Peach Tree Times

Michael Lancaster, the Georgia director for Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV), has expressed disappointment over the defeat of HR 780. This resolution sought to amend the state constitution to specify that only U.S. citizens can vote in state and local elections. Lancaster referred to this outcome as a "tremendous defeat for the citizens of Georgia." Polling data indicated that 80% of Georgians support such an amendment.

"February's vote was a tremendous defeat for the citizens of Georgia," said Lancaster, Georgia State Director. "Once again, because of the sophistry of cynical politicians, the people have been let down by partisan politics. The vote on the Citizen-Only Voting Amendment should have been a massive stride forward in bipartisanship on a common sense issue, but instead we got this ... more division, skepticism, and uncertainty. It seems clear that the legislators who voted against this amendment would rather see judges, not the people, decide who votes in Georgia elections."

In January, HR 780 was introduced in the Georgia State House by Representatives Jesse Petrea, Steven Sainz, Trey Kelley, among others. The resolution, also known as the Citizen-Only Voting Amendment, proposed a modification to the State Constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens have voting rights in Georgia elections. A companion resolution, SR 454, was introduced in the state Senate concurrently, according to information from the Georgia General Assembly.

On February 29, a vote on HR 780 took place in the House. For the resolution to appear on November’s ballot, it required approval from at least two-thirds of both houses of the Georgia legislature. However, with only 98 affirmative votes — including just two Democrats, Representatives Mack Jackson and Patty Stinson — countered by 61 negative votes, four abstentions and seventeen excused absences; the resolution did not pass as per records from the Georgia General Assembly.

During discussions on this resolution, Lancaster stressed that support for an amendment like HR 780 is widespread: "A lot of African Americans and Hispanics agree with this constitutional amendment. They feel that having foreign citizens vote in elections dilutes their votes; it makes their votes less effective. And what we’ve seen in a lot of communities is that there is this concern that foreign citizens are making decisions for these citizens who are already feeling disenfranchised in some ways."

A poll conducted in 2022 by Remington Research Group on behalf of Americans for Citizen Voting found similar sentiments among likely Georgia voters. 80% of respondents stated that only U.S. citizens should have the right to vote in Georgia elections. Additionally, the same percentage expressed support for an amendment to the Georgia State Constitution establishing that only U.S. citizens can vote in state and local elections.

According to its website, Americans for Citizen Voting is an organization advocating for states to amend their constitutions to explicitly state that only citizens can vote. Michael Lancaster holds the position of Georgia director within this organization.