On Noncitizen Voting, New York City Blazes Another Trail
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by Maya, Wiley,
Most people don’t know it, but there’s a long history in this country of noncitizen voting. Even the Confederacy embraced it.
Noncitizen voting is not new, but it is a new frontier in the fight for democracy. Spurred by advocates, a progressive City Council in New York City passed a law to allow green card holders and immigrants with work authorization to vote in the city’s elections. That means New Yorkers who are living and working with permission of the federal government can vote for the three citywide offices—the mayor, comptroller, and public advocate—as well as their City Council member. Republicans in New York have now filed a lawsuit demanding that the law be struck down under the New York State Constitution, while conservatives nationwide are sounding the alarm.
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