Think non-citizens are barred from voting in elections in Missouri? Think again. Under current law, certain Missouri cities could change their voting laws to allow non-citizens the right to vote in local elections, for things like school boards, city councils, and even local tax referenda.
Amendment 7, on the General Election ballot in November, would change that and more. Amendment 7 improves our law in three ways: It amends the state Constitution to clarify that only United States citizens can vote in all Missouri elections, it prohibits the ranking of candidates, and it requires that the plurality winner of a political primary is the single candidate at the general election.
In short, it further protects the vote of Missourians.
The issue of only U.S. citizens voting has been close to my heart for several years. I am the President Emeritus of Americans for Citizen Voting. When the issue was first brought to my attention in 2019, I never imagined that non-citizens were legally voting in municipal elections in the United States. Imagine my surprise when I found out that not only are non-citizens voting legally in some cities around the country, but there were also efforts to extend this right to even more non-citizens, some of whom entered the country illegally.
As an African American, this is very frustrating. My parents and grandparents worked hard to secure the right to vote, and now people are giving this right to individuals who haven’t made the commitment to become United States citizens. Frankly, I find that appalling.
In researching this issue, I discovered that Missouri is at risk of allowing cities to permit non-citizens to vote in local elections. Our state constitution states, “All citizens of the United States,” and our statute reads, “any citizen of the United States,” can vote. One might think that’s sufficient, but it isn’t. Words have meaning. Courts in both California and Missouri have found that “all” and “any” don’t imply that only U.S. citizens can vote. I have a smoke detector in my home as a preventive measure—and just like that alert system, let’s resolve this ambiguity now, before it becomes an even bigger issue.
In the past month, I’ve participated in three press conferences across the state with Treasurer Vivek Malik. I’ve learned about his journey to the United States and his path to citizenship. I’ve witnessed firsthand his love for his chosen country and his frustration that people who haven’t committed to this country are able to vote. I share that frustration.
The last two parts of the amendment, prohibiting ranking candidates and supporting a plurality winner, are about simplicity. My mantra in life is “Keep it Simple.” When you rank multiple candidates for a single office, you can’t be certain your vote really counted. Depending on the system, if your candidate finishes last or second to last, your vote could be discarded. Who wants that? Let’s stick to one vote per office, knowing that each vote was counted. Some argue a majority is better than a plurality. But I believe the election winner should simply be the one with the most votes of all the votes cast. If my vote gets thrown out because my candidate wasn’t the most popular, is that truly a majority?
In short, I encourage everyone to support Missouri’s Amendment 7, ensuring that only citizens vote in Missouri elections and that our elections are clear and straightforward.
Arps is the President Emeritus of Americans for Citizen Voting and a political commentator in St. Louis.