Voters in Florida have decided to change the state’s constitution to say “only a citizen” can vote in the Sunshine State.
With more than 60-percent of voters supporting Amendment 1, the Florida Constitutional will be amended slightly to say “only a citizen” can vote -- as long as they are otherwise qualified by being 18 years old and a permanent resident of the state. For context, this was largely viewed as semantics. The constitution previously said “every citizen.” The amendment just changes “every” to “only a” citizen.
In practice, it’s the same thing. Non-citizens weren’t allowed to vote in Florida before, and they won’t be allowed to vote now either. USA TODAY’s network of newspapers in Florida went so far as to describe it as a “gimmick,” with editorial boards suggesting people vote “no” for that reason.
A group called Florida Citizen Voters, a Florida-based political committee, sponsored the amendment. According to its chairman, John Loudon, the change in language is necessary because it challenges any future local laws that allow non-citizens to cast ballots, he told The Washington Post.
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