Citizen-only voting amendment will be on the South Carolina 2024 ballot

Voters in South Carolina will have the opportunity to add an amendment to the state constitution that would allow only American citizens to vote in state elections. 

The amendment is titled "The Citizens Only Voting Amendment" and it was passed by the South Carolina House of Representatives 105-0 earlier this week. 

Last month, the Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 40-3. South Carolina voters will be able to vote on the amendment in November of this year. 

“Today South Carolina took an important step forward in defending the value of citizenship,” Senator Josh Kimbrell said, according to Legal Newsline. “We will never allow a non-citizen to vote in any election in our state, but we will make it easy for legal, law-abiding citizens of the United States and of our state to vote in all our elections. Citizenship matters, and this vote proves that point.”

He added that this isn't a partisan issue and is something that every South Carolinian should agree on.

While federal law makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, cities across the country, including New York, Washington and several cities in Vermont, have voted to legalize voting for foreign citizens. Cities in California, Illinois and Maryland allow foreign citizens to vote based on loopholes in their constitutions, according to Legal Newsline. 

A group called Americans for Citizen Voting, which tracks this issue across the country, came out in support of the amendment.  

“This is a tremendous victory for the citizens of South Carolina,” ACV President Avi McCullah stated.