'We stand ready to fight' — Appellate Court hears arguments over NYC noncitizen voting law
A Vote Here Vote Aqui voting sign in English, Spanish and Chinese taped to a building with a polling site in New York City.
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Jun 23, 2023
Supporters of a year-old law aimed at expanding voting rights to nearly a million immigrants in New York City took their case to the Appellate Court in Brooklyn Friday, seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that barred the law from taking effect.
At issue is Local Law 11, which is known by advocates as “Our City, Our Vote” and would allow non-U.S. citizens who have work permits or are legal permanent residents or green card holders to vote in elections for city offices. That includes the elections for the City Council or for the offices of borough president, city comptroller, public advocate and mayor.
The law passed the City Council in December 2021, and was enacted shortly after Mayor Eric Adams took office in January 2022. The very next day, a group of Republican lawmakers led by Staten Island Borough President Vito Fosella filed a lawsuit in state court in Richmond County calling the law unconstitutional.
In that case, Justice Ralph Porzio sided with the plaintiffs, ruling that the city’s law violated the language of the state constitution, which refers to voting rights in the context of “citizens.” He also ruled the law violated state election law and the state municipal home rule law, agreeing with the plaintiffs' argument that the new influx of municipal voters would dilute the weight of voters who are citizens.
https://gothamist.com/news/we-stand-ready-to-fight-appellate-court-hears-arguments-over-nyc-noncitizen-voting-law
