NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS:

ONLY CITIZENS VOTE

NEW YORK STATE’S HIGHEST COURT STRIKES DOWN

NONCITIZEN VOTING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                      CONTACT:  JACK TOMCZAK

March 21, 2025                                                                                                  202-919-9558

NEW YORK CITY – Americans for Citizen Voting applauds yesterday’s New York Court of Appeals ruling striking down a New York City law, which legalized non-citizen voting in municipal elections. The law has been stayed from going into effect as it worked its way through the courts since city council passage in 2022.

“We are thrilled with the decision from the Court of Appeals,” said President Avi McCullah, president of Americans for Citizen Voting, the group which has led the campaign that passed Citizen Only Voting Amendments in 8 states last November. “Voting in the United States, on any level, should be reserved for citizens of the United States.”

Americans for Citizen Voting works with citizens across the country to amend state constitutions to clarify that non-citizens are prohibited from voting in state and local elections.

“While we applaud this legal decision in New York,” added McCullah, “we know that in three other states, with almost identical language in their state constitutions, courts have ruled to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.”

In recent years, city councils in New York, Washington, DC, and three Vermont cities have voted to legalize foreign citizen voting. They joined cities in California and Maryland which, because of a loophole in their state constitutions, also allow foreign citizens to vote.

“Let’s not leave this important issue to the varying legal interpretations of judges,” McCullah argued. “The decision on whether non-citizens are given the right to vote should be made by the people of each state at the ballot box.”

Beginning in 2018, 14 states have passed Citizen Only Voting Amendments: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. COVA efforts are underway in Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia.

A Citizen Only Voting Amendment has already been referred to South Dakota’s 2026 ballot and another dozen states have legislation pending to likewise send the issue to voters in 2026.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Jack Tomczak at 202-919-9558.

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