AUSTIN – A proposal to tighten the Texas Constitution and to keep localities from allowing non-citizens to vote goes before voters this November.
The state Legislature passed the proposal this summer to put Proposition 16 on the fall general election ballot.
Americans for Citizen Voting, an advocacy group supporting the measure, has announced it is kicking off a campaign across the Lone Star state this fall.
Kolean
“We’ll be talking to voters in events in Dallas, Austin, Houston and other cities across Texas to make them aware that voting for Proposition 16 ends any chance that non-citizens will be voting in Texas elections,” said Charlie Kolean, Texas state director for ACV.
The ACV campaign will also include a digital media buy to raise awareness with voters.
“A ‘Yes’ vote on Proposition 16 finally makes it official: only United States citizens can vote in Texas,” Kolean said. “This amendment doesn’t change the law — it strengthens it by putting our commitment to election integrity directly into the state constitution.
“Texas will be joining other states that have already taken this step to ensure our elections are secure and that the sacred right to vote is reserved exclusively for American citizens. If you’re not a citizen, you shouldn’t have a vote. Vote Yes on Prop 16.”
Proposition 16 would amend the Texas Constitution to explicitly state that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in any Texas election. While federal and state law already prohibit non-citizen voting, this measure would make the rule permanent and clear at the constitutional level. The amendment would add noncitizens to the list of persons excluded from voting in Texas found in Section 1, Article 6 of the Texas Constitution.
Supporters say the amendment is about strengthening election integrity and preventing potential future legal challenges to citizen-only voting requirements.
Several other states recently have moved to codify similar language in their constitutions, and Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly expressed support for Prop 16, which is one of the higher-profile issues among the 17 propositions on the Texas ballot this fall.
Since 2018, 14 states have passed similar amendments. Eight of those were passed last year.
Kolean said ACV has worked for three years over two legislative sessions to get this issue on the ballot. He said ACV now plans to cover the state talking to voters to ensure they know why this proposition is important.
“Let’s be clear: This is not a partisan issue,” he said. “This is not left versus right. It’s about Texans versus non-citizens deciding the future of our communities. Loopholes already have opened up the door for non-citizens voting in local elections. We’ve seen it in San Francisco and New York City. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. Prop 16 will close that door in Texas.”
In recent years, Americans for Citizen Voting has worked to have similar measures adopted in states. Currently, 20 states have laws to make sure only American citizens can vote in that state, and several other states are actively considering such legislation. Texas joins Arkansas, Kansas and South Dakota in having passed similar measures this year.
