A new law in NYC authorizes non-citizens to vote. After Mayor Eric Adams allowed legislation to become law on Sunday. More than 800,000 noncitizens in New York City will have access to the ballot box. And could vote in municipal elections as early as next year.
Opponents have pledged to challenge the new law, which was ratified by the City Council a month ago. Unless a judge intervenes, New York City will be the first major city in the United States to grant extensive municipal voting rights to non-citizens. More than a dozen neighborhoods in the United States already authorize non-citizens to vote in local elections including 11 towns in Maryland and two in Vermont.
Non-citizens would still be incapable of voting in federal elections for president or members of Congress, as well as in-state elections for governor, judges, and legislators. The Board of Elections must now formulate an enactment plan by July, including voter registration rules and provisions to create separate ballots for municipal races to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal and state elections.
The first elections in which non-citizens will be eligible to vote will take place in 2023
It’s an exemplary moment for the nation’s most populous city. Where lawfully recorded voting-age non-citizens account for nearly one-fifth of the city’s 7 million voting-age residents. After multiple setbacks, the non-citizen voting rights movement triumphed. Non-citizens who have been legitimate stable residents of the city for at least 30 days, as well as those authorized to work in the United States, including “Dreamers,” would be permitted to vote for the mayor, city council members, comptroller, and public advocate.
The first elections in which non-citizens will be eligible to vote will take place in 2023. “We build a stronger democracy when we include the voices of immigrants,” said former City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez. Ydanis led the charge to win approval for the legislation. “I believe that New Yorkers should have a say in their government. This is why I have and will continue to support this important legislation,” Adams said in a statement released Saturday night. He went on to say that his earlier concerns had been ameliorated by what he called “productive dialogue” with colleagues.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio conveyed identical reservations. But did not pursue to veto the bill before leaving City Hall at the end of the year. Opponents argue that the committee lacks the permission to bestow voting rights to non-citizens on its own and should have sought action from state lawmakers first.