On Tuesday, thousands of residents in Washington, DC cast their ballots in the district’s local elections. For the first time, however, noncitizens were also allowed to vote, following the implementation of a new law extending voting rights in local elections to noncitizens.

The Local Resident Voting Rights Act permits noncitizens to vote in local elections if they have resided in the jurisdiction for at least 30 days, meet age and competency requirements, and have not registered to vote elsewhere in the country. However, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996 still bars noncitizens from participating in state and federal elections.

The DC Board of Elections allowed noncitizens to verify their residency using various documents.

According to the Washington Post, as of Tuesday, over 500 noncitizens in the nation’s capital had registered to vote. Among them, 310 registered as Democrats, 169 as independents, and just 28 as Republicans. An additional 16 registered with the Green Party.

A total of six City Council seats were contested, including those for Ward 2, Ward 4, Ward 7, Ward 8, and two At-large seats. These were the only races in which noncitizens could vote. Meanwhile, citizens had the opportunity to vote in several primary elections, including those for US House non-voting delegate, US Senate shadow senator, and US House shadow representative.

DC’s decision to extend voting rights in municipal elections to noncitizens has been met with significant criticism. In May, the House voted to block the law, but it still requires Senate approval before it can be enforced. In the meantime, several politicians at both the state and federal levels have voiced their opposition.