Statewide referendum requiring citizenship to vote easily passes

WISCONSIN (Civic Media) – A statewide referendum on a proposed state constitutional amendment banning non-citizens from voting in local, state, or federal elections passed in Wisconsin on Tuesday.

The measure, which was written by Republicans, easily passed, according to unofficial election night returns.

The Associated Press called the referendum result at 9:42 p.m.

While federal law already prevents non-citizens from voting in elections, conservatives have frequently pointed to the idea of fraudulent voting affecting elections.

Shall section 1 of article III of the constitution, which deals with suffrage, be amended to provide that only a United States citizen age 18 or older who resides in an election district may vote in an election for national, state, or local office or at a statewide or local referendum?

Wisconsin Fall 2024 Ballot Measure

Wisconsin Republican legislative members took up the issue and put it on the statewide ballot, largely citing that there’s no established system by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to prevent non-citizens from voting in elections.

Action was spurred by the fact some cities began allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections.

Wisconsin IDs needed for voting already ask for proof of citizenship, but the state’s Department of Transportation said that its database isn’t a reliable measure to check for citizenship because it doesn’t get up-to-date information on the status of people holding state-issued IDs.

With the ballot measure passed, the state’s constitution will be updated to require citizenship to vote in any election.

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Information from Votebeat was used in this article.