FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 9, 2021
Contact: Jake Oliver, jake@anatgerstein.com, (347) 361-9983
New York, N.Y. (December 9, 2021) – Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum in response to the New York City Council passing legislation that will allow non-citizen legal residents to vote in municipal elections:
“Citizens Union has long sought to expand voter participation in municipal elections. One such measure that has that potential is about to become a reality in our City — non-citizen legal resident voting. The bill passed by the City Council is the largest expansion of voting rights in New York City since women’s suffrage. But we want to make sure we do it right.”
“Given the rapid expansion of the electorate and the fact that separate ballots and registration forms will be needed for citizens and noncitizens, the implementation of this reform will be incredibly complex. It is imperative that the Board of Elections begin to prepare for noncitizen voting now, and not wait for any litigation filed against this legislation to be resolved. The City Council should provide ample time for implementation. The incoming Adams administration and new City Council must provide adequate funding for the Board of Elections and carefully monitor the preparations to ensure that noncitizen voting is a success.”
About Citizens Union
For over 120 years, Citizens Union has been a force for transparency, accountability and ethics in New York’s City and State governments. A nonpartisan organization, some of our current initiatives include the election info hub ElectNYC.org, a new agenda for police accountability, and increasing civic engagement. Learn more at www.citizensunion.org.
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