Thread: Racism Charged of Opponents of Voting Rights for Noncitizens

Racism Is Charged of Opponents of Voting Rights for Noncitizens
By GRACE RAUH, Staff Reporter of the Sun | September 8, 2008

In advance of the 2009 citywide elections, a coalition of immigrant and advocacy organizations is reigniting a fight to give noncitizens the right to vote in municipal elections, drawing the ire of opponents who argue that voting is a right for American citizens only.




Michael Nagle/Getty



At a rally outside City Hall yesterday organized by the New York Coalition to Expand Voting Rights, supporters of a City Council bill that would extend voting rights to 1.3 million noncitizen New Yorkers said it's unfair that immigrant residents pay more than $18 billion in state income taxes when they can't vote for their representatives. The group is planning to pressure elected officials to back the legislation, which has been on file for more than two years but hasn't moved forward.

A supporter of the bill, Council Member Robert Jackson of Harlem, said in his district alone there are about 40,000 people who are paying taxes and don't have the right to vote. He said the coalition needed to publicize the position of every council member on the proposal and the reasons for their stances.

He suggested that those opposed to giving noncitizens the right to vote might be motivated by racism, and noted that in the early years of American history noncitizens were allowed to vote. That ended after World War I.

"This was the law in the United States of America for many, many years and why don't they support it now? Is it what somebody said earlier — because if you look at the skin complexion of the immigrants now they are mainly people of color versus 100 years ago, when they mainly were white," he said. "These are questions that people have to start asking."

The question of whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote has surfaced in the city within the past few years, but has never gained sufficient momentum among the city's elected officials. Supporters of the plan said yesterday that they aim to capitalize on the attention that will be paid to the 2009 municipal elections, when every citywide office will be up for grabs, as well as 36 council seats.

Noncitizens in New York with children in public school had been allowed to vote in school board elections until the boards were abolished in 2002.

Any campaign to extend voting rights to noncitizens would be expected to face fierce opposition from the mayor and other council members who have held back their support from the bill.

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Stuart Loeser, wrote in an e-mail message yesterday that the mayor "is superlatively pro-immigration and vehemently disagrees with those who demonize immigrants to score cheap points, but he believes just as strongly that the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility for citizens only."

The Republican leader of the council, James Oddo of Staten Island, said it's a ridiculous idea to allow noncitizens to vote, and that supporters of the council bill should be using their energy to help noncitizens become citizens.

"Citizenship is a privilege that gives birth to certain rights and included in that is the ability to vote in these elections," he said. Mr. Oddo said he'd rather focus on "aggressively weeding out" the noncitizens who have registered to vote.

"To me, that's unacceptable," he said.


http://www.nysun.com/new-york/racism-is ... hts/85345/

"Citizenship is a privilege that gives birth to certain rights and included in that is the ability to vote in these elections," he said. Mr. Oddo said he'd rather focus on "aggressively weeding out" the noncitizens who have registered to vote.

"To me, that's unacceptable," he said.

Just because you are here illegally and may be paying taxes on what you've earned does not give you privileges of citizenship. Voting is a privilege and a responsibility.

If they tried to push this through can you image the uproar like the drivers license debacle. Do these people have brains?

"FedUpinFarmersBranch"]

Racism Is Charged of Opponents of Voting Rights for Noncitizens

Is it me, or does that sound like an oxyMORON???

He suggested that those opposed to giving noncitizens the right to vote might be motivated by racism,

You are always hunting for and accusing EVERYONE of racism, it's getting old.

if you look at the skin complexion of the immigrants now they are mainly people of color versus 100 years ago, when they mainly were white," he said.

That's because they were European and NOT South American and Mexican! If I illegal was in China, I think I would stick out some??? You people fighting our laws, with our lawyers, are pathetic.

"Citizenship is a privilege that gives birth to certain rights and included in that is the ability to vote in these elections," he said. Mr. Oddo said he'd rather focus on "aggressively weeding out" the noncitizens who have registered to vote.

"To me, that's unacceptable," he said.You got my vote Mr. Oddo!

Thankfully we do have a couple of intelligent politicians.

This is going to far. Why do they keep pulling this crap? It has nothing to do with the color of ones skin. The privlege to vote should be restricted to citizens only. To even consider giving votes to non-citizens is insane.

Unfortunately our country is being run by a bunch of crazy people who want wide open borders and the Constitution flushed down the toilet. PC and the INVASION of ILLEGAL Hispanics is making our country THINK LIKE MEXICO.

This treasonous group wants to take the very special --gift of voting we have and give it to people who should not be here and should be removed. The immigrants should go home and vote there. I am about up to here (you know where -- with thsi illegal alien support.

MOD EDIT. Go to Mexico and see if you can vote there, or any other country. Even if they did allow it they would be fools. There is no greeater danger to infiltration than the abuse of voting privileges.

Just more proof of how out of control illegal immigration is when people try to pull these type of actions.

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Stuart Loeser, wrote in an e-mail message yesterday that the mayor "is superlatively pro-immigration and vehemently disagrees with those who demonize immigrants to score cheap points, but he believes just as strongly that the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility for citizens only."

Rather typical both side of the aisle type political statement but a relief the mayor feels 'the right to vote is a privilege and a responsibility for citizens only.' Duh!

LOL!!! I never realized we've denied citizenship to immigrants based on race? We haven't?!?! Uh oh, there goes that argument!

When will these miscreants get it that ONLY US citizens are allowed to vote. Wanna vote? Become a citizen! Don't like it? The get the hell outta here!

The brazenness of these ethnocentric activists is unbelievable. If these "immigrants" and "noncitizens" are in fact here illegally, if they are identified it should be for deportation.

"This was the law in the United States of America for many, many years and why don't they support it now? Is it what somebody said earlier — because if you look at the skin complexion of the immigrants now they are mainly people of color versus 100 years ago, when they mainly were white," he said.

Well if that's the problem then let's bring back the 1920 national origins immigration act, which greatly reduced non-European immigration. Then there won't be all the "immigrants of color" complaining about racism. Problem solved.