Non-Citizen Voters In NYC Are More Reason To Worry About Elections

Non-citizens' voting rights in municipal elections raise questions about how the city will stop them from voting for federal and state officials.

The light of reason can sometimes be seen, albeit faintly, even in the deepest blue areas of the United States. The New York City Council debated and then passed a law last week granting non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections.

One of the members, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, D-Brooklyn, said the bill, which will go into effect in 2023, would not “amplify” the voices of her largely African-American constituents. Their voting power would obviously be diluted as immigrants from, as she noted, the Dominican Republic, China, and Mexico could overwhelm the votes of the black community. “This particular legislation is going to shift the power dynamics in New York City in a major way,” Cumbo asserted.

Cumbo voted “no,” but hers was an outlier voice in a chamber where currently 48 out of the 51 members are Democrats and which voted 33-14 with 2 abstentions to pass the legislation.

The significance of New York City opening voting to non-citizens who have attained legal residence and can prove they have lived there for at least 30 days goes beyond its potential for altering the ethnic composition of the City Council.