The City Council of New York passionately argued before the state Supreme Court that non-citizens should be allowed to vote in local elections. They were appealing a lower court’s decision to strike down a city law allowing green card holders to vote in municipal contests.
I sure am glad @GregAbbott_TX got all of those early voters to NY just in time for the 2024 election.
JUST IN: New York City Council Asks State Supreme Court to Allow Non-Citizens to Vote in Local Electionshttps://t.co/euQLct6G1m
— Shadygrooove (@shadygrooove) March 26, 2024
One of the plaintiffs was Staten Island President Vito Fossella, who said to the New York Post: “In plain English, the New York state constitution says only citizens have a right to vote in these elections.”
City Council spokesman Rendy Desamours told the New York Post, “Empowering New Yorkers to participate in our local democratic process can only strengthen New York City by increasing civic engagement.”
Many find it adding insult to injury when a city that has taken in over 200,000 illegal immigrants should allow non-citizens to vote. Mayor Eric Adams (D) favors allowing non-citizens to vote, though he has been vocal in stating that the migrant crisis is destroying the Big Apple.
The law in question was passed in 2021 during Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s term and affects about 800,000 legal immigrants. It allows green card holders to vote only in New York City elections, not state or federal contests.
New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R) — who emigrated from Ukraine — said that the bill is a “slap in the face” to those who have been through the proper legal process to earn citizenship.
In a somewhat amusing case of “What’s a liberal to do?” Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (D) found herself allied with the GOP in opposition to the law. She protested that immigrants from China and Mexico would dilute the Black vote. “I want to know specifically how it is going to affect African American communities,” she said during the debate on the original bill.
While this dispute involves legal non-citizens, the argument for illegal immigrants to be granted the ballot box is not far behind. Illegal migrants already receive many benefits including free education, health care, lodging in expensive hotels and debit cards with sizable balances.
The voting trend for non-citizens is nationwide in blue cities. Boston’s city council approved a similar measure in December. San Francisco even appointed a Hong Kong national to serve on their election board. Fourteen cities in the United States allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.
Many wonder what is to become of American culture and tradition if the melting pot becomes a vanishing potion.
