COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Senate has passed a resolution that would allow citizens to decide whether only American citizens can vote in state elections.
The Citizens Only Voting Amendment passed on a 40-3 vote Thursday afternoon. Senate Joint Resolution 1126 now heads to the South Carolina House of Representatives.
“Today South Carolina took an important step forward in defending the value of citizenship,” Senator Josh Kimbrell, the bill’s author, said. “We will never allow a non-citizen to vote in any election in our state, but we will make it easy for legal, law-abiding citizens of the United States and of our state to vote in all our elections.
“Citizenship matters, and our vote in the Senate this week proves that point.”
According to a March poll by Remington Research Group of likely general election voters, 80% of South Carolina voters support citizens only voting. The poll showed that only 12% of likely voters think citizens of foreign countries should be allowed to vote in South Carolina elections.
“This is a tremendous victory for the citizens of South Carolina,” said Americans for Citizen Voting President Avi McCullah. “The South Carolina Senate came together, regardless of party, for the benefit of all citizens.
“We are hopeful that the bipartisan spirit of (the) Senate vote carries over to the House. Voters in both parties are paying attention and are looking for politicians who prioritize the citizens of South Carolina.”
Last month, Idaho lawmakers passed a similar measure to join Iowa, Kentucky and Wisconsin whose voters will have similar measures on the ballot this November.
In recent years, city councils in New York, Washington and three cities in Vermont have voted to legalize foreign citizen voting. They join cities in California, Illinois and Maryland that, because of a loophole in their state constitutions, also allow foreign citizens to vote.
“Most state constitutions do not specifically prohibit foreign citizen voting. Many people, even legislators, are unaware of this fact,” McCullah said. “This November, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky and Wisconsin will join the 11 states whose constitutions reserve the right to vote for only citizens of the United States.
“But that’s not all, COVA is working through the legislative process in about 10 states right now. This November, citizens in many other states will be voting for COVA and protecting the citizens’ right to vote.”
Americans for Citizen Voting is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping citizens pass such amendments.
In recent years, the following states have passed these amendments: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio and North Dakota. Similar efforts are underway in Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.
And a delegate in the Virginia General Assembly introduced legislation earlier this year that would require Virginia residents to prove U.S. citizenship when registering to vote by providing a birth certificate, passport or naturalization documents.
Just last month, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and state Senate President Craig Blair said they want to see the issue on the agenda for a planned special session after the legislation stalled during the regular session that ended earlier this month.