New York City Council Begs Court to Authorize Voting Rights for 800,000 Foreign Nationals

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 {snip}

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 {snip}

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Empowering New Yorkers to participate in our local democratic process can only strengthen New York City by increasing civic engagement. {snip}

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