NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of New York City immigrants could get the right to vote in local elections under a proposal before lawmakers.
A City Council hearing is set Thursday on a plan to allow people who are in the country legally, but aren’t citizens, to vote. Advocates estimate that could be more than 800,000 people.
Many U.S. states once let non-citizens vote, though policies changed by the 1930s. Some Maryland cities now allow it, and the idea has been floated in New York’s City Council for years.
Supporters say immigrants who pay taxes deserve to decide who spends them. Opponents say voting should be reserved for citizens.
New York state election law prohibits immigrants from voting. But supporters argue the city has the right to set its own policies for local elections.
Source: Associated Press
