AUSTIN - Yesterday, the Texas Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve SJR 35, a joint resolution 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, who during a previous hearing on the resolution testified that the amendment is necessary to preserve election integrity and keep the process secure.
During the previous hearing last week, Carine Martinez of the Texas Public Policy Foundation also offered her testimony in support of the resolution, saying that the amendment is “crucial” for national sovereignty.
Following SJR 35’s passage in the Senate, Martinez, who is originally from France, told The Record that the amendment will strengthen election integrity.
"Reaffirming in the Texas Constitution that one must be a U.S. citizen to vote in Texas will strengthen election integrity and national sovereignty,” Martinez said. “We applaud the prompt passage of and large support for SJR 35 in the Senate, and we look forward to the resolution moving as swiftly through the House."
SJR 35 passed the Texas Senate by a vote of 29-1, with only Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, District 14, voting against.
Elected in 2020, Eckhardt is the senator for Bastrop and Travis Counties. From 2015-2020, she served as Travis County Judge.
More than a dozen states and municipalities currently allow non-citizen voting in local elections. In October, the D.C. Council voted to allow non-citizen residents the right to vote in local elections.
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 call Texas home.
A recent Americans for Citizen Voting poll found that 75 percent of voters oppose allowing people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in local elections, with only 20 percent in favor.
If passed, the proposed constitutional amendment would be submitted to voters at an election to be held on Nov. 7, 2023.