NY Supreme Court Rules Against Noncitizens Voting Bill

Monday, a State Supreme Court Justice for New York ruled that a state bill allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections violated the New York State Constitution.

The state bill, passed by the New York City Council in December (but not set to go into effect until Jan. next year), allowed more than 800,000 green card holders or legal permanent residents (LPRs) to vote for offices such as NYC Mayor and City Council.

However, N.Y. Justice Ralph J. Porzio ruled today that “the new law conflicted with constitutional guidelines that only eligible citizens can vote. To give noncitizens the right to vote would require a referendum, the judge wrote,” reports The New York Times.

Because the law was not in effect until January 2023, the SCONY ruling will not impact tomorrow’s state primaries in New York.

The New York Times concludes:

“Today’s decision validates those of us who can read the plain English words of our State Constitution and State statutes,” said Joseph Borelli, a Republican councilman from Staten Island who was one of the plaintiffs. “Noncitizen voting in New York is illegal.”

City officials are “evaluating next steps,” said Fabien Levy, a spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams. Mr. Adams initially strongly supported the legislation but did not sign it into law when he became mayor; his inaction allowed the bill to automatically become law.

You can read the full article at The New York Times.