NYC Council Seeks Non-Citizen Voting

Members of the New York City Council sought court approval to allow for non-American citizens to vote in local elections. The council requested that an appellate court allow 800,000 foreign nationals to vote in the city’s municipal elections.

The measure comes two years after the city council approved a measure seeking to allow non-U.S. citizens with green cards, visas and work permits to vote in the city’s elections after living there for at least 30 days.

Despite the measure’s passage in January 2022, it was struck down by the New York Supreme Court, which ruled that allowing non-citizens to vote violated the state constitution.

New York City Council spokesperson Rendy Desamour said this week that it sought a new ruling from the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, stating that “Empowering New Yorkers to participate in our local democratic process can only strengthen New York City by increasing civic engagement. We look forward to the Court of Appeals’ consideration of the Council’s appeal.”

More than seven million illegal immigrants are believed to have entered the country since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, including an estimated three million in 2023.

In particular, New York has struggled under the weight of the current migrant wave. The Big Apple has taken in almost 200,000 migrants in the last two years.

The city has housed illegal immigrants in a variety of ways, including in New York hotels and a tent city. New York has also started to bus migrants out of the city and into surrounding counties in the state.

New York is also facing a significant budget deficit due to the influx of migrants. The city’s government has announced a series of budget cuts to help cover the costs. Despite this, the city also plans to distribute pre-paid cards to migrants.

The program is expected to cost $53 million amid concerns about ballooning costs of the migrants already in the city.

Democrats in New York are going to spend 53 million giving out debit cards to border jumpers. Go "F" yourself citizen. https://t.co/lOW66VM6rq

— Andrew Wilkow (@WilkowMajority) March 27, 2024

The city awarded the contract to a New Jersey company without a bidding process. A family with two parents and children under the age of five will receive about $350 per week under the program.