Peach Tree Times

This month, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for the Georgia Legislature to amend the state Constitution to mandate that only citizens of the United States can vote in elections, according to Just the News. 

The call for further election security comes after a highly controversial and heated nationwide debate over election security and the most recent presidential election. 

The current text of the Georgia State Constitution states that "every person who is a citizen of the United States and a resident of Georgia as defined by law … shall be entitled to vote." according to Just the News. Raffensperger’s proposed amendment would update this language to clarify that non-citizens are not entitled to and cannot vote in Georgia elections.

Brad Raffensperger | Wikimedia

Raffensperger's call for a Georgia constitutional amendment follows isolated incidents of noncitizens registering to vote in past elections across the Peach State, Just the News reported. Raffensperger has reported these cases to the Georgia attorney general for prosecution. 

He told Just the News that amending the state constitution would close the loopholes that allowed noncitizen registration in the first place, stating that “we want to make sure people understand in Georgia, only American citizens vote. It is reserved for American citizens only.”

While many people consider the measure to be common sense or commonplace, there are some municipalities in California, Maryland and Vermont that allow noncitizens to vote in local elections, according to Ballotpedia.

According to AP News, Raffensperger stated that “Allowing noncitizens to vote in some elections but not others will increase voter confusion and put additional burdens on election officials.”

According to the Associated Press, the Georgia House of Representatives currently has a pending resolution which would propose amending the Georgia Constitution to ensure that only US citizens residing in Georgia can vote in Georgia elections. The bill failed to advance in the 2021 legislative session but has a potential of being reconsidered in the 2022 session.