| New York, NY—Today, several New York Republican officials, along with the New York Republican State Committee and the Republican National Committee, filed a legal challenge seeking to subvert the will of the New York City Council and stop more than 800,000 New Yorkers from voting in local municipal elections. Prior to pushing for its passage, the New York Immigration Coalition, assisted by a pro-bono legal team, conducted a rigorous legal review of Intro 1867 and found that the bill did not violate New York State’s electoral laws or its constitution.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Unable to gain popular backing for their blatant efforts to suppress and deny certain New Yorkers the right to vote, the Republicans have taken their obviously anti-immigrant and racist agenda to the courts. We won’t allow members of a political party that has yet to accept the results of the 2020 Presidential elections or acknowledge their role in a violent insurrection against our democracy to subvert the will of New Yorkers through a baseless lawsuit. The Our City, Our Vote law ensures that NYC has the most inclusive democracy in the entire nation by allowing New Yorkers who live here, raise children here, and give back to our neighborhoods in countless ways can have a say in the direction of our city.”
Background:
In December 2021, the New York City Council passed Introduction 1867, allowing New York City residents who are otherwise qualified to register under New York State election law to vote in municipal elections. Before the bill’s passage, nearly one million New York City residents could not vote in local elections due to their citizenship status, despite paying taxes and being invested in and contributing to the city.
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