New York City considers allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections

On December 9, New York City will decide whether to permit thousands of non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.

The “Our City, Our Vote” bill aims to amend the city’s charter by including a chapter to allow green card holders, those with work authorization, and refugees to register to vote in city elections.

The bill, which will be voted on by the New York City Council, would allow around 808,000 non-citizens to vote for municipal elections. If passed, New York City will be the largest city in the country to allow non-citizens to vote for mayors, council members, comptrollers and other local elected officials.

To be eligible to vote, resident aliens must have lived in the city 30 days before the election.

"Nothing in this chapter shall be construed so as to confer upon municipal voters the right to vote for any state or federal office or on any state or federal ballot question," the bill says.

The measure is supported by the soon-to-be New York Mayor Eric Adams, who talked about the concept while he was campaigning earlier this year.

"We cannot be a beacon to the world and continue to attract the global talent, energy and, entrepreneurship that has allowed our city to thrive for centuries if we do not give immigrants a vote in how this city is run and what our priorities are for the future," Adams said in February.

While Adams supports the measure, the Big Apple’s current Mayor, Bill de Blasio, said he has “mixed feelings” about the proposal and questioned the legality of the bill.

Currently, only 14 municipalities allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, one in California, two in Vermont, and 11 in Maryland.