in political theory Tiziana Torresi has argued for voting to be expanded as part of her work. She said representation was a key principle in democracy and allowing permanent residents would allow greater representation.
"[Non-citizens] are part of the community, they contribute, they pay taxes and they do all the things citizens do," she said.
"There is no reason in a good democracy why we would exclude them."
New Zealand allows permanent residents to vote if they have lived in the country continuously for more than a year.
Greens candidate for Yerrabi Soelily Consen-Lynch, who migrated to Australia in 2013, said she would have liked the opportunity to vote in elections before she became a citizen in 2019.
"Having the opportunity to vote in ACT elections would give permanent residents a sense of belonging in our community and allow them to feel heard and respected," she said.
"I knew I wanted to make Canberra my home, but initially I wasn't able to have a say in the future direction of my new home.
"As working, tax-paying members of our community this initiative will mean so much to many permanent residents who call Canberra home, giving them a voice in local government."
The Greens' attempt to lower the voting age was voted down after Labor said it would unfairly penalise young people and undermine the principle of compulsory voting.
Special Minister of State Chris Steel said Labor had "deeply considered" lowering the voting age but the party could not agree with the bill put forward by the ACT Greens.
