Voters in six states will decide on November 3 whether to amend their state constitutions or laws to mandate U.S. citizenship as a requirement for voting. These ballot measures, appearing in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Alaska, reflect a broader push to address concerns about noncitizen voting, a focus amplified by former President Donald Trump's claims of widespread fraud.
Federal and state laws already prohibit noncitizens from voting in federal and statewide elections. However, proponents of these amendments argue that codifying citizenship requirements into state law or constitutions offers a more permanent safeguard against potential changes by future legislatures. "Law can change, as we know,” said West Virginia state Sen. Patricia Rucker, a Republican. "This proposed amendment would ensure that no future legislature could just simply change the election law with only a bill."
Currently, no state constitution explicitly includes a citizenship requirement for voting. The amendments aim to create a more robust legal framework to prevent noncitizens from participating in elections.
Concerns have also been raised regarding local elections in several cities and the District of Columbia that permit noncitizens to vote. Supporters of the amendments contend that such local exceptions could create loopholes that might eventually impact state or federal elections. "There's nothing that magically stops those bad ideas at that state's borders," said Arkansas state Rep. David Ray.
However, voting-rights advocates and civil rights organizations warn that these measures, along with potential proof-of-citizenship requirements for registration, could inadvertently disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters. "Rather than strengthening democracy, [the amendments are] a political maneuver designed to justify future rollbacks of voting rights," stated Rashane Hamby of the ACLU of Kansas.
An estimated 21.3 million Americans, or 9% of all eligible voters, may face difficulties readily presenting documentation to prove their citizenship. This can be due to misplaced records, financial constraints preventing the replacement of lost documents, name changes, or clerical errors in state databases, according to a 2025 study by the University of Maryland. The U.S. State Department reported in 2023 that only 48% of Americans possess a valid passport.
Advocates for stricter documentation also point to public opinion, with a Gallup poll indicating that 83% of Americans believe first-time voters should provide documentation to prove their eligibility. Despite these sentiments, federal law already requires voters to attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury when registering.
Individuals with complex personal histories or those facing economic hardship may find it particularly challenging to meet new documentation demands. Symmone Ford, a Gulf War veteran in Michigan with PTSD, described the potential difficulty of obtaining necessary documents due to financial constraints and a name mismatch on her birth certificate from past marriages. "I can’t afford the money for a lawyer to change my name. I barely have enough to pay my bills," Ford said.
Efforts by former President Trump and his allies to implement a nationwide proof-of-citizenship standard have previously stalled in Congress and faced legal challenges when attempted via executive order. The U.S. Supreme Court has historically rejected proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voter registration forms and is expected to rule on a significant case from Arizona that could determine whether states can mandate such proof for state-level elections.
Data on noncitizen voting suggests such instances are rare. In Michigan's 2024 general election, the state attorney general identified 38 credible cases of noncitizen voting out of approximately 5.7 million votes cast. This represented about 0.0000066% of the total votes. Many states reported no cases of noncitizen voting in recent elections, and no coordinated efforts to encourage noncitizen voting have been uncovered.