A Republican lawmaker from New York City claims to have found compelling evidence indicating attempts to register unauthorized immigrants for voting, despite the city’s denial of her allegations.
“My office has uncovered [New York City’s] secret scheme to potentially register tens of thousands of migrants to vote in our elections,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, pointing to a contract between a nonprofit group and the city.
“The right to vote is a sacred right given only to U.S. citizens, & certainly not to those who crossed our border illegally & came to NYC last month. After we sued, a judge ruled noncitizen voting unconstitutional & @NYCMayor must respect the decision!”
During a press briefing on December 3, Ms. Malliotakis emphasized that the contract, initially undisclosed to the public, was obtained through a state Freedom of Information Law request.
Stipulated at $28 million over three years, the contract delineates an agreement between the city and Homes for the Homeless for the management of a shelter in Midland Beach, she asserted.
Furthermore, she highlighted a provision in the contract instructing the nonprofit to distribute voter registration forms to all individuals, available in both Chinese and Spanish.
Additionally, the document specifies that the nonprofit is prohibited from inquiring about the immigration status of a client or potential client unless it directly pertains to the services being provided.
“On page 50 of this contract, there is an entire section dedicated to voter registration,” the congresswoman stated at the news conference. “We believe this is the smoking gun that proves what we’ve been saying all along—that the city intends to register non-citizens to vote,” she said, referring to the document that was posted to her X account.
The established procedures for shelter services within the city’s contracts are currently unclear.
In 2021, the New York City Council approved a measure seeking to extend eligibility for non-permanent residents and other legal non-residents to participate in citywide elections. However, a judge in Staten Island nullified that measure last year.
“There is no statutory ability for the City of New York to issue inconsistent laws permitting non-citizens to vote and exceed the authority granted to it by the New York State Constitution,” Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzi wrote in the ruling. The city is currently appealing his decision.
During the press briefing, Ms. Malliotakis and a coalition of Republican state officials cited the voter registration segment of the document in relation to the 2021 city council measure, as reported by the Staten Island Advance newspaper.
“They are bringing to you voter registration of people who are here illegally, and as soon as they’re here for 30 days, how is it they’re entitled to vote?” state Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo said in comments to reporters.
“What’s the first thing they’re going to vote for? Better hotel rooms?” he joked. “How do they even understand the American system of government?”
🚨 NEWS: My office has uncovered #NYC's secret scheme to potentially register tens of thousands of migrants to vote in our elections. Take a look at this contract between @HFH_NYC, the "non-profit" that kicked out seniors to house migrants, & the City of New York ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Hr1Vzx17fw
— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) December 3, 2023
In a more extensive statement, Ms. Malliotakis warned that New York City “must not act in defiance of the judge’s decision, which nullified the noncitizen voting law, allowing 800,000 noncitizens with a Green Card or Work Authorization, residing in the city for 30 days, to vote.”
On December 4, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) rebuffed the lawmaker’s assertions, contending that the voter registration component is mandated by the city’s law.
“These allegations are false and baseless. DHS is legally required to include language around voter registration in shelter contracts and this guidance applies only to eligible clients who are citizens, and would clearly not apply to asylum seekers in shelter,” the spokeswoman told local media outlets.
