Voters in 12 States to Decide Constitutional Amendments on Voter ID and Citizenship

The final authority over election administration in 12 states this November will bypass governors and legislatures entirely, resting instead with voters at the ballot box. By placing voter identification and citizenship requirements directly into state constitutions, proponents are utilizing a mechanism that locks in voting rules and shields them from standard legislative repeal.[1][2]

The measures appearing on ballots across Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and West Virginia generally target two specific areas: mandating government-issued photo identification and explicitly prohibiting noncitizens from voting in local or state elections.[1]

In Ohio, voters will decide on Issue 3, which seeks to enshrine the state's existing 2023 photo ID requirement into the constitution. While the amendment would not immediately alter current voting procedures, it would require a future statewide vote to undo the mandate, removing the ability of state lawmakers to amend the requirement through standard legislation.[2]

The state-by-state strategy follows a stalled effort in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a federal bill that would require proof of citizenship to register for federal elections. At a recent event in suburban Columbus, Republican organizers explicitly linked the state and federal efforts, noting, "They can't pass the Save America Act," and urging voters to approve Issue 3 as a state-level alternative.[2]

Currently, 18 states have constitutional prohibitions on noncitizen voting, with eight of those measures passing in 2024. All state constitutions already make U.S. citizenship a qualification for voting in state elections, though advocacy groups argue the language is not always explicit enough to prevent municipalities from allowing noncitizens to vote in local races, such as school council elections in certain jurisdictions.[1]

Not all attempts to amend state constitutions this cycle were successful. In Michigan, a proposed amendment to require proof of citizenship and photo identification failed to make the November ballot after the Board of State Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 in August.[3][4]

The Michigan campaign, led by Americans for Citizen Voting, submitted 709,841 signatures, well above the 446,198 required to qualify a constitutional amendment. However, the state Elections Bureau identified faulty petition signatures during its review, leaving the initiative short of the required threshold.[3][4]

Following the deadlock, the campaign filed emergency appeals with both the Michigan Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. On September 2, 2026, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the emergency injunction without explanation, effectively ending the effort. Kristin Combs, a spokesperson for the campaign, stated supporters were "deeply disappointed" after exhausting all legal avenues.[3][4]

The push for constitutional amendments has drawn opposition from voting rights organizations and some Democratic lawmakers, who argue that strict ID laws disproportionately affect elderly voters, students, and racial minorities who may lack valid government-issued identification.[2][5]

Election administrators have also raised logistical concerns regarding proof-of-citizenship mandates. In Michigan, local clerks warned that implementing such a requirement would create a bifurcated election system, forcing municipalities to manage two separate lists of registered voters and double the ballot styles for those who could not independently verify their citizenship with the state.[4]