Eleven States with Election Integrity Ballot Initiatives

Citizen-only voting and voter ID are headed to voters this fall.

This year, 12 states will have had the opportunity to make their elections more secure. That’s more states than any single year in U.S. history. Oklahoma already did so when it added a “proof of identity” requirement into its state constitution on August 25. This November 3, an additional 11 states will get that opportunity. Five will vote on citizen-only language, five others on strong voter ID requirements, and another state has both on the ballot.

A key promise President Donald Trump made when he ran in 2024 was to make federal elections secure. That includes requiring proof of citizenship to register, a government-issued photo ID to vote, and limiting mail-in voting to a need-only basis. The U.S. House of Representatives did its part, passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. Trump has pledged to sign it, but Senate Republicans have failed to unite behind it or muster the courage to force an old-fashioned talking filibuster to pass it.

Since lawmakers in the Capitol can’t seem to get their act together, local patriots are taking the fight straight to the American people. Although federal law already bars non-citizens from voting for president and Congress, these statewide initiatives would do all or some of the following:

States with Citizen-Only Ballot Initiatives

Alaska

Alaska Ballot Measure 3 is a citizen-initiated statute, not a constitutional amendment. Yes votes support changing state law to read: “Only a person who is a citizen of the United States … may vote at any election.” The point is simple. If a borough or town ever tried to invent a local non-citizen franchise, state law would override it.

Arkansas

The state’s constitution limits Arkansas legislators to three amendments per general election. One of the three they have put on the 2026 midterm ballot is “The Citizens Only Voting Amendment,” which would allow only a U.S. citizen who meets the qualifications of an elector to vote.

Kansas

Kansas voters will consider a legislatively referred amendment stating that no person is a qualified elector unless that person is a U.S. citizen. Kansas has fought for years over documentary proof of citizenship at registration. A federal court blocked an earlier statute. Putting citizenship in the state constitution does not by itself recreate that statute, but it does make the underlying rule harder to litigate away.

South Dakota

Constitutional Amendment J would disqualify any non-citizen from voting in any election or on any question submitted to the state’s voters. The legislature already enacted a separate 2026 statute requiring documentary proof of citizenship for new registrants who want a full state-and-local ballot. Those who do not provide it are limited to federal races. The League of Women Voters (LWV) and the American Civil Liberties Union are suing the state over the way it has enforced the statute but are not challenging the statute’s constitutionality. This amendment is the constitutional backstop.

West Virginia

West Virginians will vote to change their constitution from “citizens of the state shall be entitled to vote” to “only citizens of the state who are citizens of the United States are entitled to vote.” There is no serious history of non-citizen voting in West Virginia, yet the amendment locks the door on this issue if a local liberal city council tries to open it, as many have in neighboring Maryland.

States with Voter ID Ballot Initiatives

Nevada

Question 7 will appear on Nevada’s ballot and is the second vote the state requires to amend its constitution. It passed once in 2024 with a large majority. If it becomes law, the amendment will require photo ID for in-person voting and a driver’s license number, Social Security number, or clerk-issued number for mail ballots. Nevada currently has a same-day, mail-heavy system with no photo ID at the polls. Instead, a clerk checks a voter’s signature against their signature on their registration form. A second “yes” vote win would end that.

North Carolina

North Carolina already requires photo ID for in-person voting. The amendment on the November ballot would add photo ID to the state’s constitution for absentee voters, replacing the current mail exemption. Attempts to legislate photo ID requirements have spent years in court. This would make it easier for election integrity advocates to defeat attempts by organizations, like the LWV, to get it struck down.

Ohio

Ohio’s Issue 3 would write voter identification into the constitution, requiring photo ID at the polls and a number-based ID on mail ballots. Ohio already asks for ID, so this is about making the requirement durable after the next lawsuit or the next flip of the General Assembly.

California

Proposition 39 is the surprise of this election cycle: a voter-ID initiative that qualified in the country’s largest mail-ballot state. It would require government-issued ID for in-person voting and the last four digits of a designated government ID on mail envelopes. Officials would have to use “best efforts to verify citizenship attestations using government data,” report how much of each county’s list has been checked, and offer a free voter ID card. California’s current system relies on attestation and list maintenance after elections occur. This would force upfront identity verification.

Colorado

Colorado requires ID at polling places. But most voters in the state cast their votes by mail. A proposed constitutional amendment is on the November ballot that would require a signature and the last four digits of a Social Security number or a qualifying Colorado REAL ID number on the mail ballot envelope—with a chance to cure missing information.

The State Going for All the Marbles

Arizona

Proposition 144 is the all-encompassing measure this November. It would stipulate that only citizens may register and vote, require government-issued ID to vote in person or by mail, bar foreign nationals from bankrolling Arizona elections, and give voters a right to have their ballot tabulated at their voting location. The state currently requires proof-of-citizenship registration and voter ID at the polls—but not by mail. Moreover, this amendment would add these existing rules, alongside the new rules, to the state’s constitution to prevent a future legislature or court from watering them down or overturning them.

Democrats regularly call any form of election integrity enforcement voter suppression. But similar amendments and ballot measures have passed in nearly every state that has tried them. Voter ID polls just as well. Most Americans, including a large share of Democrats, think showing ID at the polls is basic common sense. These amendments address the unreliable honor system. Automatic registration at motor-vehicle counters, self-attestation, and no-excuse mail ballots with signature matching are not foolproof.

This midterm, residents in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and West Virginia will have the chance to vote directly for secure elections without waiting on heel-dragging Republicans in the Senate. Oklahoma did its part in August. It’s time for states with the same opportunity to do theirs.

MORE COVERAGE FROM RESTORATION NEWS

Energy: Trump's EPA Unleashes American Power by Rescinding Carbon 'Pollution' Standards

Health: Beware Doctors' Tainted Advice on Vaccines

Follow the Money: Alexander Vindman Joins Democrats in Bankrolling Local Candidates in Red Florida

Ticking clock: Environmental Activists Show Their True Color: Red, Not Green

We need your help to save America—chip in today.

Restoration News, a project of Restoration of America, is your trusted investigative news source for the America First movement. As a rapidly growing conservative news site, we focus on delivering accurate and insightful exposés on political news, immigration news, leftist lies, and other pressing issues affecting everyday Americans. Our uncompromising commitment to a hard-hitting, fact-based, America First, and faithful perspective ensures that you receive news that aligns with your values.

Every dollar gets us closer to winning the war on woke.