A majority of voters in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin passed the constitutional amendments.
Voters in eight states have approved Republican-sponsored constitutional amendments that would clearly state how only American citizens have the right to vote in elections, NBC News projected.
A majority of voters in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin passed the constitutional amendments that bans non-citizens from voting in local and state elections.
Those opposed to the amendments say the action is unnecessary and only fuels what they say is an inaccurate concern that non-citizens are voting in sufficient numbers to sway elections. Although all states prohibit non-citizens from voting in state and federal elections, some municipal governments are encouraging non-citizens to vote at that level. Supporters of the amendments say they are necessary because non-citizens have been known to vote in jurisdictions where they are prohibited from doing so. Virginia had to appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal court sided with the Biden-Harris administration to force the state to allow non-citizens to vote.
The amendments passed in Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin correct any vagaries in the current legislation by specifically noting that “only” citizens are entitled to vote instead of affirming that “every citizen” or “all citizens” possess that right. Idaho and Kentucky have opted to insert the line “no person who is not a citizen of the United States” can vote into their state constitutions.
Critics of the changes do not say how any reiteration that only citizens can vote could create problems or generate any misunderstanding, especially given the vast numbers of illegal immigrants who have entered the United States in the last four years and could now face deportation under the coming administration of President Donald Trump.
The Republican National Committee’s election integrity campaign also flagged the potential for non-citizens attempting to vote in the 2024 presidential and Congressional elections. Several states were busy removing the names of non-citizens from their voter rolls in anticipation of the election while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is promoting legislation that would make it mandatory to provide substantiated ID and proof of citizenship in order to vote.
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