WI Eligibility To Vote Referendum: Voters Decide Proposed Amendment

MADISON, WI — On Tuesday, Wisconsinites selected candidates for federal, state, and local offices, choosing leaders for roles as high-profile as the U.S. presidency and as community-focused as the school board.

Alongside candidate selections, voters weighed in on a proposed state constitutional amendment aiming to clarify that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in Wisconsin elections.

The proposal was passed by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate.

It needs a majority of "yes" votes to pass into law.

The question appeared as follows:

Eligibility to vote. 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?

Yes

No

It's already the case that only citizens may vote in Wisconsin, but supporters of the Republican-backed proposal argue that the new language is necessary as a preventative measure against potential future efforts to allow noncitizen voting.

• For full coverage of the election in Wisconsin, go here.

Wisconsin's state constitution currently says that "every" U.S. citizen 18 and older may vote. But if the proposed amendment is approved, it would say that "only" U.S. citizens may vote.

"We’re doing it to protect your rights as a citizen. We’re doing it to protect your right to vote," Wisconsin Republican state Sen. Julian Bradley said at a news conference hosted by the Americans For Citizen Voting.

The same group has organized similar efforts in seven other states, NBC News reported, including Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

But opponents in Wisconsin say the measure only serves to gin up fear around immigration and election security.

"The constitutional amendment appearing on the November ballot is yet another attempt by Republican politicians to insert Donald Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories about his 2020 loss into Wisconsin’s constitution," Joe Oslund, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director, told Patch.

"Wisconsin Democrats are encouraging folks to vote no on this unnecessary constitutional amendment."

Wisconsin voters have already rejected two Republican-authored ballot measures this year. In the August primary, they voted against proposals that would have limited the governor’s authority to spend federal funds allocated to the state, such as disaster relief.

The Wisconsin GOP did not respond a request for comment and we will update this story if and when we hear back.