NYC’s Noncitizen Voting Law Nullified by State’s High Court

The court affirmed that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections in the state of New York.

The U.S. Court of Appeals building in New York City on July 10, 2012. Bjoertvedt via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

Noncitizen voting is unconstitutional in New York, the state’s high court ruled on March 20, striking down a New York City law that permitted noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.

The New York Court of Appeals held in its 6–1 decision that the text of the New York Constitution “is facially clear that only citizens may vote in elections within the State of New York.”