CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Early voting in North Carolina starts Thursday, Oct. 17, and as many people fill out their ballots, they will see a question on there to add a citizens-only voting amendment.
Voters in North Carolina will see this constitutional amendment on their ballot. This is what it reads:
"Constitutional amendment to provide that only a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age and otherwise possesses the qualifications for voting shall be entitled to vote at any election in this state."
You can vote for or against it, but some people are confused about this amendment and are asking for clarity.
OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
First, it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal and state elections.
"Currently, in North Carolina law and federal law only U.S. citizens can vote," Dickerson said. "Non-U.S. citizens are not able to vote in our elections."
The 14th Amendment requires people to be born or naturalized in the United States to vote. The current North Carolina Constitution states every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized and is 18 years of age as long as they meet the qualifications can vote.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a “naturalized” citizen is someone who moved here and became a citizen. If approved, the amendment would take out the word naturalized.
But those who are naturalized are already citizens, so they would still be able to vote. However, there are concerns from some groups that it could cause confusion.
But for now, we wanted to make it clear that yes right now it is illegal if you are not a citizen of the United States to vote.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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