By Kaanita Iyer, CNN
(CNN) — Voters in eight states, most of them heavily Republican, are deciding on ballot measures this year that aim to require US citizenship to vote – even though it is already illegal for noncitizens to cast ballots in federal elections.
The ballot measures in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin come on the heels of House Republicans passing a bill with a similar goal this summer and as former President Donald Trump and his allies stoke fears of voter fraud ahead of the election.
CNN has fact-checked the Republican allegations of widespread noncitizen voting and found only a tiny number of examples of noncitizens voting in elections when they were ineligible to do so. In one recent example, Michigan prosecutors charged a Chinese citizen with voter fraud and perjury after he allegedly cast a ballot in the 2024 election.
Here are the state ballot measures on noncitizen voting that voters are deciding on:
Idaho
The Idaho Constitution says that “every male or female citizen of the United States” who meets certain age and residency requirements is eligible to vote in the state.
A measure on Idaho’s ballot seeks to amend the state’s constitution to add a sentence stating that noncitizens are barred from voting in any election within the state.
A few municipalities across the country allow noncitizens to vote in certain local elections, including Washington, DC, but none in Idaho.
Iowa
A ballot measure in Iowa addresses noncitizen voting as part of a broader proposed amendment to update the voting age in the state constitution to reflect the federal standard.
Iowa’s constitution currently lists the required age of voting as 21, even though it has been abiding by the 26th Amendment of the US Constitution, which set the voting age at 18.
The proposed constitutional amendment, if passed, would alter the language to say that “only a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years” and only a resident of the state can vote – changing both the age and using the phrase “only a citizen” instead of “every citizen.”
Kentucky
A ballot measure in Kentucky proposes an addition to the state’s constitution stating that “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be allowed to vote in this state.”
The section of the Kentucky Constitution that this measure aims to amend already lists citizenship as one of the requirements to vote.
Missouri
If successful, Amendment 7 on Missouri’s ballot would amend the state’s constitution to say that “only citizens of the United States” can vote in elections.
Currently, the state constitution says, “All citizens of the United States” over the age of 18 and those who reside in Missouri “are entitled to vote at all elections.”
The amendment, if approved, would also outlaw ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.
North Carolina
The North Carolina legislature’s GOP supermajority passed a bill to put forth a ballot amendment that would change the section of the state constitution that lists the requirements to vote.
The state constitution currently says that “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized” can vote in North Carolina, provided they are over the age of 18 and a resident. The ballot measure, if successful, would change the text to say, “only a citizen of the United States” who has met the other requirements may vote.
Oklahoma
A ballot measure in Oklahoma proposes changing the state’s constitution to say that “only” instead of “all” citizens who are residents of the state and over the age of 18 are “qualified” to vote.
The measure landed on the ballot after Oklahoma’s Republican-dominated Legislature voted to advance it.
South Carolina
A ballot measure in South Carolina aims to change the state’s constitution to say that “only a citizen of the United States and of this State” who is at least 18 years of age and “properly registered” can vote.
The state constitution currently says that “every citizen” can vote if the other requirements are met.
The state’s GOP-led Legislature passed a bill to put this measure on the ballot.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s GOP-led legislature voted to add a measure on noncitizen voting on the November ballot that would amend the state’s constitution.
Wisconsin’s constitution currently says that “every United States citizen” who is over the age of 18 and a resident can vote. The ballot measure proposes changing the language to state that “only” citizens can vote if they meet the other requirements.
CNN’s Clare Foran, Haley Talbot and Daniel Dale contributed to this report.
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