NORTH CAROLINA — A referendum is on this year’s ballot for voters to decide whether to amend the North Carolina Constitution. The lobby group behind the referendum said it would drive more voters to the polls this election season, while critics argue it will cause confusion and limit turnout among naturalized citizens.
READ MORE: As the voter ID law goes into effect, opinions vary on future impact
The language in the constitution regarding voting in North Carolina currently reads:
“Every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized, 18 years of age, and possessing the qualifications set out in this Article, shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people of the State, except as herein otherwise provided.”
The referendum suggests to effectively remove “naturalized” language. If a majority of voters support it, the Constitution will read:
“Constitutional amendment to provide that only a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age and otherwise possessing the qualifications for voting shall be entitled to vote at any election in this State.”
The North Carolina Election Integrity Team advocated forming the amendment to specify citizenship voting requirements in a May 22 legislative agenda report. It argued refined wording is necessary to prevent non-citizens from voting.
Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) filed a House bill to create the proposed amendment the day after the North Carolina Election Integrity Team advocated for the bill.
“Because it is an amendment to our NC Constitution, it does not need Cooper’s signature,” NCEIT wrote in a blog post, celebrating the drafting of HB 1074. “This will surely drive many conservatives to the polls. You need to spread the word.”
Federal and state laws already prohibit non-citizens from voting. Yet, the referendum’s addition to the ballot came with bipartisan support; it received a 40-4 Senate vote and a 99-12 House tally.
“To me it is part of election integrity,” said Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover), who supported it. “Because you hear a lot about ‘there [are] illegal immigrants that are voting.’ You hear this, you hear that — ‘What are you doing about it?’ I just look at it as an effort to try to resolve that issue and make people understand only people who are eligible for voting are voting.”
Non-citizen attempts to vote in the United States are a felony and extremely rare. The North Carolina State Board of Elections referred a total of eight cases of non-citizen registration or voting in elections from 2015 to 2022.
“North Carolina law currently limits voter registration to citizens,” the John Locke Foundation argued in a public comment in support of the ballot referendum. “However, temporary legislative or judicial majorities that seek to ‘reshape local politics forever’ can brush aside those protections.”
Port City Daily reached out to the North Carolina Election Integrity Team and John Locke Foundation to ask about their views on the proposed amendment but did not receive a response by press.
Rep. Deb Butler (D-New Hanover) said many Democrats voted in favor of the bill to avoid attack ads claiming they support illegal immigration and election fraud.
“They do it to gin up their base to vote,” Butler said. “They also do it to try to get Democrats to vote for something that they know they will try to use against in a political campaign. It’s another element of the rotten side of politics.”
Common Cause policy director Ann Webb said the amended language would not enhance election integrity. She noted the network backing the amendment to remove the word “naturalized” from the state constitution also supports ending birthright citizenship. Trump has pledged to sign an executive order on the issue if reelected.
“It’s already law that only citizens can vote in our election,” NC Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said. “But by creating this vague language, it opens the door further down the line to change the definition of what a citizen of the United States is. I think what’s already happening is confusion for naturalized citizens about whether they can vote.”
House district 20 candidate Jon Berger similarly expressed concerns the amendment could cause a chill among naturalized voter turnout.
“We know non-citizens cannot vote already,” he said. “It’s in our law. So there’s no reason to do this, except for the fact that they want to get their base out and want to incite anti-immigrant feelings.”
The North Carolina Election Integrity Team is the state chapter of the Election Integrity Network. EIN is led by Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who helped former President Donald Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.
A Georgia grand jury recommended charging Mitchell for soliciting election fraud after she was recorded on a phone call with Trump and Georgia officials in which the former president requested officials “find” more than 11,000 ballots to change election results.
NCEIT president and Lee County commissioner Jim Womack told Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast last month Mitchell is the “matriarch” of his organization and he is in frequent communication with her.
In a 2022 interview with Mitchell, Womack noted he has long been involved in North Carolina politics as the former chair of the Oil and Gas Commission. Womack attracted national attention in a recent CBS report for alluding to voters with hispanic names as “suspicious” in a leaked recording.
Have tips or comments? Email info@portcitydaily.com
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
