Wisconsin voters pass 'eligibility to vote' referendum in 2024 election

Wisconsin voters approved a statewide referendum question on the Nov. 5 ballot that changes the state constitution to say that "only" U.S. citizens can vote in Wisconsin's elections.

About 70% voted yes on passing the amendment, with about 99% of the vote in, according to unofficial results Wednesday morning.

The amendment has little immediate effect in Wisconsin. Republican proponents of the measure wanted to prevent noncitizens from voting in local elections, like for mayor and school board, in the future. While some cities in other states allow that, nowhere in Wisconsin currently does.

"Voters have delivered an unmistakable message: Wisconsin elections will be decided by U.S. citizens, not far-left activists who would turn the ballot box into a petri dish for extremist policies," Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement.

Wisconsin's referendum question was part of a nationwide push: Idaho, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri and Kentucky had similar questions on the Nov. 5 ballot. Voters approved the question in each of the states.

Democrats and liberal groups opposed the referendum, in part because they believe the question promotes false perceptions that noncitizens do vote in Wisconsin elections. Cases of noncitizens voting fraudulently is extremely rare in Wisconsin, and doing so is a felony.

"All voters already have to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering to vote," said Sam Liebert, the Wisconsin director of All Voting is Local, which opposed the referendum. "The only reason this referendum occurred was to breed fear and alienate our immigrant friends and neighbors for the political gain of election deniers who want to sow doubts into our secure voting processes."

The referendum question was the fifth and final constitutional amendment posed to Wisconsin voters in 2024. Researchers have found referendum attempts are more common under divided state government: Democratic Gov. Tony Evers cannot block a constitutional amendment with his veto pen.

In April, voters approved two referendum questions that now prevent clerks from using outside funding and resources to run elections. In August, voters rejected referendums that would have limited the governor's ability to spend federal funds, a victory for Democrats who messaged heavily on the referendum.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin voters pass 'eligibility to vote' referendum in election