City Council has passed a bill that will allow some legally documented noncitizens to participate in city elections. 

This bill would not apply to state or federal elections.

Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, one of the co-sponsors, says the bill addresses the issue of taxation without representation.

Now that the bill has passed, up to 800,000 people could earn the right to vote.

Cheering crowds gathered outside City Hall in support of the bill. New Yorkers from every walk of life shared stories of how voting has become an important part of their life and for their loved ones who have become citizens. Now, they are hoping the city will be able to extend the right to some people who are not citizens but living in the states legally like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and green cardholders.

However, this bill was not universally supported. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wouldn’t veto it but claimed that he was unsure if the state would legally allow it to pass.

Another concern of de Blasio’s is that this passing will keep people from going through the citizenship process.

Many in favor of the bill say that this is not a partisan issue – stating that instead, this will simply help make the city’s government a closer reflection of the people of New York City.