Elections
Voters in Multiple States Approve Measures Prohibiting Noncitizen Voting
Many lessons were learned on election night, at least for those who are willing to listen. Among the most pivotal addresses voter integrity. Voters across the United States turned out in force to weigh in on voting rights and election integrity in state ballot measures, with particular focus on the contentious issue of noncitizen voting.
In every state where voters were asked to decide on prohibiting noncitizens from voting, the measures passed with significant majorities. The results reveal a strong consensus across the states, with approval rates all exceeding 62%. The Center Square gives the details:
– South Carolina led with the highest support, with 86% voting in favor of the ban.
– Oklahoma (81%), North Carolina (77.6%), Iowa (76%), and Missouri (68%) also saw overwhelming majorities in support.
– Wisconsin (70%), Idaho (65%), and Kentucky (62%) similarly passed measures to restrict voting to U.S. citizens only.
These ballot measures reflect a growing trend among states to explicitly prohibit noncitizen voting, a policy that has gained traction since Congress passed a 1996 law banning noncitizen voting in federal elections for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and presidency. However, federal law does not extend to state and local elections, leaving the decision to individual states.
While all state constitutions require U.S. citizenship for voting, laws regarding noncitizen voting vary at the state level. Some states explicitly prohibit noncitizen voting in state and local elections, including Arizona, North Dakota, Georgia, Florida, and Ohio. However, a few jurisdictions, such as parts of California, Maryland, and Vermont, have allowed noncitizen voting in certain local elections, prompting states to seek clearer, uniform policies.
The push to restrict noncitizen voting has intensified in recent years, with Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio all enacting bans from 2018 to 2022. This year’s decisive votes in eight additional states signal that the trend is likely to continue.
In Iowa, voters also approved a measure permitting 17-year-olds to participate in primary elections if they will be 18 by the time of the general election, aligning with similar policies in other states that aim to engage younger voters.
Missouri voters passed a measure prohibiting ranked-choice voting, while Nevada enacted a requirement for voter identification with 74% support, underscoring voter concerns over ballot security.
Meanwhile, Connecticut passed a measure by 57% authorizing laws for no-excuse absentee voting, aiming to expand voter access while balancing concerns over election security.
The conversation around these ballot initiatives reflects ongoing tensions around election policy and state sovereignty in election law. The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted an emergency stay in Virginia to keep noncitizens off voter rolls, a decision expected to influence similar cases nationally as states prepare for the 2024 presidential election.
In November, president-elect Donald Trump announced on social media that he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico if they do not take an active role in containing illegal immigration as well as the level of illicit drugs entering into the United States.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, after which the Canadian government vowed to secure the border. “We got, I think, a mutual understanding of what they’re concerned about in terms of border security,” Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc, who accompanied Trudeau at Mar-a-Largo, said of the meeting in an interview with Canadian media. “All of their concerns are shared by Canadians and by the government of Canada.”
“We talked about the security posture currently at the border that we believe to be effective, and we also discussed additional measures and visible measures that we’re going to put in place over the coming weeks,” LeBlanc continued. “And we also established, Rosemary, a personal series of rapport that I think will continue to allow us to make that case.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is preparing to beef up its immigration enforcement capabilities by hiring more staff, adding more vehicles and creating more processing facilities, in the chance that there is an immigration surge sparked by Trump’s presidential election victory. The moves are a change in direction from Trudeau’s public declaration in January 2017 that Canada was a “welcoming” country and that “diversity is our strength” just days after Trump was sworn into office the first time.
The Daily Caller notes the differences in response from the Canadian government verses Mexico’s:
Trudeau’s recent overtures largely differ from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has indicated she is not willing to bend the knee to Trump’s tariff threats. The Mexican leader in November said “there will be a response in kind” to any tariff levied on Mexican goods going into the U.S., and she appeared to deny the president-elect’s claims that she agreed to do more to beef up border security in a recent phone call.
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