The New York City Council yesterday approved a bill Thursday that allows foreigners in the metropolis to vote in local elections, making it the first major U.S. city to make such a decision.
The law, passed with 33 votes in favor, 14 against and two abstentions, will allow "legally resident" and "US-licensed" persons residing in New York without US citizenship to "vote". in the municipal elections ".
Many Democrats in the city council welcomed the "historic" decision, as did organizations defending immigrants' rights.
The measure concerns about 1 million foreigners living in New York, out of the total 9 million inhabitants of the big city.
The cultural and economic capital of the United States, a stronghold of Democrats and progressives, has adopted this measure while the issue of minority voting and exclusion from this right is constantly returning to the public debate.
In recent months, several US states have invoked baseless allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election to pass laws that critics say are intended to restrict the voting rights of ethnic and racial minorities.
At the end of his term, Democratic New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made no secret of his doubts about whether New York City has the power to decide without the authority of the homonymous state to give its foreigners the right to vote. , assuring that he would not object to the decision if it were approved.
If implemented, New Yorkers will be able to run in the 2023 primary.