New York City has a large immigrant population–both legal and illegal. But the Big Apple, America’s melting pot, where Lady Liberty stands on Ellis Island as a beacon to welcome the masses from abroad looking for freedom and a better life, just voted to allow non-citizens to vote in their elections. Citizenship is a legal process. And voting is a sacred civil duty necessary to preserve the freedoms that are the envy of the world. But that appears to no longer be the case in New York. Allowing non-citizens to vote cheapens citizenship and undermines the rule of law. Citizenship is a lengthy process, and when the government disregards the benefits of citizenship, like voting rights, it’s a slap in the face to those who’ve done it the right way.