I recently was delighted to sue New York City’s Board of Elections.
In conjunction with Public Interest Legal Foundation, co-plaintiffs Phyllis Coachman, Anthony Gilhuys, Katherine James and I filed suit in New York Supreme Court Feb. 2. We aim to overturn City Charter Chapter 46-A, which our litigation dubs the Foreign Citizen Voting Bill. Passed by the City Council Dec. 9, FCVB lets foreign citizens vote in Gotham’s local elections.
Starting Jan. 9, 2023, this absurdity would empower foreign citizens to choose our mayor, City Council, borough presidents and district attorneys and decide local ballot measures. These new voters would include green-card-bearing legal immigrants and even illegal aliens under federal protection, such as asylum seekers and DACA designees.
Foreign citizens could invade the US-Mexico “border,” penetrate America without permission, request asylum, fly to Westchester Airport aboard one of Joe Biden’s free, clandestine, late-night flights, cab it to Manhattan and — after 30 days — cast ballots beside Gotham’s voters who were born in the USA.
New York joins San Francisco, two Vermont cities and 11 Maryland communities in converting foreign citizens into local voters. Most Americans consider this a sucker punch to the core principle of government deriving its just powers from the consent of the citizens it governs.
Foreign-citizen-voting also could fluster overwhelmed election officials. They would have to let foreign citizens vote on local candidates and causes but bar them from state and federal races.
During a frantic Election Day, what would prevent precinct workers from unwittingly — or even deliberately — handing foreign citizens ballots for local candidates and state-level, congressional and even presidential aspirants?
What fuels this exercise? The enfranchisement of 800,000 foreign voters, most of whom likely will vote Democrat.
The Democratic left, which pushed FCVB, is never satisfied. As it relentlessly mutilates America, its next demand will be for foreign votes in state races.
And then — why not? — “Let them cast ballots for Congress and for president!”
Disagree? Racist!
But FCVB is not just stupid, offensive and dangerous. It has the added disadvantage of being unconstitutional.
As our lawsuit details, FCVB violates the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, adopted in 1870: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
My co-plaintiffs and I contend, and the New York City Council’s deliberations confirm, that FCVB dilutes and therefore abridges the votes of New Yorkers, not least black citizens, because local lawmakers acted “on account of race,” not color-neutral citizenship grounds.
- Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo said that “this particular legislation is going to shift the power dynamics in New York City in a major way, and we do not have the numbers or the information to know how that is going to impact African-American communities.” In a naked expression of tribalism, she added: “We’re all here to support our ethnic groups, and we’re all here to make sure that we all win.”
- Councilman Antonio Reynoso complained about “this sea of mostly white men that have stood up against this bill at this moment in an effort to preserve their power and influence.”
- Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said that because “this city has changed the color of the skin of people coming to this city, then we change who will be voting in this city.” Rodriguez switched to Spanish and declared that FCVB would increase the political clout of New Yorkers of Hispanic and Asian heritage.
FCVB also grinds its cleats into the New York state Constitution, which limits the vote to “every citizen” who is at least age 18 and a 30-day resident.
This outrage deserves to be strangled in its crib. A judge should do the honors — with all deliberate speed.
Phyllis Coachman, Anthony Gilhuys, Katherine James and I eagerly await our day in court.
