Six states weigh explicit bans on noncitizen voting

What voters are deciding

Voters in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia are considering ballot measures that would expressly reserve voting for U.S. citizens. The proposals also would prevent cities and other local governments from allowing noncitizens to participate in local contests.

The six measures concern constitutional amendments or other changes to state law. Each state’s voters will decide its proposal separately.

Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. No state allows noncitizens to vote in statewide elections. The main practical question is therefore whether local governments may set different eligibility rules for certain local elections.

Why local authority matters

In recent years, 21 local governments in California, Maryland and Vermont, along with Washington, D.C., have allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections, including certain school board contests.

Many state constitutions say that every citizen or all citizens have the right to vote. That wording has generally been understood as guaranteeing voting rights to citizens, rather than expressly declaring that only citizens may vote. The six proposals would address that distinction by adding an explicit prohibition and limiting local authority.

What happens after the vote

If approved, a measure would establish a clear citizen-only rule in that state and block municipalities from adopting broader local voting eligibility. State and local election officials would then apply the new language to the elections it covers.

If a proposal is rejected, that state’s current framework would remain in place after the election. Similar citizenship-related ballot measures have appeared in other states in recent years.