The citizens-only constitutional amendment passed with 75.57 percent of the vote with 37 percent of North Carolina's precincts reporting.
The language of the amendment says that "only a citizen" can vote in N.C. elections.
N.C. House Speaker Rep. Tim Moore (R-Rutherford, Cleveland) put the amendment on the ballot. He and other supporters of the bill claim that it clarifies that noncitizens cannot vote. The North Carolina Constitution currently reads, that “every person born in the United States and every other person who has been naturalized, 18 years of age” can vote. The amendment would simply change the world "every" to "only," in an effort to protect the integrity of elections.
No city or municipality in the United States allows noncitizens to vote in federal or state elections. A few cities, including San Francisco, Calif., allow noncitizens to vote in local elections — not state or federal contests.
Several other states — including Wisconsin and Oklahoma — have similar citizens-only referendums on their respective ballots. It is unclear what the passage of the amendment will mean for naturalized citizens and the voter registration process in North Carolina going forward.
