Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Joint Resolution to Ban Non-Citizens from Voting in Elections

By The Blog Source

On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a joint resolution calling for a change to the state constitution that would explicitly prohibit non-citizens from casting ballots. When the proposed constitutional amendment is put on the ballot in November, Texas voters will have the last word.

In a video uploaded to X, Governor Abbott defined the resolution as a step to "strengthen election integrity" and stated that it "makes it crystal clear" that only citizens of the United States are eligible to vote in Texas.

Republican State Senator Brian Birdwell introduced Senate Joint Resolution 37, which expands the list of people currently prohibited from voting under the state constitution to include "persons who are not citizens of the United States." After passing both houses of the Texas Legislature, the resolution will be put on the ballot for ultimate ratification by Texans in November.

A joint resolution that pushes a constitutional amendment to clearly indicate that only U.S. citizens may vote in Texas elections was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday. In a video message posted on X, Abbott stated, "I just approved a joint resolution to make it obvious in the Texas Constitution that if you are not a citizen of the United States of America, you are not allowed to vote in Texas."

In January, Republican State Senator Brian Birdwell introduced the resolution, which was formally known as Senate Joint Resolution 37. By changing the state constitution to specifically forbid non-citizens from voting, it aims to strengthen and define voting requirements. The law already prohibits voting for individuals under the age of 18, convicted felons, and those deemed mentally unfit. The proposal put out by Birdwell suggests including non-citizens on that list.

The bill was approved by the House of Representatives in May after passing the Texas Senate in April. With Abbott's signature, Texas voters will now have the final say in the proposed amendment during the November general election.

This state-level measure coincides with a larger national discussion over citizenship restrictions and election integrity. A federal judge only last month halted parts of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 25th that attempted to require evidence of citizenship to register to vote. Two elements of the order, one mandating agencies to determine applicants' citizenship status and the other demanding modifications to federal voter registration forms, were deemed to have gone beyond executive power by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

According to the Voting Rights Lab, legislation pertaining to voter citizenship verification is now being considered in 25 states, including Texas. 15 state constitutions already contain provisions that prohibit non-citizens from casting ballots in elections.

The amendment would place Texas among states with some of the most explicit constitutional wording on the matter if voters in the state adopt it in November.

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