More than 70,000 Trinis living in New York City have received the legal right to vote in local elections, as the city on Thursday became the largest in the United States to enfranchise immigrants.
Known as “Our City, Our Vote,” the City Council passed the measure in a vote of 33 to 14 and will go into effect on December 9th, 2022. The right to vote has been expanded to 900,000 noncitizens with legal permanent resident status or work authorization. The bill, which some legal experts expect to face legal challenges, does not entitle immigrants to vote in presidential elections.
At a victory rally at New York City Hall on Thursday, Theodore Moore, Director of Local Policy and Legislation at the New York Immigration Coalition, spoke to the Sunday Guardian about concerns about the legal ramifications of illegal immigrants attempting to vote in municipal elections. “They won’t be allowed to register to vote. One thing that is going to be added to the voter registration form is a disclaimer letting people know who is eligible to vote and who isn’t, letting people know if they have questions they should contact an attorney or a community-based organization.”
Trinidadian native Melissa John, founder of the initiative Represent We that falls under the umbrella of the NY Immigration Coalition, worked to raise awareness of the bill throughout the West Indian community.
In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, John explained why it was important for immigrants to take the measure seriously. John referenced the political slogan that originated in the American Revolution. “It’s taxation without representation all over again. Trinis are property owners and business owners. If their taxes can contribute to the salary of the politicians that are putting policies in place that affect them, then representation is necessary.”
She added, “If community members are paying into a system and that money is being spent to affect my day-to-day experience then I should be allowed to participate in the process.”
Trinidad-born author and historian Professor David Traboulay, based in New York City, welcomed the measure as something that will make immigrants feel more confident about participating in society. Professor Traboulay, who taught former Prime Minister Patrick Manning at Presentation College in San Fernando, said in a telephone interview with the Sunday Guardian, “I came up here to do my doctorate, but I didn’t say much in discussion with friends about politics. The only time I opened my mouth was when I became a citizen and had the right to vote. Before then, when I came to study and work, I felt that I didn’t have that right.”
Professor Traboulay added, “For people who haven’t gotten citizenship yet or don’t plan to apply for citizenship, it’s a wonderful thing that they can vote. Once they’re able to vote, they will be more active in society.”
Jumaane D. Williams, Public Advocate for the City of NY, at the victory rally, said, “This country (the U.S.) has always been about preventing people to vote. The furthest that you were from being a rich, white male, you were prevented from voting. So it’s not a surprise the backlash that is coming.” Williams, whose parents are from Grenada, added, “People who live in NYC, who NYC would crumble without, who deal with the impact of all the decisions and policies that lawmakers decide on a day to day basis should have the right to participate in voting.”
Voting rights restrictions are currently a major political issue in the U.S. However, several areas around the country already allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, including 11 towns in the state of Maryland and two in the state of Vermont. NYC’s move to grant voting rights to immigrants is at odds with what some states are doing to add even more voting restrictions, including explicitly barring noncitizens from voting.