New York City’s electorate is about to get a whole lot bigger.
The City Council has reached a deal to pass a bill next month that will give nearly 1 million immigrant New Yorkers the right to vote in local elections.
The bill, crafted by Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, will extend voting rights to those who have permanent legal resident status, most of whom are green cardholders.
Rodriguez, a Democrat whose district includes Washington Heights, said Wednesday he reached an agreement this week with Council Speaker Corey Johnson to bring the bill to a vote on Dec. 9. The measure already has the support of a veto-proof majority of the Council, Rodriguez noted, making it a surefire success.
“I think it’s an important gift for our brother and sister New Yorkers during this holiday to let them know we’re giving them the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Rodriguez, a native of the Dominican Republic who himself held a green card for nearly two decades before becoming a citizen in 2000. “The message we’re sending is that we recognize their contributions”
There are about 808,000 immigrants with permanent legal status in the five boroughs, according to Mayor de Blasio’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Under Rodriguez’s bill, they will be allowed to vote for mayor, comptroller, Council and other city-level positions. The legislation does not extend the right to vote for federal or state offices including the U.S. president, a member of U.S. Congress and governor.
Immigration advocates have long called for affording voting rights to green card holders, arguing that they contribute to society in the same way citizens do, including by paying both federal and local taxes.
“We are ready to make history and expand our democracy! #OurCityOurVote will become a reality,” tweeted Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “I can’t express my deep admiration and gratitude.”
Some skepticism remains over whether Rodriguez’s bill can withstand legal scrutiny without an amendment to the state Constitution.
Among the skeptics is de Blasio, who said Tuesday that he remains concerned about the legality of the bill.
Still, de Blasio voiced support for the measure and confirmed he won’t stand in the way of it once passed by the Council.
“I do have reservations, but obviously I want to see exactly what they’re doing,” de Blasio told reporters, adding that he “certainly” won’t veto the bill despite remaining on the fence about whether it’s “the right way to go about this.”
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Disgusting pigs! This is America at it’s finest? Just wait until the dems are overtaken by illegals and those in power have everything taken from them like they are doing to us.
WHAT PART OF “VOTING IS A RIGHT limited to american citizens”, do these traitors NOT understand!?!??!!?
voting is a right wwe as Citizens should not take lightly those in power are trying to take away what we have. i cannot go anywhere else whther it be another country or state or city to vote. let all become citizens and then vote. th debacle they are creating is the downfall of our country,city or state. don’t care if they are working here legally or not. it is a priviege of being a citizen how can we hve a country,city or whatever if every other comes here to possibly do wrong just for the he** of it. you never know. the peron allowing this should be shot
I FULLY agree with all you said, EXCEPT the part of “LET THEM ALL BECOME citizens”..
IF they have been here 20 years+ as many of these folk already have, AND THEY HAvE NOT gotten off their lazy butts to BECOME citizens, WHY SHOULD WE make them citizens?!
IF they are not willing to EARN IT, do not just give it to them.
How great to get permanently elected by illegal aliens. The communist Democrats are nothing but “illegal aliens” to our Constitution. as they have destroyed our Constitution.
AND you can bet, once they get this passed, they will THEN SAY “The next logical step is TO allow illegal aliens to vote”..
No, I think the next step will be to allow them to vote in federal elections.
Dove, if you read the article, since most EVERYWHERE Bundles federal and state ballots IN WITH LOCAL BALLOTS, they technically would already BE VOTING federally.
COMMENTidiot started this someone who is starting a trend to take down our democracy. HEIL! to an “ism” communism.nazism,marxism,rascism,etc Wake upthe truncoats in office are starting again
You raise a good point, Ituser.
Now there is solid proof of why the treasonous Democrat party is encouraging, supporting, protecting and transporting Millions of illegal immigrates into the U.S..
Why don’t the treasonous Democrat Party allow all of Mexico and South America to vote in the U.S. elections??
Why don’t the treasonous Democrat Party allow, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea to make our laws too.
With the way they have allowed foreigners to HACK OUR system, who knows, maybe they already are!
If stealing elections isn’t workable, then they will resort to Plan B—they will stack ’em.
First it’s the local elections, then when the State, Local and federal elections are all conveniently held at the same time, the illiterate Democrats will end up asking forgiveness for their stolen elections rather than permission. This one is better than not demanding a valid ID. for harvesting illegal votes. Just one more opportunity for computer fraud, more massive mail-in votes, doctored documents, confused recounts, followed by angry protests by paid foreign 5th columnists, These Democrats seek to hide their stolen elections in massive uncontrollable election confusion like they pass their hidden agendas in massive Congressional Unconstitutional 3000 page bills. Just keep it simple, no ID, no citizenship, no voting. The more complex the voting, the more mischief they can create and get away with. Elections are not supposed to be like rocket science or brain surgery to honestly complete.
THEY WON’T even ask for ‘forgiveness’ after the fact.. THEY WILL just claim you whining about illegals voting, is “BIGOTED RACISM!”
Green card holders are not the same as illegal aliens. Never the less, they should not vote in our elections until they achieve full citizenship.
The dirty little secret is that illegal aliens have been voting in our elections for the last decade. 2 million of them voted for hillary in 2016 in california alone. Why do you think democraps fight voter ID and proof of citizenship so hard?
Agreed. IF THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN US Citizenship, i don’t care if they have lived and worked here LEGALLY FOR 50 years.
NO VOTE!!
Allowing non-citizens to vote in our elections is the beginning of the end of our constitutional republic. The left wing liberal democrats have been trying for decades to eliminate our constitutional rights, now they seem to have found that way. I won’t see the end because I’m old but I do feel sorry for my great grand children because what they will be living in will no longer be the United States of America. I fought in two wars and this is what we end up with? What a sad ending for this once great country.
I just wonder, WHERE ARE THE GOP in suing THIS for being unconstitutional!!!
I’m in the same situation (84 years old, disabled vet), and I couldn’t agree more.
Because of crapolium like this, i wonder, DID I DO WRONG, in serving IN our nations military…. Because it certainly SEEMS LIKE were too concerned with fighting enemies OUTSIDE OUR nation, all the while, ENEMIES INSIDE WERE TAKING IT OVER..
They’ll be happy to take everything we allow them to.
They are happy to TAKE IT, till we get off our butts, and STOP THEM.
I wholeheartedly agree with all these comments. The Founding Fathers must be spinning in their graves, along with all those who gave their lives in service to this country.
why are we a country no borders, anyone can walk in and now vote,too! something wrong with this. the ons trying to take us down should be hung ! let them go elsewhere and see how things are
No ID laws means illegals can vote ,so can felons !! You know democrat voters.
WHY do you think dems, for 3+ decades, have been TOTALLLY AND UTTERLY AGAINST any and all voter ID laws.. BECAUSE THEY KNEW if they get passed, THEIR VOTING BASE would be hamstrung from voting!