State Ballot Initiatives Push Voter ID and Citizen-Only Voting After Federal Ban Overturned
After Senate Republicans could not pass the SAVE America Act, voters in several states will decide ballot measures that impose voter-ID rules and ban non-citizen voting, following a federal judge’s ruling that the 1996 ban was unconstitutional.
Senate Republicans were unable to enact the SAVE America Act, which sought to mandate photo identification and citizenship verification for federal elections, leading advocacy groups to turn to state ballot initiatives. Measures in Arizona and California combine ID requirements with efforts to verify citizenship, while Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia propose outright bans on non-citizen voting, many embedding the restriction in state constitutions.
Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio will present only voter-ID proposals to voters. The surge follows a recent decision by U.S. District Judge David S. Leibowitz, who ruled the 1996 federal ban on non-citizen voting unconstitutional, emphasizing state authority over voter qualifications. Since 2012, voter-ID initiatives have passed in ten states and failed in three, and citizen-only voting measures have succeeded in fifteen states since 2018. Advocates like Jack Tomczak of Americans for Citizen Voting see the state measures as a stepping stone toward a constitutional amendment, while opponents warn of potential restrictions on mail-in voting and other voting methods.
Why it matters
State votes could reshape who can vote in federal elections after a federal ban was struck down.
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