West Virginia voters have approved a constitutional amendment that explicitly limits voting to U.S. citizens, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ. The measure, known as Amendment 1, passed with nearly 80% of the vote as of early Wednesday, with almost all precincts reporting.
The amendment revises the state constitution's language from “the citizens of the State shall be entitled to vote” to “only citizens of the United States who are citizens of this state shall be entitled to vote.” This change is largely symbolic, as West Virginia law already requires voters to be U.S. citizens, but supporters argue it adds a layer of protection against potential future challenges.
Noncitizens are already barred from voting in federal elections, and only a handful of municipalities, along with Washington, D.C., permit noncitizen participation in local races, according to Ballotpedia. The move in West Virginia is part of a broader Republican push to tighten voting rules, a trend that has gained momentum amid unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud by former President Trump.
Trump has urged GOP lawmakers to enact legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification at the polls, though such efforts have stalled at the federal level. At the state level, however, similar measures are advancing. More than a dozen states had election-related ballot measures on Tuesday, including six states asking voters about citizenship requirements and six about voter ID laws.
In neighboring states, similar measures saw success. South Dakota voters approved a constitutional ban on noncitizen voting, while Kansas voters backed a clarifing amendment on the same issue. North Carolina also enshrined a photo ID requirement for all ballots, and Arkansas voters approved a mandate for citizenship proof in state elections.
The West Virginia amendment was placed on the ballot by the Republican-controlled legislature, which argued that the state constitution should explicitly reflect the citizenship requirement. Democrats and voting rights advocates opposed the measure, calling it unnecessary and potentially disenfranchising, though no evidence of noncitizen voting problems was presented.
With the passage, West Virginia joins a growing list of states that have moved to codify citizenship voting requirements in their constitutions, reflecting a national debate over election integrity and voter access.
