Voters in five states have overwhelmingly approved ballot measures that bar noncitizens from casting ballots. The initiatives passed in Kansas, Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota, and West Virginia, with support levels exceeding 60 percent in each jurisdiction. These state-level actions occur despite existing federal law that already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The new measures serve to clarify or explicitly codify citizenship requirements for state and local races.
The results have been highlighted by election integrity advocates as strong evidence for the push to require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration. Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, noted that these bans enjoy overwhelming bipartisan support. He told Fox News Digital that the popularity of such measures is clear, citing a 2024 Gallup poll. That survey found that 83 percent of Americans support requiring first-time voters to provide proof of citizenship, a figure that includes 66 percent of Democrats.
The victories align with the broader political agenda of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who have long argued for stricter citizenship verification. This state-level momentum comes as the conservative-majority Supreme Court prepares to review a related dispute involving Arizona. The case will determine whether a state can require proof of citizenship on its voter registration form and remove suspected noncitizens from the rolls before an election. A ruling in this matter could significantly influence how states enforce citizenship requirements nationwide.
Not all related measures were successful. In California, Proposition 39 was defeated by a margin of roughly 17 percentage points, with 58.5 percent voting against it and 41.4 percent in favor. The measure would have required voter ID and additional citizenship-verification procedures. Snead attributed the defeat in part to the political environment in California, where elected leadership has been openly hostile to the idea. He also noted that the left poured more than $30 million into the campaign to defeat the measure.
Arizona also saw a related ballot measure fail. According to Snead, the Arizona proposal was broader legislation that included several provisions beyond noncitizen voting, which may have contributed to its loss. These state-level outcomes follow failed efforts in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The act became a major flashpoint, with Republicans and Democrats sparring over whether to attach it to a budget reconciliation package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that Republicans lacked the necessary votes to pass the SAVE America Act. Democrats, meanwhile, argued that the bill would disenfranchise eligible voters. The legislation also contributed to a prolonged standoff during a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, as Trump’s effort to tie the bill to department funding created a significant political obstacle.
Hans von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission and senior legal fellow of Advancing American Freedom, criticized the Democratic Party for being divorced from its voters. He argued that Democrats took a 90-10 issue and turned it into a highly politicized fight. Snead agreed, stating that the left is far out of step with the American public and should be answering questions about their opposition to a measure favored by 90 percent of the population.
Snead emphasized that only citizens should vote in American elections, asserting that free and fair elections are decided only by American citizens. However, Spakovsky warned that the newly passed state provisions may prove ineffective unless states are allowed to verify voters’ citizenship. He pointed to the upcoming Supreme Court case, Republican National Committee v. Mi Familia Vota, which will decide if federal law prevents Arizona from requiring documentary proof of citizenship.
Snead argued that the current system of checking a box on a federal form has been insufficient. He cited recent arrests by the Justice Department and failures in New Jersey’s automatic voter registration system, which added 6,600 noncitizens to the rolls, with almost 400 of them voting. Spakovsky noted that a ruling in favor of Arizona would only apply to future registrations. He expressed concern that Democrats might defund the SAVE database at the Department of Homeland Security to prevent states from using it to check the citizenship of already registered voters.
Snead applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to expand states’ access to the SAVE database, calling the previous process cumbersome. He voiced concerns that Democrats will try to defund the entire system or pass legislation to prevent its use for cleaning up voter rolls. He concluded that the political landscape is moving toward a point where it is fair to ask why Democrats are actively pushing for noncitizen voting.
