North Carolina soon could join a host of other states in letting voters decide if only American citizens should be allowed to vote in all state elections.
State Senator Brad Overcash is one of the sponsors of Senate Bill 630 that would put the issue before voters. He said he is optimistic voters will get see it on this fall's general election ballot.
“We need to put this on the ballot to give the voters the chance to bring clarity that only citizens can vote,” Overcash (R-Gaston) told Legal Newsline. “I am confident it will overwhelmingly pass as a Constitutional amendment. The people are overwhelmingly for it.
Overcash
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“We just want to make it crystal clear that only American citizens can vote in North Carolina elections. We don’t want to leave any wiggle room.”
Overcash said he and other GOP senators will discuss the bill as a majority caucus soon.
“I’m confident my colleagues will feel the same way I do,” he said. “I’ve heard no negative feedback from Republican colleagues.”
Earlier this month, South Carolina lawmakers passed a bill putting the issue on this fall’s general election ballot. And in March, Idaho lawmakers passed a similar measure to join Iowa, Kentucky and Wisconsin whose voters will have similar measures on the ballot this November.
Paul Jacob is president of the Americans for Citizens Voting PAC. ACV is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping citizens pass such amendments.
“North Carolina has been a state we’ve been going door to door to connect with voters,” Jacob told Legal Newsline. “A lot of the energy on this issue is naturalized citizens who think this is insane. They worked their butts off to become a citizen so they could vote. They love this country, but now they fear everyone soon will be able to vote.”
Jacob said North Carolina does have a rule that requires municipalities to go to the legislature before they can pass any non-citizen voting measures which, he says, gives lawmakers a chance to shut any such attempt down.
“But it’s still a problem is because it needs to be decided by the people of North Carolina,” Jacob said. “This is the type of issue that belongs in a constitution. They ought to do it for that reason. If a liberal city decides to pass something, there is nothing in the constitution to block them.
“The moment you let the people of North Carolina vote on it, Republican lawmakers don’t have to do any heavy lifting. That vote is going to be 85 percent or more in favor of the amendment.”
A survey conducted earlier this month by Remington Research Group shows just that.
Among likely voters in this fall’s general election, the study shows 89 percent of those surveyed said they believe only U.S. citizens should be allowed to vote in North Carolina elections.
“I think North Carolina is a state that Democrats have targeted,” Jacob said. “It’s the next state they want to turn into a purple or blue state. I think Republicans can hold the state, but they’re going to have to do something like this that’s popular across the board.
“And there is no issue out there better than this. It makes such sense. I’m hopeful they’re going to do it. We’re going to keep talking to them and pushing them in North Carolina. This amendment is a no-brainer in North Carolina.”
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,” AVC President Ava McCullah recently said. “Many people, even legislators, are unaware of this fact.”
If approved by voters, North Carolina – as well as South Carolina, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky and Wisconsin – will join 11 states whose constitutions reserve the right to vote for only citizens of the United States. 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, 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.
In March, 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.