Texans will decide in November whether to add an amendment to their state constitution banning noncitizens from voting.
If approved, the amendment would be added to the constitution’s language prohibiting voting by anyone under the age of 18, for anyone deemed mentally incompetent by a court, and convicted felons, according to Ballotpedia.
In a bipartisan vote, the Texas Legislature approved the measure to go on the November ballot. In November 2024, voters in eight states approved either laws or constitutional amendments to allow only citizens to vote.
In 2026, residents of Arkansas, Kansas, and South Dakota are set vote on whether to adopt constitutional amendments for citizen-only voting, according to Ballotpedia.
The state measures in recent years came in response to several local governments allowing noncitizens to vote in races for city council or school board elections.
My book “The Myth of Suppression” details past instances where noncitizen voting affected the outcome of local elections.
A two-thirds majority in each house of the Texas Legislature is required to place a measure on the ballot. The Senate voted 28-3 in favor of the measure, as eight Democrats joined all of the Republicans. The House followed suit, with a vote of 102-14, as 15 Democrats joined 87 Republicans. The House had 22 members present who didn’t vote and 12 who were absent, according to Ballotpedia.
Texas state Rep. Candy Noble was the House sponsor of the measure.
“I’m very proud to have been the House sponsor of a constitutional amendment that will let the citizens of Texas decide in November whether being a citizen is an important criteria for being able to vote,” Noble said in a social media post. “I know you are going to want to join me in voting for that constitutional amendment in November.”
In 1996, Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, but federal law did not address state or local elections.
The District of Columbia and municipalities in California, Maryland, and Vermont allow noncitizens to vote in elections for local offices.