New York City Council is preparing to allow almost a million non-citizens to vote in local elections. How is this supposed to work in federal election years? Separate ballots for local and national elections?
A cynical person might think that this is just a first step to ultimately allowing all illegal immigrants to vote in all elections.
The New York Times reports:
New York Moves to Allow 800,000 Noncitizens to Vote in Local ElectionsFor decades, lawmakers and immigrant advocates in New York City have pushed for legislation that would allow legal residents who are not citizens to vote in municipal elections, a right they had in school board elections until the boards were abolished in the early 2000s.Now city lawmakers are moving to make noncitizen voting a reality — over the objections of Mayor Bill de Blasio.The City Council is planning to approve a bill that would allow more than 800,000 noncitizen New Yorkers to register as members of political parties and vote in municipal elections, provided they are green card holders or have the right to work in the United States.The measure is expected to be approved on Dec. 9 by a veto-proof margin. It would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, and would not apply to federal or state contests. But the measure raises longstanding questions about who should be allowed to participate in the country’s democratic process.
A single Republican on the council, who represents Staten Island, opposes the measure, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, if you can believe it:
Mr. de Blasio, speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, said he would not veto the legislation. But he expressed concern that the bill would undermine the “value of citizenship” if it dissuaded residents from seeking it. Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, also said he believes only the State Legislature can grant noncitizens the right to vote — a view many experts dispute.A leading opponent, Joseph Borelli, a Republican councilman who represents Staten Island, went further, saying the bill would “weaken” citizens’ votes.“Someone who has lived here for 30 days will have a say in how we raise our taxes, our debt and long-term pension liabilities,” he said. “These are things people who are temporary residents should not have a say in.”
Borelli recently appeared on Newsmax to discuss his opposition. He suggests that once this is in place in New York, other cities and eventually state legislatures will be pressured into passing similar measures:
Isn’t it obvious what’s really going on here?
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