6 DECEMBER 2, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
NYC Council ready to give non-citizens voting rights
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
City Council member Ydanis Rodriguez
(D-Manhattan) led other
elected offi cials and several dozen
advocate organizations in a City Hall
Park rally last week celebrating a measure
that will allow roughly 800,000
non-citizens living in New York City
for at least 30 days to vote in all city
elections.
The measure dubbed “Our City, Our
Vote ” now has a veto-proof supermajority
34 out of 51 City Council supporting
the legislation, guaranteeing passage at
the council’s stated meeting on Dec. 9. It
comes as nearly half of New York City
households have a member with green
card status or other undocumented
status.
It also comes as a number of city lawmakers
— once part of those immigrant
households themselves — are leading
the movement to pass the bill.
“My mom had all of her kids in a public
hospital,” said City Council member and
Brooklyn Borough President-elect Antonio
Reynoso, who attended the rally. “My
mom couldn’t vote for a representative
that could ensure a quality education for
her kids.”
Reynoso’s family came from the
Dominican Republic and raised him in
Williamsburg, which he now represents
City Council members and advocates celebrate the expected passage of
“Our City, Our Vote” legilsation that will allow non-citizens to vote in city
elections. Photo-credit: New York Immigration Coalition
in the Council.
“It’s about time that we finally get
an opportunity where we show these
representatives what we want, what we
need and what we deserve at the voting
booth, where it most matters,” Reynoso
said.
He thanked Rodriguez and the work
of the New York Immigrant Coalition,
who have been organizing the rallies
and the letters as part of the campaign
to get the bill passed.
While Mayor Bill de Blasio has said
he has “mixed feelings” about the bill
because he feared that allowing noncitizens
to vote might remove the incentive
for people to become full citizens,
Mayor-elect Eric Adams has voiced
support for it.
Under the proposed legislation the
New York City Board of Elections (BOE)
would issue a separate voter registration
form for green cardholders and other
non-citizens who have the right to work.
Those voters would then fi ll out a ballot
with only New York City offi ces on it at
the polls.
The bill also calls for training poll
workers and community education campaigns
to ensure every voter receives
the correct ballot.
Green card holder Dolma Lama, originally
from Nepal and a member of the
immigrant advocacy organization Desis
Rising Up Movement (DRUM) noted how
she helped get out the vote during the recent
Nov. 2 election but was not allowed
to vote herself.
“I’m a permanent resident living in
New York for almost a decade. I came
to the United States when I was a teen.
I went to college here. I went to high
school here. I even pay my taxes here,”
Lama said.
“The one thing that I’m not allowed to
do is vote. Interestingly, my love for the
diverse communities here created the
platform for me to be working at a social
justice organization here,” she added.
Once Lama is able to vote in municipal
elections, she will join a group of hundreds
of thousands that could change
the trajectory of how lawmakers measure
candidate support and how this
country looks at voting rights on the
city, state and national level.
Addabbo holds meet-and-greet to hear directly from constituents
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
State Senator Joseph Addabbo held two
meet-and-greet events in November to hear
from constituents about concerns in their
neighborhood.
Addabbo visited Wasserman’s Supermarket
in Kew Gardens Hills on Nov. 18 and the Maspeth
Stop & Shop on Nov. 20. He said residents
were mainly concerned about public safety and
flooding.
Typically for these meet-and-greets, Addabbo
stands outside a popular location and hands out
free hand sanitizer to people passing by. Anyone
can then speak with him about any local or state
issues that they are curious about.
“These meet-and-greet events are a great way
for me to get into the communities of my district
and meet with the people and hear their
concerns,” Addabbo said. “I know it can be difficult
for many residents to visit me at one of my
three district offices during normal business
hours, so I am always looking for new ways to
meet with my constituents. I also hand out free
small hand sanitizer bottles as a way to help keep
everyone safe as we are still battling COVID.”
Addabbo tries to hold these events every
month.
He has worked on several issues brought up at
these events, including cleaning out catch basins
or resolving DMV issues. Addabbo will be reaching
out to local police precincts to alert them to
public safety concerns for the issues brought up
this week.
The meet-and-greets used to be held at the local
Queens Public Library branches throughout his
district, but events are still not allowed due to
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Addabbo plans
to resume his office hours at the libraries when
permitted.
Senator Addabbo speaks with constituents in
Maspeth. Courtesy of Addabbo’s offi ce
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