Voters in several states planned to pass constitutional amendments banning non-citizens from voting

Voters in eight states are expected to pass constitutional amendments on Tuesday that would specifically ban non-citizens from participating in elections.

The measure was approved by voters in Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Idaho, The Associated Press reported.

A U.S. law passed in 1996 prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, but Washington, D.C. and some communities in Maryland, Vermont and California allow them to vote in local elections.

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Voters in eight states decided to explicitly ban non-citizens from voting. (Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Similar changes were made to the state constitutions of North Dakota, Florida, Colorado, Alabama, Ohio and Louisiana over the past six years after concerns that language on voting eligibility was not specific enough.

The wording in these states was then changed from “any citizen” to “only a citizen” can vote.

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The measure was on the ballot in Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Idaho. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Although it is illegal for non-citizens to vote, several states have identified and removed ineligible people from voter rolls in recent months.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin was sued by the DOJ in October after the state removed 6,000 ineligible people from its rolls after their citizenship could not be verified during a two-week grace period.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in August that more than 6,500 would-be non-citizens had been removed from the state’s voter rolls since 2021.

Similar changes have been made to the state constitutions of North Dakota, Florida, Colorado, Alabama, Ohio and Louisiana over the past six years.

Also in August, Ohio Secretary of State Frank La Rose said he had referred 138 apparent non-citizens for prosecution after discovering they had voted in a recent election.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said 3,251 people previously identified by the federal government as non-citizens have been deactivated from the state’s voter rolls.

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In October, 73 lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland saying they were “deeply concerned” about reports of non-citizens registering to vote and participating in federal elections, adding that the Justice Department had not yet acted responded to the legislature’s first request in July.

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.

Morgan Phillips of the Associated Press and Fox News contributed to this report.