Louisiana voters will get to decide on a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in elections.
House Bill 178, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, received final passage Friday in the Senate with a 30-1 vote and will be placed on the Dec. 10 ballot for final consideration by Louisiana voters.
The proposal would change a section in the Louisiana Constitution that currently gives every “citizen of the state,” who is at least 18, the right to register and vote. The amendment would add the phrase “and the United States” after the word “state.”
Local governments in Louisiana would be prohibited from making their own voter registration rules under a constitutional amendment that was advanced Wednesday in the Legislature. House Bill 178, sponsored by Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, was approved in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee in a 7-5 vote with Rep. Malinda White, an independent from Bogalusa, … Continue reading
Villio sponsored the bill after Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin pointed out that the current constitutional language could allow someone to interpret the phrase “citizen of the state” to mean “resident of the state.” Because a foreign citizen can be a Louisiana resident, someone could argue that the state constitution allows non-citizens to vote in local elections in Louisiana, he said.
The proposal was initially tailored to prevent local governments from changing any voter registration...
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