Madison Reporter

A constitutional amendment that would allow only United States citizens to vote in elections held in Wisconsin is one step closer to becoming law after it advanced in the State House in late February. 

The so-called "Only Citizens Voting Amendment" or Senate Joint Resolution 32 is a proposal aimed at adjusting the Wisconsin Constitution to clarify only U.S. citizens are eligible to participate in the Badger State.

"Citizenship is a cornerstone of democracy. That’s why it’s absurd liberal cities are letting non-citizens vote in their elections," Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna), Assembly Majority Leader, wrote in a Facebook post. "Today, the state Assembly passed my constitutional amendment to prevent that from happening here. We must do all we can to protect this important right."

The resolution was sponsored by Steineke and state Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton). It advanced in the State Assembly with a 60-35 vote with four paired votes, according to the legislative website. One Democrat, Rep. Steve Doyle of Onalaska joined Republicans in support of the resolution. The resolution previously advanced in the state Senate with a 21-12 vote in January. 

According to a press release, the amendment was introduced after other municipalities, including New York City, gave 800,000 noncitizens the right to vote in elections.

“Some have lost confidence in Wisconsin’s elections,” Steineke said in a press release. “The reforms passed today will bring ease to the minds of these voters and let them be confident in the results of elections moving forward.” 

According to the text of SJR32, constitutional amendments proposed in the Wisconsin legislature must be passed by "two successive legislatures" and then sent before the voters in the form of a statewide referendum before it is enacted. 

In 1996, U.S. Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which banned noncitizens from voting in federal elections for president, Congress or U.S. Senate. The law did not address whether or not noncitizens could participate in state or local elections. 

State by state, legal language isn't as clear cut. For example, the Maryland Constitution states that "every citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 years or upwards, who is a resident of the State as of the time for the closing of registration next preceding the election, shall be entitled to vote in the ward or election district in which the citizen resides at all elections to be held in this State." But several municipalities have extended voting rights to noncitizens too. 

Ballotpedia also highlighted that some states, including Colorado, have passed amendments clarifying the citizen voting language. The language in Colorado's Amendment 76, or the Citizenship Requirement for Voting Initiative, was changed from "every citizen" can vote in Colorado to "only a citizen" can vote. It was approved by voters in 2020 with 63% of the vote.