Should we allow non-citizens to vote?

Advocates say non-citizens pay the same taxes as citizens, and have the same concerns — about education, crime, and more

Previously, non-citizens in New York City were allowed to vote in local school board elections.
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

On Thursday, the New York City Council started debating a proposal that would give non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections. If passed, all legal residents of New York City, regardless of citizenship, would be able to vote as long as they had lived in the city for at least six months and passed all the other standard voting requirements.

"This is extremely important, because it's based on the founding principle of this country and that was, 'No Taxation Without Representation,'" councilman Daniel Dromm, who co-authored the bill, told Talking Points Memo. "All of the people who would be included in this and would be allowed to vote are paying taxes, they've contributed to society."

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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.