Immigrants in New York will be allowed to vote in local elections

New York City will become the largest municipality in the country in December to allow legal immigrants to vote in local elections. At the moment, the bill enjoys the necessary support and the situation is unlikely to change before the vote. The New York Times.

New York lawmakers are willing to allow over 800 New Yorkers to hold green card or who are legally entitled to work in the United States, participate in municipal elections and local electoral initiatives. If the bill known as "Our city is our vote" (“Our City, Our Vote,”New York will become the largest municipality in the country to allow immigrants to vote in local elections.

The bill is expected to be approved by the city council on December 9, with the number of MPs supporting it so high that it is likely to receive protection from a veto.

The bill was introduced back in 2019, and despite the support of 34 of the 51 city councilors (enough to defend against a veto), it still hasn't gone further. Jurisdiction concerns were the reason. Mayor de Blasio said the change "must be enacted at the state level, in accordance with state law," and admitted that he had "mixed feelings" about the bill. He fears that allowing non-citizens to vote could deprive people of the incentive to become full US citizens.

Such a law was already in force in the United States.

Once upon a time, non-citizens already had the right to vote in the United States, but these provisions were repealed at the turn of the XNUMXth century. Then more immigrants arrived in the country and the mood of the residents changed.

Until school boards were dissolved nearly two decades ago, New York City was one of the places where non-citizens were allowed to vote in school board elections. This right still exists in San Francisco. Several cities in Maryland and Vermont also grant non-citizens the right to vote in some municipal elections.

Who will get the right to vote in New York

Approximately 808 adult New Yorkers are legal immigrants (green card holders or people with work permits), and they will be given the right to vote in municipal elections after the new law is passed. About 000 of them are from the Dominican Republic. Immigrants from China represent an additional 130, according to the City Hall's Immigrant Affairs Administration. To be eligible to vote, an immigrant must be a New Yorker for at least 000 days and meet the age and other voting criteria set out in state law.

On the subject: New York City will soon enter into force with a new law that will greatly affect the daily life of city dwellers.

If passed, the New York City Board of Elections will issue a separate voter registration form to the following individuals:

• holders of green cards
• other residents who are eligible to work in the United States.

At the polling stations, these voters will fill out only the New York local election ballot.

Pay taxes but cannot vote

Supporters of the bill argue that it is important for New York to expand municipal voting rights, given the large percentage of the city's residents who do not have US citizenship. Residents live in the country legally and pay taxes, but do not have citizenship, and therefore cannot vote and influence the distribution of local elected offices.

At the same time, holders of green cards face serious obstacles on the way to citizenship. Among them: high fees and long processing times. The adoption of the bill will simplify the situation and make it fairer.