Eight states to vote on noncitizen voter bans

Election integrity groups have put citizen-only measures on the ballots in eight states this year.

The states are generally GOP friendly and the proposed changes are usually small, strengthening existing bans to try to head off wily legal challenges or to hamstring any municipalities that might try to let noncitizens vote in their local contests.

The measures could also help gin up extra turnout, experts said.

States with noncitizen ballot questions are Idaho, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kentucky and both Carolinas.

Jack Tomczak, vice president of outreach at Americans for Citizen Voting, said most people think voting is already reserved for citizens, but the ballot initiatives are a reinforcement.

“Right now, only 12 states reserve the right to vote for only U.S. citizens,” he said. “In the 38 states that do not reserve the right to vote for only U.S. citizens, there is a path to legal noncitizen voting in cities.”

Immigrant rights groups complain that the measures could stigmatize newly naturalized voters and suggest noncitizen voting is a bigger issue than the numbers indicate.

Federal law makes it illegal for noncitizens to cast ballots in national elections.

But states can set their own rules for their local affairs, and some have taken a permissive approach, letting cities expand their voting pools.

In California, Oakland and San Francisco allow some noncitizens to vote in school board elections as long as they’re parents or guardians of children.

Three cities in Vermont and 13 cities in Maryland also allow noncitizen voting. Among the 13 is Takoma Park, where noncitizen voting has been practiced for over 30 years.

The District of Columbia is the most expansive, allowing any resident in the city for at least 30 days to register and cast ballots on local matters. That includes illegal immigrants.

Voter integrity groups challenged the policy but lost in federal court.

Santa Ana, California, hopes to join the anything-goes list this year. The city asks voters to approve noncitizen voting for all local municipal elections.

“They pay taxes, own homes and property, run local businesses, work and raise families in Santa Ana. They should be able to vote for city officials who make decisions that impact their daily lives,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said in urging a “Yes” vote on the ballot measure.

New York has a ballot question that some legal experts have said could create an opening for noncitizen voting. Proposition 1 would add “national origin” to the state’s protective classes.

When citizen-only voting measures are put to voters, they usually pass overwhelmingly.

Ohio and Louisiana approved them in 2022 with three-quarters of voters in favor. Florida, Alabama and Colorado approved measures in the 2020 election, with votes ranging from 63% in favor in Colorado to 79% in Florida.