COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio voters on Nov. 8 will vote on whether to approve Issue 2, an amendment to the state Constitution that would prohibit a person to vote in local elections if they are not a United States citizen.
The proposal would change the language in the Ohio Constitution so that “only a citizen of the United States” can vote at any state or local election held in the state. It also reads that local governments would be prohibited “from allowing a person to vote in local elections if they are not legally qualified to vote in state elections.”
Currently, the Ohio Constitution allows every U.S. citizen to vote if they meet the following qualifications:
- Being at least 18 years of age
- Being a resident of the state, county, township or wards
- Having been registered to vote for 30 days
- Having the qualifications of an elector
If passed, Ohio could join the handful of states – Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and North Dakota – that have amended its state’s constitution to only let U.S. citizens vote in elections.
Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose says he is in support of Issue 2, stating that American elections are only for American citizens.
“This is a smart preventative measure that will provide the certainty needed to ensure this right is protected for Ohioans,” he said in a statement.
LaRose’s support for Issue 2 comes years after efforts from an Ohio village to allow people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in local elections.
In 2019, the Village of Yellow Springs near Dayton voted in favor of a referendum to let people who are not U.S. citizens vote in local elections. LaRose argued that the rule violated both state and the U.S. constitutions and directed the Greene County Board of Elections not to accept any voter registrations from noncitizens and to cancel the voter registrations.
Village leaders disagreed, said City Council President Brian Housh, but they didn’t have the resources to mount a legal challenge. They would have argued that expanding voting to noncitizens falls within Yellow Springs’ rights to home rule and local control, he said.
Rep. Bill Seitz, one of the co-sponsors, said polling overwhelmingly shows that most Americans believe that only properly registered U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections.
"Federal law explicitly so provides for federal elections. But nothing in Ohio’s Constitution guarantees that non-citizens cannot vote in state or local elections," he said. "That—and nothing more—is what Issue 2 is all about: amending our Constitution to say that only properly registered citizens may vote in state and local elections."
Opponents of the proposal argue that Issue 2 threatens the voting freedom of U.S. Citizens.
In a joint statement, Representatives Bishara Addison, Juanita Brent, Tavia Galonski and Michael Skindell say the amendment would prevent 17-year-olds from voting in primary elections. Skindell added that non-U.S. citizens deserve to have a voice in their communities.
Issue 2 is supported by both Republican Governor Mike DeWine and Democrat challenger Nan Whaley.
Planning on voting early? Here’s where you can go to cast your ballot ahead of the Nov. 8 election.