AUSTIN - A joint resolution filed in the Texas Senate is proposing a constitutional amendment clarifying that voters must be U.S. citizens.
SJR 35 was introduced by Sen. Brian Birdwell, a Republican representing District 22, and has been referred to the Committee on State Affairs.
The resolution was filed only a few months after the D.C. Council voted to allow non-citizen residents the right to vote in local elections back in October.
On Feb. 9, the House passed HJR 24, disapproving the action of the D.C. Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022.
A total of 260 representatives voted in favor of the resolution, including 42 Democrats, several of which were from Texas.
Currently, the Texas Constitution has three restrictions on voting: persons under 18 years of age; persons who have been determined mentally incompetent by a court; and persons convicted of any felony.
SJR 35 would add a fourth: “persons who are not citizens of the United States.”
If passed, the proposed constitutional amendment would be submitted to voters at an election to be held on Nov. 7, 2023.