RNC Secures Court Victory to Stop Non-Citizens from Voting in New York

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) secured a court victory to stop non-citizens from voting in New York City. In 2022, a RNC-led coalition sued to stop the city from adding over 800,000 non-citizens to the state’s voter rolls. This was due to a dangerous scheme passed by the New York City Council in 2021.
 
Today, the state’s highest court – the New York Court of Appeals – handed the RNC a decisive win in a 6-1 ruling. The court struck down the 2021 bill that illegally would allow noncitizens to vote in violation of the state’s constitution.
 
"Today, the RNC secured a major win for American voters and the sanctity of their votes,” said RNC Chairman Michael Whatley. “The New York Court of Appeals decision reaffirms that only American citizens should have an impact on the outcome of our elections. Election safeguards are a critical part of our Democracy, and the RNC will continue to fight attempts by Democrats and their far-left allies to weaken them.”
  
Background:

• The RNC initially filed its lawsuit in January 2022, when the committee sued the New York City Council and the New York City Board of Elections for illegally allowing non-citizens to vote in city elections.
• The RNC was joined in the suit by the New York Republican Party and several concerned New York officeholders and voters, including city council members who voted against the legislation.
• The coalition includes several naturalized citizens, a Democrat city council member, and Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis.
• The New York City law could have added over 800,000 non-citizens to New York City’s voter rolls. 
• These votes would have allowed non-citizens to effectively decide the outcome of the city’s elections, such as the 2021 Democrat mayoral primary which was settled by just 7,000 votes.
• The Court of Appeals opinion follows several lower court decisions in this case which also ruled in the RNC’s favor.
• The RNC has been very active in election integrity efforts in New York, and during the 2024 cycle alone the committee:
• Held nearly 250 trainings for poll watchers over the course of 6 months
• Had our largest staffing presence ever in New York with 5 full time EI Staff
• Recruited 618 Volunteer attorneys
• Trained over 8,000 poll watchers in targeted Congressional Districts
• Recruited over 2,600 Republicans to serve as Poll Workers