Talking Points Archive

The legislation will restore the rights of all documented residents to vote in municipal elections. With 34 co-sponsors, the bill has a veto-proof majority in the City Council.

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Voting is central to the principles of equality and freedom that define a democracy. We must restore the right to vote for all New Yorkers, because when all residents are able to participate in making decisions that affect their daily lives, democracy is better served, and everyone benefits.

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Not letting taxpaying residents participate in decision-making at the local level amounts to taxation without representation, and it has no place in our democracy.

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Not only do noncitizen residents pay billions in state income taxes, we are responsible for $229 billion in economic output in New York State: that’s over one-fifth of the state’s total GDP. We live here, we send our children to school here, we contribute to every aspect of the economic, cultural and social life of [...]

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Globally, 45 countries allow noncitizen residents to vote. In the US, 6 towns in Maryland already allow resident voting, and cities across the country are following suit. It’s time New York City became a leader in this movement for the expansion of democracy.

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Allowing all residents to vote is NOT a new idea; in fact, it has defined our democracy for most of our history. In 40 states, noncitizen residents voted and even held office for the first 150 years of US history. And here in New York City, all residents were allowed to vote on the school [...]

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1.3 million legal, taxpaying residents of New York City cannot vote in local elections because of their citizenship status—that is one in five adult New Yorkers. In several City Council Districts, the proportion of the disenfranchised rises to more than 1 in 3 residents. Is this what democracy looks like?

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