Raleigh. A bill introduced today in the state House of Representatives plans a constitutional amendment to ratify that only U.S. citizens can vote in the state.

The state constitution already states that only citizens have the right to vote, but the leaders of the Legislature are proposing to change the wording of Article 6 to say the same things differently.

Article 6 of the Constitution currently states that “every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized, who is 18 years of age and possesses the qualifications set forth in this Article, shall have the right to vote.”

The bill HB1074 proposes to change the wording of that section to read that “only a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age and possesses the qualifications set forth in this Article shall be eligible to vote.”

The proposal was introduced by Republican legislator Destin Hall (District 87) and has the support of, among others, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-District 111).

In order for the proposed constitutional amendment to move forward, according to law, it must be approved by a qualified majority in both houses of the Legislature, i.e. 30 votes in the Senate and 72 in the House of Representatives.

If approved, the constitutional amendment would be added to the November general election ballot for all North Carolina voters to answer whether they agree or disagree.

If the amendment receives the support of a majority of voters, the Secretary of State must certify the amendment to make the change to the Constitution effective.