NYC set to approve bill allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections

Описание: New York City, long a beacon for immigrants, is on the cusp of becoming the largest places in the country to give noncitizens the right to vote in local elections.

Some 800,000 legal, permanent residents who live, work and even pay taxes in New York City, currently don't have a say in the democratic process.

But on Thursday, Dec. 9, the City Council plans to change that by approving the "Our City, Our Vote" bill, allowing noncitizen legal residents who have lived in New York for at least one month to vote in city elections.

Those allowed to vote in local elections would include Green Card holders, those authorized to work in the U.S. and "Dreamers."

These New Yorkers would now have a say in electing the city's mayor, council members, borough presidents, comptroller and public advocate.

Little stands in the way of the effort becoming law. The measure has broad support within the City Council, which is expected to ratify the proposal Thursday. Mayor Bill de Blasio has raised concerns about the wisdom and legality of the legislation, but said he won't veto it.

If passed, the city would create a separate voter registration form for legal permanent residents and give them specific ballots that only list New York City elections and do not include federal or state races.

More than a dozen communities across the United States currently allow noncitizens to vote, including 11 towns in Maryland and two in Vermont.

San Francisco, through a ballot initiative ratified by voters in 2016, began allowing noncitizens to vote in school board elections — which was also true in New York City until it abolished its boards in 2002 and gave control of schools to the mayor.