(The Center Square) – A significant majority of Missourians support an amendment on the November ballot that would ban noncitizens from voting in any elections in the state, according to the latest polling.
Existing state law allows only U.S. citizens to vote in Missouri elections, but if voters approve Amendment 7, the “Only Citizens Vote and Only Vote Once Amendment,” the ban on noncitizens from voting would be enshrined in the state’s constitution.
Polling conducted by Public Opinion Strategies on the amendment shows 68% of Missouri voters favor the amendment to just 28% who oppose. And 81% of voters support making Missouri’s Constitution consistent with state law by only allowing citizens of the United States to vote, pollsters say.
“I am a first-generation American, and I worked hard to pursue the American Dream and earn the opportunity to become a citizen,” State Treasurer Vivek Malek said in a statement. “The right to vote and participate in our elections is fundamental to our republic, and that is why we need to pass the Only Citizens Vote and Only Vote Once Amendment.”
The survey results show support for Amendment 7 is strong throughout Missouri among all demographics, pollsters say, including 57% of minority voters, and 60% of first or second-generation naturalized citizen voters.
Even though federal law bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections, At least 19 cities in four U.S. states – California, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., – allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Amendment 7 is, in part, meant to prevent Missouri cities from allowing noncitizens to vote.
Amendment 7, if approved, also would prohibit ranked choice voting, and require the plurality winner of a political party primary to be the single candidate at a general election.
“We need Amendment 7 to secure our elections in Missouri,” Lt. Gov. and Republican nominee for governor Mike Kehoe said in a statement. “Immigrants who lawfully become naturalized citizens have worked very hard to achieve their right to participate in our elections. I’m proud to endorse this commonsense measure because it respects the efforts of countless individuals who truly understand the gift that it means to be an American citizen, and I ask Missourians to join me in ensuring its passage on November 5th.”
The September 2024 poll surveyed 600 registered Missouri voters and has a margin of error of 4.0%.