This is a crucial moment in our democracy, where we need to be vigilant about preserving the sanctity of our voting rights. The city of New York had been on a path to extend these sacred rights to non-citizens, even while maintaining its status as a Sanctuary City and considering distributing thousands of dollars in debit cards to illegal immigrants.
An Appeals court in New York, however, has risen up against this plan. They have ruled that the law allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections is unconstitutional and thus void. Appellate Judge Paul Wooten stated with conviction in the 3-1 majority ruling that this local law violated both the New York State Constitution and Municipal Home Rule Law.
This controversial law was passed back in 2021 under mayor Eric Adams’ administration, with an aim to grant almost 800,000 non-citizens within the city an opportunity to cast their votes in local elections. However, it faced resistance from a lower New York court in 2022 and was struck down.
It’s worth noting that Republican Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, one of the people who challenged this law in court, expressed his relief at its nullification. He said during these turbulent times when nearly 200,000 migrants have flooded our city streets causing disruptions and attacking our police officers, they’ve worked tirelessly to protect our voting laws designed for United States citizens. He emphasized his pride by saying “Democracy always wins.”
Agreeing with Tannousis’ point of view is New York congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R.). She described voting as a sacred right exclusively for United States citizens and condemned left-wing lawmakers for pushing these unconstitutional and reckless measures that diminish the voices of American citizens.
On the other side of the country, in San Francisco a Chinese immigrant who is not yet a citizen has been placed on their Elections Commission. Kelly Wong, an immigration rights activist from Hong Kong who arrived in the US in 2019, affirmed her commitment to ensuring everyone, irrespective of their immigration status, should have a say in shaping the future of their city.
Regardless of our political beliefs or our stance on immigration, it’s critical that we uphold our democratic values and ensure that voting remains a privilege for United States citizens alone. It’s what defines us as a nation and it’s something we should fight to preserve.