Will NYC Expand Voting Rights To Some Immigrants?
New York City lawmakers are considering a bill that would give legal permanent residents the right to register to vote in municipal elections only, for offices like mayor and city council. Supporters note it would apply to individuals who pay their taxes and should have a say in how that money is spent. A broad coalition of advocacy groups and a majority of the Council support the measure. Opponents, including Mayor de Blasio, question whether the city can legally make this change and argue people should become citizens first, a process that can take up to eight years and cost nearly a thousand dollars. If enacted, New York wouldn't be the first location to extend voting rights to noncitizens, but it would be the largest.
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