NYC Coun­cil makes new push for nonci­t­i­zens to be able to vote with appeal

The New York City Coun­cil filed an appeal to the state’s high­est court Mon­day, ask­ing them to rein­state a law the coun­cil passed that grant­ed nonci­t­i­zens the right to vote in city elec­tions. 
In 2021, the coun­cil passed a law that would have allowed 800,000 nonci­t­i­zens with green cards or work autho­riza­tions the right to vote in munic­i­pal elec­tions. How­ev­er, last month, the Appel­late Divi­sion for the Sec­ond Judi­cial Depart­ment ruled 3–1 that the law, which had yet to take effect, was uncon­sti­tu­tion­al. 
The coun­cil argued that because nonci­t­i­zens pay tax­es and “con­tribute to our com­mu­ni­ties,” they should be able to par­tic­i­pate in local elec­tions.
“Empow­er­ing New York­ers to par­tic­i­pate in our local demo­c­ra­t­ic process can only strength­en New York City by increas­ing civi …