Many voters will look at this and think this is a harmless change, but it appears to be one more scheme to sow distrust in our election system in order to challenge election results that favor one party or another and increase division in an already divided political system.

Early voting has begun and Election Day is almost upon us. At the bottom of your ballot, you may be surprised to see a For or Against vote for a Constitutional Amendment to our North Carolina Constitution. This amendment provides 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. (Note this does not include federal elections.)

Many friends and family have asked me “isn’t it already illegal for non-citizens to vote? “Indeed it is. Then why do we need this change?

The current wording of the N.C. Constitution states:

“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 the Article, shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people of the State.”

It also states that voters must be N.C. residents and that felons cannot vote until they have their voting rights restored after serving their sentences.

Do you notice anything different in the wording between the current constitution and the proposed amendment? The word “naturalized” is not included in the proposed amendment.

A naturalized citizen is a person who has come to this country legally and gone through the proper channels to obtain citizenship, a process that takes several years. Naturalized citizens are also people born in this country of undocumented immigrants. They are legal United States citizens.

Why would we want to take voting rights away from any legal citizens?

This amendment seems to have been put in place to further the unfounded fears that non-citizens are voting. It also would serve to deter immigrants who are legal citizens from attempting to vote. The state board of elections investigates claims by officials or observers of noncitizens voting and also has several processes to assure that noncitizens do not register or vote. From 2015 to 2022, there were 8 cases of suspected noncitizens registering or voting illegally found by this commission.

It is a Class I felony to lie about citizenship status in order to vote. Is it likely that anyone who is an undocumented immigrant would take that risk?

Many voters will look at this and think this is a harmless change, but it appears to be one more scheme to sow distrust in our election system in order to challenge election results that favor one party or another and increase division in an already divided political system.

When you go to the polls, I encourage you to: Vote the entire ballot and to vote “Against” this unnecessary and confusing Constitutional Amendment.

Diane Labovitz