NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York City Council passed a bill allowing noncitizens the right to vote Thursday, a decision that would give over 800,000 people a voice in city elections.
The bill would allow noncitizens to first begin voting in city elections beginning in 2023. It would not let them vote in federal and state elections.
The bill applies to "lawful permanent residents of NYC, including green card holders, and people authorized to work in the U.S. who reside in NYC," according to NYC Votes. That includes DACA recipients.
It passed 33-14, with two councilmembers abstaining.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has raised concerns over the bill, but said he will not veto it.
De Blasio has questioned whether the measure would survive a legal challenge. Federal law allows states and local governments to decide who can vote in their elections, but some, including the mayor, have raised concerns about whether state lawmakers must first act to grant the city the authority to extend voting rights to noncitizens.
More than a dozen communities across the United States currently allow noncitizens to vote, including 11 towns in Maryland and two in Vermont.
In a joint statement from Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and state Sen. Andrew Lanza, the two called the bill a “blatant disregard for our Constitution” and “a slap in the face to every law-abiding American citizen who values their sacred right to participate in our democracy, and is the latest attempt by New York Democrats to destroy the sanctity of our elections for their own political purposes.”
Ortt and Lanza said they were confident legal challenges against the bill would be successful.
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Ydanis Rodriguez, the bill's sponsor, celebrated its passing.
"The New York City Council becomes the largest city in the nation to enfranchise non-citizen immigrant New Yorkers. We have made history today," he said in a tweet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.