{"id":1116186,"date":"2021-12-13T22:43:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T03:43:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1116186"},"modified":"2021-12-13T22:43:42","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T03:43:42","slug":"usa-today-columnist-calls-allowing-noncitizens-to-vote-smart-policy-rooted-in-american-tradition-ideals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/usa-today-columnist-calls-allowing-noncitizens-to-vote-smart-policy-rooted-in-american-tradition-ideals\/","title":{"rendered":"USA Today Columnist Calls Allowing Noncitizens to Vote \u2018Smart Policy&#039; \u2018Rooted\u2019 in \u2018American Tradition, Ideals\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fusa-today-columnist-calls-allowing-noncitizens-to-vote-smart-policy-rooted-in-american-tradition-ideals%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1116186&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><span>Allowing noncitizens to vote is \u201clegally sound,\u201d a \u201csmart policy,\u201d \u201cgood for democracy,\u201d and even \u201crooted in both American tradition and ideals,\u201d according to a <\/span><i><span>USA Today<\/span><\/i><span> columnist who claimed the inability of \u201cpotential citizens\u201d to vote is \u201cnot fair,\u201d while blasting Republicans \u2014 who have \u201cno legal or moral standing to whine about protecting the right to vote\u201d \u2014 for their opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>USA Today<\/span><\/i><span> columnist Raul A. Reyes <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/10\/opinions\/new-york-city-noncitizen-voting-smart-policy-reyes\/index.html\"><span>penned<\/span><\/a><span> an op-ed<\/span><span> which appeared on <\/span><span>CNN <\/span><span>on Friday, titled \u201cWhy noncitizens should be allowed to vote,\u201d praising the New York City Council after Democrats voted with a veto-proof majority to give nearly a million foreign nationals the right to vote in local elections on Thursday evening.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"7.7972027972028\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My latest for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CNNOpinion?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CNNOpinion<\/a>:  &#8220;Allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections is smart policy &amp; legally sound. It will strengthen communities and .. it is rooted in both American tradition and ideals.&#8221;   <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NewYorkCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NewYorkCity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OP2jLCdpnL\">https:\/\/t.co\/OP2jLCdpnL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Raul A. Reyes (@RaulAReyes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RaulAReyes\/status\/1469371940255281154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 10, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cBravo to New York\u2019s City Council for taking a meaningful step towards inclusion and representation,\u201d he wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cAllowing noncitizens to vote in local elections is smart policy that is legally sound,\u201d Reyes continued. \u201cIt will strengthen communities and give more residents an investment in politics that affect their daily lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>Claiming that allowing noncitizens the right to vote is \u201crooted in both American tradition and ideals,\u201d Reyes highlighted what he called the \u201cstrongest case\u201d for the move.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe strongest case in favor of noncitizens voting is the easiest to grasp. There are about 15 million legal non-residents in the country and about 800,000 in New York City,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are our neighbors who pay taxes, send their children to public schools, start businesses and contribute to their communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThey should be able to elect leaders and have a say in local politics just like anyone else,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He also claimed that the policy was \u201cgood for democracy\u201d and would actually \u201cstrengthen\u201d cities that adopt it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cGiving noncitizens the right to vote will encourage civic engagement, thereby strengthening the cities that allow it,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe more people who vote, the more accurately leaders and policies will reflect their constituencies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cNew York City did the right thing in moving towards allowing noncitizens to vote,\u201d he asserted. \u201cIt will be good for the city \u2014 and good for democracy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to Reyes, the right of noncitizens to vote has a long history in the United States.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cIt might surprise people to know allowing noncitizens to vote is an idea that is neither new nor radical,\u201d he said. \u201cVoting by noncitizens has a history going back to the founding of our country.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFrom 1776 to 1926, San Francisco State University Professor Ron Hayduk notes, noncitizens could vote in local, state, and some national elections,\u201d he added. \u201cSome could also hold office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Calling attention to the text of the state\u2019s constitution, he claimed the wording did not specifically bar noncitizens from voting.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_18874546\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1350844998.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18874546\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1350844998.jpg\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: People visit a voting site at a YMCA on Election Day, November 02, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Over 30,000 New Yorkers have already cast their ballots in early voting for a series of races including the race for mayor in which Democrat Eric Adams is running against Republican and Curtis Sliwa. (Photo by Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">People visit a voting site at a YMCA on Election Day, November 02, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cEven today, although New York state\u2019s constitution says \u2018every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election,\u2019 it does not say noncitizens cannot vote,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis distinction will be important for the expected legal challenges to New York City\u2019s measure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reyes noted a \u201cpractical component\u201d to justify noncitizen voting as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf a green card holder wants to naturalize and become a citizen, it takes money for fees and legal expenses, and, most importantly, time,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIt is not fair that these potential citizens should go so long without any civic voice as their cases wind their way through our backlogged immigration system.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He also argued that barring noncitizens from voting would \u201cviolate\u201d long-held American principles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cConsider that our country was founded upon the ideas of \u2018no taxation without representation\u2019 or that the Declaration of Independence states \u2018Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,\u2019\u201d he wrote.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cBarring noncitizens from voting would seem to violate both of these principles,\u201d he argued.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Though Republicans have staunchly opposed the new policies, Reyes ridiculed Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel\u2019s stated commitment to \u201cfight to protect\u201d the ballot \u201calmost laughable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cHer words are almost laughable given that Republican-led legislatures across the country have consistently moved to restrict voting access,\u201d he wrote, adding that the U.S. Supreme Court \u201chas been chipping away at voting rights for years.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cRepublicans have no legal or moral standing to whine about protecting the right to vote,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>On Thursday, the Democrat-led New York City Council passed legislation allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections \u2014 the first major city in the U.S. to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 51-member panel voted 33-14, with two abstentions, to pass a plan by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) that will grant <\/span><span>more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/09\/23\/new-york-city-democrats-seek-voting-rights-nearly-1m-non-citizens\/\"><span>800,000<\/span><\/a><span> foreign nationals with green cards, visas, and work permits the opportunity to vote in city-wide elections provided they have resided in the city for at least 30 consecutive days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe have made history today,\u201d Rodriguez wrote in a statement following the vote. \u201cNearly 1 Million noncitizen immigrant New Yorkers will be allowed to participate in our City\u2019s election!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"9.8904899135447\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Breaking?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Breaking<\/a>: The New York City Council becomes the largest city in the nation to enfranchise non-citizen immigrant New Yorkers. <\/p>\n<p>We have made history today. Nearly 1 Million non-citizen immigrant New Yorkers will be allowed to participate in our City\u2019s election! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Intro1867?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Intro1867<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uxHVfbSH45\">pic.twitter.com\/uxHVfbSH45<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ydanis Rodriguez (@ydanis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ydanis\/status\/1469065956630712323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Hours before the vote, Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn) \u2014 who would later vote against the plan, alongside Councilmembers Bob Holden (D-Queens) and Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) \u2014 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/InnaVernikov\/status\/1469005625652916231?s=20\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> she sought to organize a protest but the city did not approve a permit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The New York State Republican Party issued a statement indicating it will file a lawsuit to get the plan thrown out, arguing the state\u2019s constitution is explicitly clear that voting is a right guaranteed exclusively to American citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"11.745762711864\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Statement from NYGOP Chairman <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickLangworthy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NickLangworthy<\/a> on New York City Democrats&#8217; Vote to Give Non-citizens Voting Rights\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We will fight, using every legal means necessary, to prevent this legislation from becoming law. Stay tuned for further announcements about our legal action.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/N2wChAayce\">pic.twitter.com\/N2wChAayce<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York GOP (@NewYorkGOP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NewYorkGOP\/status\/1469083531712380933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cToday\u2019s irresponsible vote by New York City Democrats to give the sacred right to vote to over 800,000 non-citizens is a dangerous attack on our election integrity,\u201d state GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe are now on a slippery slope toward illegal immigrants voting and foreign interference in our elections,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe will fight, using every legal means necessary, to prevent this legislation from becoming law.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As Breitbart News <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/11\/30\/non-citizens-could-decide-local-elections-in-nyc-under-democrat-plan\/\"><span>noted<\/span><\/a><span>, the move has the potential to massively influence local elections while diluting the votes of American citizens in the city.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Mayor-elect Eric Adams (D), who will replace Bill de Blasio in the coming weeks after winning the Democrat mayoral primary by less than 7,200 votes in July, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/10\/19\/democrat-nyc-mayor-candidate-eric-adams-backs-giving-voting-rights-to-non-citizens\/\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> he supports the plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Likewise, as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/11\/29\/nyc-democrat-councilman-radical-agenda-by-democrats-to-give-voting-rights-to-non-citizens-dangerous\/\"><span>noted<\/span><\/a><span> by Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx), the plan is set to shift electoral power to foreign nationals with ties to the United Nations, Wall Street, and the global financial system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><i><em>Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter&nbsp;<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuaklein_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@JoshuaKlein<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Allowing noncitizens to vote is \u201clegally sound,\u201d a \u201csmart policy,\u201d \u201cgood for democracy,\u201d and even \u201crooted in both American tradition and ideals,\u201d according to a USA Today columnist who claimed &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1116186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1116186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1116186\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1116186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1116186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1116186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}