Ohio Voters to Decide If Non-US Citizens Can Vote in Local Elections
October 22, 2022 | Ohio
Ohio voters will be asked on Nov. 8 to decide if non-U.S. citizens can vote in state or local elections.
If passed, Issue 2 would change the Ohio Constitution. It proposes that only adult U.S. citizens who legally reside and are registered to vote in Ohio for at least 30 days can cast a ballot in future state and local elections.
The current Ohio Constitution states that “every citizen of the United States, of the age of eighteen years and has been registered to vote for thirty days is entitled to vote at all elections.”
The state constitution doesn’t say that noncitizens can’t vote.
Federal law prohibits noncitizens from casting ballots in federal elections.
A 1917 ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court determined that the state constitution’s home rule, which gives cities control over their local issues, provided municipalities permission to expand voting rights in city elections.
Issue 2 would ensure that a city’s home rule doesn’t circumvent the law that only adult U.S. citizens can cast ballots.
Supporters of Issue 2 believe the amendment will uphold the integrity of citizenship if it becomes law, while opponents claim it is an effort to “restrict voting access.”… (Excerpt from The Epoch Times)
