The Oklahoma Legislature wants voters to change one word in the state constitution to explicitly forbid noncitizens from participating in state and local elections.
State Question 834, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that appears on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, proposes changing the phrase “all” U.S. citizens may vote in Oklahoma elections to “only” U.S. citizens may vote.
Backers of the amendment, which passed on a party-line vote in the Republican-controlled House and Senate in May, say it’s necessary to protect Oklahoma against court rulings or other official actions that could open the door for noncitizens to vote in nonfederal elections. Opponents contend that the state constitution and law is clear on the issue and the amendment is politically motivated. A handful of municipalities, including New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizen residents with legal status to vote in local races, such as mayoral and city council elections. No states allow noncitizens to vote in state elections and no municipality in Oklahoma has sought to allow noncitizen participation in their elections.
