CNN
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Even though it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, voters in eight mostly Republican states this year passed ballot measures aimed at requiring U.S. citizenship to vote. It has been decided.
The ballot measures in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin come on the heels of House Republicans passing bills with similar goals this summer that Donald Trump The move comes as the former president and his allies stoke voter fear. Pre-election fraud.
CNN fact-checked Republican claims of widespread non-citizen voting and found that there were only a small number of cases in which non-citizens voted when they were not eligible to vote. In a recent example, prosecutors in Michigan charged a Chinese national who allegedly voted in the 2024 election with voter fraud and perjury.
Here are the non-referendum state ballot measures that voters are deciding:
The Idaho Constitution states that “any citizen of the United States, male or female” who meets certain age and residency requirements is eligible to vote in the state.
Idaho’s voting bill calls for amending the state constitution to include a line that would prohibit noncitizens from voting in any elections in the state.
While some municipalities around the country, such as Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in certain local elections, there are none in Idaho.
Iowa’s ballot measure would address non-referendum voting as part of a broader amendment to update the voting age in the state constitution to reflect federal standards.
The Iowa Constitution currently sets the voting age at 21, despite complying with the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which set the voting age at 18.
If passed, the proposed constitutional amendment would change the language to say only “citizens of the United States 18 years of age or older” and residents of the state could vote, changing both the age and the word “only.” . It’s not “all the people” but “the people.”
Kentucky’s voting bill proposes adding a clause to the state constitution stating that “no person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be permitted to vote in this state.”
The article in the Kentucky Constitution that the bill seeks to amend already lists citizenship as one of the requirements for voting.
If Missouri’s 7th Ballot Amendment passes, it would amend the state constitution to state that “only citizens of the United States” may vote in elections.
Currently, the state constitution states that “all citizens of the United States” and residents of Missouri over the age of 18 “have the right to vote in all elections.”
If approved, the amendment would also make ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates by preference, illegal.
A Republican supermajority in the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill to introduce a ballot amendment that would change a provision in the state constitution that enumerates voting requirements.
The state constitution currently states that “all persons born and naturalized in the United States” may vote in North Carolina, provided they are 18 years of age or older and a resident. If the ballot measure is successful, the language would be changed to say “only U.S. citizens” who meet other requirements can vote.
Oklahoma’s voting bill proposes changing the state constitution to specify that only “all” residents of the state who are 18 years of age or older are “eligible” to vote.
The bill was placed on the ballot after the Republican-dominated Oklahoma State Legislature voted to advance the bill.
South Carolina’s voting bill aims to amend the state constitution to say only “duly registered citizens of the United States and this state” who are 18 years of age or older can vote.
The state constitution currently states that “all citizens” can vote if other requirements are met.
The state’s Republican-led Legislature passed a bill to put the measure on the ballot.
Wisconsin’s Republican-led Legislature has voted to add a noncitizen voting measure to the November ballot to amend the state constitution.
The Wisconsin Constitution currently states that “all citizens of the United States” who are 18 years of age or older and a resident can vote. The ballot measure proposes changing the language to say people can vote “only” if they meet other requirements.
CNN’s Claire Foran, Hayley Talbot and Daniel Dale contributed to this report.
