As the Senate fiddles with the Save America Act, Republicans in several states are moving forward with plans to add citizenship requirements to their voting laws.
Six states are likely to vote this autumn on new measures that reflect President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority. Republican lawmakers in Arkansas, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia have placed various citizenship-related amendments on the ballot.
In West Virginia, the most recent state to place a measure on the ballot, the amendment would change the state constitution from saying that “citizens of the State shall be entitled to vote,” instead of “only citizens of the State who are citizens of the United States are entitled to vote.”
GOP Secretary of State Chris Warner said the change would prevent local officials from allowing non-citizens to vote in those races, but he Accepted WVNews Non-citizen voting is not a major issue in the state.
“It’s an issue,” Warner said of non-citizens voting in the state. “Would I tell you this is a huge issue? I’m not going to say that.”
Arizona could be next A bill is currently working through the state legislature It would amend its constitution to allow only citizens to vote. Because ballot measures in Arizona do not require the governor’s signature, Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs is unable to veto the GOP-controlled Legislature.
Groups in two battleground states with high-profile Senate races — Alaska and Michigan — have submitted the signatures needed to place citizenship questions on the ballot.
Throughout the debate over the Save America Act, Republicans have criticized Democrats for opposing citizenship and voter ID requirements. Polls show it remains widely popular among voters. And while the proposed changes will lead to victories in red states in November, the measures will test whether this argument matters to voters on Election Day, not just in opinion polls.
In some other Republican-led states, like Florida, lawmakers are pushing new voting rules that don’t have to be implemented in front of voters. As our Gary Fineout notes, Florida’s law won’t take effect until after 2026. utah and South Dakota They have also approved SAVE Act copycats in their states, which are awaiting approval from state governors, according to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, which tracks changes in voting across the country.
Voting Rights Lab is tracking 35 measures in 18 states Those relate to proof of citizenship and voting, though it’s unclear how many have support to pass.
The surge in state action comes as the Senate is still stalled on the Save America Act, which has become a top issue for Trump, who has repeatedly called on the chamber to eliminate the filibuster to pass it. On Tuesday, the House began considering ways to pass some components of the bill through reconciliation, a budget process that requires only a majority vote instead of the filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate.
These measures are also a continuation of 2024, where eight states approved measures at the ballot box related to citizenship requirements, According to Ballotpedia.
Voting rights groups criticized the changes, arguing that they make it harder to vote, especially for young and minority voters as well as married women who have changed their last name, and create confusion for election officials who are already subject to intense scrutiny and are leaving the job in large numbers.
And Democrats are hoping to use voter issues on the campaign trail in legislative races.
“As costs rise and family budgets shrink, Republicans are burying their heads in the sand and making voter suppression their top priority,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee chairwoman Heather Williams said in a statement. “Republicans in state legislatures are wasting no time in passing copycat Save America Act legislation, ensuring that voter suppression will proceed even in congressional gridlock.”
A version of this article first appeared in POLITICO Pro’s Morning Score. Do you want to receive the newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other information you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
