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Naturalized citizens are poised to reshape California's political landscape The increase in naturalized Asian and Latino citizens -- 300,000 people took the oath of allegiance in 2008 -- could alter the state's policy priorities for years to come, analysts say. By Teresa Watanabe May 10, 2009 More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, hastening the ethnic transformation of California's political landscape with more Latinos and Asians now eligible to vote. Leading the wave, California's 300,000 new citizens accounted for nearly one-third of the nation's total and represented a near-doubling over 2006, according to a recent report by...

Voter turnout in New York City got a big boost in the last presidential election from immigrants, according to a study released yesterday. Nearly 80 percent of the immigrants voted for Democrat John Kerry, the study found, noting that more than 73 percent are registered Democrats. But 66 percent of Russian immigrants crossed party lines — nearly 80 percent are registered Democrats — and voted for President Bush, the study found.

WASHINGTON — A scattered movement growing across the country would buck decades of conventional wisdom and allow non-citizens the right to vote in local elections, a move that proponents say would give immigrants the ability to directly impact government in their communities. "We’re a stronger society as a whole if we have a good quality of life and everyone participates," said Ron Hayduk, political science professor at the City College of New York and a supporter of the movement. "There is a greater likelihood that our representatives will be responsible to everybody," Hayduk told Foxnews.com. "This is a mechanism to...

WASHINGTON — A scattered movement growing across the country would buck decades of conventional wisdom and allow non-citizens the right to vote in local elections, a move that proponents say would give immigrants the ability to directly impact government in their communities. "We’re a stronger society as a whole if we have a good quality of life and everyone participates," said Ron Hayduk, political science professor at the City College of New York and a supporter of the movement. "There is a greater likelihood that our representatives will be responsible to everybody," Hayduk told Foxnews.com. "This is a mechanism to...

ayor Michael R. Bloomberg said yesterday that he opposed giving legal immigrants who are not United States citizens the right to vote in New York City elections, putting him at odds with many immigrant groups and others that have been pushing for such a change.Mayor Bloomberg, who had declined earlier this week to express an opinion on the issue, discussed it at length yesterday on his weekly radio program on WABC-AM. The mayor said that while he sympathized with the plight of immigrants, particularly those who pay taxes, he still believed that "the essence of citizenship is the right to...

A movement is growing in New York City to grant the vote in local elections to legal immigrants. And the debate is growing loud enough to become a major issue in the city's next mayoral election. The right to vote in a presidential election is not on the wish list: New York proponents say immigrants just want a voice on local issues ranging from sewer improvements to public school construction for everyone who pays local taxes. A similar movement is percolating on the West Coast. Immigrant groups in San Francisco are researching how they could change state and local law...

At first glance, it may seem a long shot in an era of orange alerts and stepped-up border patrols. But quietly and carefully, elected officials, labor unions and community groups are starting to push the notion of allowing legal immigrants who are not United States citizens to vote in New York City elections. Supporters say it is not an outlandish proposition. They point out that even without citizenship, legal immigrants pay taxes, send their children to public schools and serve in the military. Noncitizens in many states were allowed to vote in local, state and even Congressional elections as recently...

<p>COSTA MESA, Calif. - Rosario Marin, a Mexican immigrant from a blue-collar family, sees herself as the best weapon California Republicans have against incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.</p> <p>She believes her background can diffuse the two-term senator's strategy of portraying her opponents as right-wing extremists.</p>