New York Appeals Court Blocks NYC Noncitizen Voting Law, Siding with Republicans

New York’s highest court on Thursday blocked a New York City law that would have allowed noncitizens to vote in municipal elections, upholding lower court rulings that sided with Republicans who challenged the measure.

In January 2022, New York City became the first major city in the nation to grant municipal voting rights to noncitizens after the the City Council passed the law in late 2021. The measure, however, was never fully implemented due to a legal challenge led by Republicans. If the challenge failed, more than 800,000 green card holders would have been allowed to vote in local elections, such as mayoral races.