Adrienne Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s newly announced running mate, voted in late 2021 for a City Council measure that would have allowed lawful permanent residents and work-authorized noncitizens to vote in New York City municipal elections. The council-approved proposal was later struck down by New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, according to the New York Post. Adams’s vote has prompted criticism from GOP officials and will likely be a campaign issue as Hochul pursues re-election.
Hochul’s New Running Mate Once Backed Measure To Let Some Noncitizens Vote In NYC Municipal Races
Hochul running mate voted to allow noncitizen voting in NYC elections
Adrienne Adams, a former New York City Council member whom Gov. Kathy Hochul tapped as her running mate last week, voted in late 2021 for a City Council measure that would have allowed certain noncitizens to vote in New York City municipal elections.
Adrienne Adams, New York City mayoral candidate, during a mayoral Democratic primary debate in New York, on Thursday, June 12, 2025.(Getty Images)
The proposal approved by the council would have permitted lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and individuals authorized to work in the United States to cast ballots in local contests. The measure applied only to city-level elections, not state or federal contests.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a public safety announcement in New York, on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
That ordinance was later struck down by New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, according to reporting by the New York Post.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at Gouverneur Health in Manhattan to announce a series of new policy moves involving public health and taxes on Feb. 3, 2026 in New York City.
Political reaction was immediate.
"Anyone trying to dilute the voices of American citizens and pushing for noncitizens to vote in our elections has no business statewide or any elected office," Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said in criticizing the move.
Hochul announced Adams as her lieutenant governor running mate last week. Posting on X, the governor described Adams as "a New Yorker from Southeast Queens" who "grew up in a union household" and called her "a fighter who knows how to deliver for New York."
Adams ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor last year and previously served multiple terms on the City Council representing Southeast Queens. Hochul rose from lieutenant governor to governor in 2021 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned; she won the 2022 gubernatorial election and is seeking re-election this year.
Noncitizen voting remains a politically charged issue nationally and in New York, and Adams’s council vote is likely to draw attention as her selection is used in campaign messaging on both sides. The New York Post was the first outlet to highlight Adams’s 2021 City Council vote, per its reporting.
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