Texas voters approve ban on noncitizens voting in state elections

Texas residents voted to overwhelmingly approve a ballot proposition on Tuesday that will amend the state constitution to include a ban against noncitizens voting in state elections.

According to Ballotpedia, nearly 72 percent of voters in Texas voted in favor of Proposition 16. Ballotpedia noted that Proposition 16 was titled, “The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.”

Texas Senate Joint Resolution 37, which proposed the ballot proposition, states that the Texas Constitution will be changed to include “persons who are not citizens of the United States” in the list of people who are prohibited from voting in the state.

In an argument supporting the ballot measure, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) said, “This Joint Resolution proposes a constitutional amendment that makes it crystal clear that if you are not a United States citizen, you’re not allowed to vote in Texas.”

Texas Policy Research explained that Proposition 16 “affirms individual liberty and limited government by clearly tying voting rights to citizenship and civic responsibility” and “acts as a constitutional safeguard with minimal fiscal impact, reinforcing electoral integrity and state sovereignty.”

While the election code in Texas already states that a person must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for voter registration, The Post Millennial reported that the amendment to the state constitution will now make it much harder for lawmakers to change the U.S. citizenship requirement for voting in future elections. The outlet noted that a change to the citizenship requirement for voting in Texas would require a two-thirds vote in the state legislature and the approval of voters in another constitutional amendment ballot initiative.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, following Tuesday’s election, Abbott announced, “It is now in our Constitution that only US citizens can vote in Texas elections.”

According to The Post Millennial, the constitutional amendment prohibiting noncitizens from voting in elections in Texas comes as multiple states have passed similar amendments to protect the integrity of elections across the United States. The outlet noted that 14 states have passed constitutional amendments to require U.S. citizenship for voting in state and local elections. Additionally, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections.