New York City is now home to 1,361,007 immigrants of voting age who are
not yet citizens. That means one 1of 5 New Yorkers of voting age can't
vote. These city residents are subject to all the laws that citizens must
observe. They contribute in countless ways to the economic vitality and
social and cultural life of this city that serves as the unofficial
capital of the world. Nevertheless, because of their citizenship status,
these new New Yorkers are not allowed to participate in choosing the
municipal representatives who make the policies that affect their lives
daily. Excluding such a significant portion of the city's population from
political participation undermines the health of our democracy and
discourages incipient Americans from taking a stake in the issues that
affect their communities. A broad and growing group of organizations, the New York Coalition to
Expand Voting Rights, is working with city and state legislators to
restore voting rights in local elections.