Today’s Solutions: November 14, 2024

For long-time residents of the US who have difficulty acquiring citizenship, elections can be a painful reminder of the difficult road to fully establishing oneself in the US. In an unprecedented move to support those seeking citizenship, New York City has approved a bill that would let noncitizens vote in local elections.

Under the new law, which is expected to be signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio soon, legally documented, voting-age noncitizens will be allowed to cast ballots in elections to choose the mayor, city council members, and municipal officeholders starting in 2023. This new law will apply to some 800,000 noncitizens currently living in the city.

A long-standing refuge and beacon for immigrants, New York City’s new law gives a voice to those who have made New York their home, but are not yet legally recognized by the federal government. Although some have argued that the bill goes against the state’s principles of citizenship, for noncitizens who live, work, pay taxes, and volunteer in New York City, the law is an opportunity to finally have a say in municipal matters.

The new law will apply to people like “Dreamers,” those who came to the US with parents at a young age and have lived in the country their entire lives, but are not considered citizens. One Dreamer, Eva Santos, is a community organizer in New York and told NBC, “It was really hard for me to see how my other friends were able to make decisions for their future, and I couldn’t.”

Many smaller cities and towns have already enacted similar legislation. Eleven towns in Maryland and two in Vermont allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Additionally, San Francisco allows noncitizens to vote in school board elections. Federal law does allow local governments to decide who can vote in their elections, so the law cannot technically be challenged by the federal government.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Two Black women to serve together in the United States Senate in a historic f...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For the first time in American history, two Black women will serve together in the Senate. Angela Alsobrooks, ...

Read More

Resilient community-building: staying safe in times of uncertainty

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY TEAM Recent global and domestic developments have left many feminists and allies feeling uneasy, uncertain about their place in society, ...

Read More

3 lifestyle hacks to help you become a little happier

There is no one path to finding happiness, but there are some lifestyle changes you can make to become more receptive to happiness. Without ...

Read More

For the first time ever, Greece meets energy demands with 100% renewables

The other week, Greece celebrated an exciting milestone! All of the country’s electricity needs were met by renewable energy for the first time, as ...

Read More