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New York City grants voting rights to noncitizens

New York City grants voting rights to noncitizens, Transatlantic Today

After Mayor Eric Adams permitted legislation to officially become law on Sunday, more than 800,000 noncitizens and “Dreamers” in New York City will have access to the voting booth – and might vote in municipal elections as soon as next year.

Opponents have promised to sue over the new law, which was approved by the City Council a month ago. New York Metropolis will become the first major U.S. city to provide sweeping municipal voting rights to noncitizens unless a judge intervenes.

The Board of Elections now has until July to draft an implementation plan, which must include voter registration procedures and measures that would establish separate ballots for local elections to prevent non-citizens from voting in federal and state elections.

It’s a landmark moment for the nation’s most populated metropolis, according to NBC News, where legally registered, voting-age noncitizens account for about one-fifth of the city’s 7 million voting-age residents. After repeated setbacks, the noncitizen voting rights movement triumphed.

Non-citizens who have lived in the city for at least 30 days, as well as those authorized to work in the United States, such as “Dreamers,” would be able to vote for the mayor, council members, borough presidents, comptroller, and public advocate.

Non-citizens will be permitted to vote in the first elections in 2023.

Former City Council member Ydanis Rodriguez, who spearheaded the bill’s passage, remarked,  “We build a stronger democracy when we include the voices of immigrants.”

Rodriguez, who was appointed by Adams as his transportation commissioner, praised the mayor for his support and said he anticipates a strong legal defense if he is prosecuted.

While it was unclear whether Adams would be able to prevent the bill from becoming law, the mayor’s 30-day deadline for action passed at midnight.

Adams predicted that the law will draw millions more people into the democratic system.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had strong concerns but did not seek to veto the bill before leaving office at the end of the year.

Opponents argue that the committee lacks the jurisdiction to grant noncitizens voting rights on its own and that the state legislature should have been consulted first.

Some states, such as Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida, have passed measures that would prevent laws such as the one in New York City from being passed.

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