On this episode: Bans on noncitizen voting at the state level have become more frequent since 2018, and this year, there are a record number of ballot measures related to the issue. 

Eight state legislatures referred constitutional amendments to the ballot to prohibit the state or local governments from allowing noncitizen voting – that’s in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

In 1996, Congress passed legislation making noncitizen voting in federal elections a crime – so it doesn’t matter which state we’re talking about here; when it comes to federal elections, there’s nowhere in the country where it is legal for noncitizens to vote for the president, their senators and house members, or any federal office. 

But how common is it exactly for noncitizens to vote in local elections? Have they been allowed to at any other point in American history? Why is constitutional language so important here? And what’s the broader context for where these ballot measures are coming from? 

More on noncitizen voting and where it’s legal for local elections: https://ballotpedia.org/Laws_permitting_noncitizens_to_vote_in_the_United_States 

Learn about this year’s trending ballot measures — which tackle big questions on abortion, electoral systems, wages and more: https://ballotpedia.org/2024_ballot_measures 

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*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.