New York City Council Begs Court to Authorize Voting Rights for 800,000 Foreign Nationals
by John Binder
The New York City Council is begging an appellate court to authorize more than 800,000 foreign nationals to vote in the city’s municipal elections.
In January 2022, Democrats on the 51-member New York City Council approved an ordinance to give more than 800,000 foreign nationals with green cards, visas, and work permits the opportunity to vote in citywide elections so long as they have resided in the city for at least 30 consecutive days.
Following lawsuits over the ordinance, the New York Supreme Court in June 2022 ruled that giving local voting rights to foreign nationals violated the state’s constitution, which explicitly reserves voting for American “citizens.”
In February, that ruling was upheld by the New York Appellate Division.
On Tuesday, New York City Council spokesperson Rendy Desamour announced that councilmembers are pleading with the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York to override both rulings and allow the council to start implementing the ordinance.
“Today’s filing to appeal the Second Department’s recent decision seeks a determination from the state’s highest court that the law is consistent with the state constitution, election law, and the municipal home rule law,” Desamour said: