A resolution that would help ensure only United States citizens can vote in state elections has passed the Texas state Senate.
Senate Joint Resolution 37 was passed unanimously at a recent Senate State Affairs Committee hearing. It passed the full Senate by a 28-3 vote on April 1. The measure now heads to the House.
Charlie Kolean is the Texas state director for Americans for Citizen Voting.
Kolean
| File photo
“The unanimous passage of SJR 35 out of the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee is a major victory for common-sense, bipartisan governance,” Kolean told The Record. “I want to commend the entire committee — Republicans and Democrats alike — for standing together in support of this important measure.
“It’s worth underscoring that this legislation passed the Senate State Affairs Committee with 100 percent bipartisan support. That kind of unity is rare and speaks volumes about the broad appeal and necessity of this policy.”
“This is exactly the kind of cooperation Texans expect from their elected officials — leaders working across the aisle to do what’s right for our state.”
Americans for Citizen Voting supports clear constitutional provisions that ensure citizen only voting. Twenty states already have similar constitutional provisions, and at least 11 states are actively considering legislation.
“Here in Texas, we are solely focused on passing a resolution to ensure only United States citizens can vote,” Kolean said. “Securing the election is a big theme in the Legislature this session, and President Trump just signed his executive order securing elections.”
Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) is the sponsor of the Senate joint resolution.
If passed, Birdwell’s SJR 37 would put the issue before voters to amend the state constitution. SJR 37 was introduced in January, and the companion House Joint Resolution 197 was introduced March 13 by Rep. Jerod Patterson (R-Frisco).
“Representative Jared Patterson deserves special recognition for his leadership in the Texas House as a co-sponsor of this legislation,” Kolean said. “His commitment to protecting the integrity of our laws is a model for principled and effective public service.
“As this legislation moves to the House, I want to highlight the pivotal roles of Chairman Matt Shaheen, who leads the House Elections Committee, and Chairman Todd Hunter, who chairs the Calendars Committee. Their leadership will be crucial in ensuring this bipartisan bill gets the fair hearing and timely vote it deserves.”
If all Republican House members vote for the measure, eight Democrats also would need to support the bill for passage. During the last Texas legislative session, it did enjoy some bipartisan support, including Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo). It received 88 mostly GOP votes then.
“We’ve made some substantial progress in working with Democrats,” Kolean said. “We need a few more Democrats to make this work.”
SJR 37 was read for the first time on February 7 and referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
The proposal would amend the state Constitution to add that persons who are not citizens of the United States shall not be allowed to vote in the state. It would be the fourth classification of people not allowed to vote. The other three are persons under 18 years of age, persons who have been determined mentally incompetent by a court and persons convicted of any felony.
If passed, the amendment would be placed before voters for the November 4, 2025, election. The ballot would be printed to permit voting for against the proposition that would say, “The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.”
In January, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick included a similar bill on his list of top 40 priority bills for the 89th legislative session. The difference between Birdwell’s Senate resolution and Patrick’s Senate Bill 16 is that the resolution would amend the state Constitution rather than just codify the mandate into law. Another legislative session down the road could pass another bill to change state code again. Changing the state Constitution gives the measure a few more levels of protection from that.
While non-Americans can’t vote in state or federal elections in Texas, the idea that non-citizens could vote in local and municipal elections is what Kolean’s group hopes to prevent.
A 2023 survey showed that 82 percent of Texans favored a policy of only citizens voting. Among naturalized citizens, 81 percent favored the policy.
In recent years, Americans for Citizen Voting has worked to have similar measures adopted in states. Last November, eight states (Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin) passed laws to keep non-citizens from voting. Neighboring Louisiana and Oklahoma already have passed such laws.
Currently, 20 state have laws to make sure only American citizens can vote in that state, and 11 other states – including Texas and neighboring Arkansas – are actively considering such legislation.
Last summer, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill requiring U.S. residents to show proof of citizenship to vote, but the Senate has not taken the bill up yet.