The December 2021 issue of High Road Policy (HRP) explores the possibility of passing a local law in Buffalo that would allow non-citizens (immigrants) the right to vote in local elections — similar to the law set to take effect in New York City in 2023.

Click here to download and read the issue.

As a companion to the December issue, the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab — as part of its Good DEEDS initiative and associated commitment to democratize data — developed a Local Resident Voting Rights Data Portal to map the distribution of non-citizen voting-age persons, by census tract, in the City of Buffalo. Data come from the most recent (2015-19) U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS). The interactive portal includes:

• A map and linked charts to show the relative size of the non-citizen population and VAP for the City as a whole and/or for user-selected census tracts or planning neighborhoods. The linked charts also compare the adult poverty rates for citizens, non-citizens, and the overall VAP; and they allow users to compare turnout in the most recent (2021) local election (as a function of VAP) in selected geographies to citywide averages.
• An interactive scatterplot that visualizes the (positive) association between tract-level population growth (between the 2010 and 2020 decennial censuses) and non-citizen share of population.
• An interactive scatterplot that visualizes the (negative) association between tract-level turnout among registered voters and non-citizen share of VAP.

Click the image below to access the portal: