The swelling numbers of migrants entering the US have ignited a fiery debate on the topic of noncitizen voting rights.
Recent figures highlight a striking 21% hike in illegal border crossings over the past month, taking the annual total to a remarkable 2.48 million individuals.
At the center of this unfolding debate is the push by Democrats in places like New York City, Boston, and the state of Connecticut to grant noncitizens the right to vote in local, and possibly statewide elections.
Supporters argue it’s a step towards inclusivity, while detractors see it as a tactic to secure Democratic majorities.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is a key player in this ongoing debate.
Despite his earlier warnings that the monthly wave of 16,000 to 17,000 migrants “will destroy New York City,” Adams is now leading a legal charge to allow these migrants to vote.
Under the “Our City, Our Vote” law, penned in December 2021, anyone with a work authorization who has lived in the city for just 30 days, even those who entered the US illegally, can cast a vote.
This new law coincides with President Joe Biden’s recent efforts to speed up work authorizations for Venezuelan migrants, who make up about 41% of New York City’s latest arrivals.
These combined actions could soon enable tens of thousands of noncitizens to vote, if New York’s voting law survives the ongoing legal tussles.
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The opposition, led by Republicans like Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, argue that the state constitution restricts voting rights to citizens.
Although a Staten Island judge agreed with this perspective, an appeal by Adams’ law department is in progress.
Similar debates are simmering across the country.
In Vermont, the top court supported noncitizen voting rights in municipal elections, despite the state constitution’s citizenship requirement for statewide elections.
Both California and Maryland have already given the green light to local regions to extend voting rights to noncitizens.
In Boston, the City Council is pondering over noncitizen voting rights, and Washington, D.C., passed a law in November 2022, allowing noncitizens, including foreign embassy staff, to vote after 30 days of residence in the city.
Connecticut is also wrestling with a proposal to amend its constitution to permit noncitizen voting in local and state elections.
This proposal, spearheaded by Democrats, faces firm opposition from Republicans, with House Minority Leader Rep. Vincent Candelora labeling the initiative as “outrageous.”
The potential effects of such policies are broad and deep. In New York City, the possible addition of about 800,000 noncitizens to the current roster of 5 million registered voters could notably shift the political scales.
Nora Moran of United Neighborhood Houses predicts that noncitizen voting will make political leaders “more responsive” to the newcomers and their communities.
However, this comes with a financial pinch, as city spending on migrant services already overshadows the budgets of several major city departments combined.
Mayor Adams, who warned that the city was “past our breaking point” just two months ago, now finds himself at a crucial juncture: to continue supporting noncitizen voting rights or to heed calls to pull back the legal appeal backing the “Our City, Our Vote” law.
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