{"id":2363738,"date":"2024-11-04T10:03:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T15:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-groups-working-to-kill-wis-citizen-only-voting-amendment\/"},"modified":"2024-11-04T10:05:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T15:05:11","slug":"leftist-groups-working-to-kill-wis-citizen-only-voting-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-groups-working-to-kill-wis-citizen-only-voting-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Leftist Groups Working To Kill WI&#8217;s Citizen-Only Voting Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleftist-groups-working-to-kill-wis-citizen-only-voting-amendment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2363738&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In Wisconsin, voters are set to decide on a constitutional amendment\u200b that would ensure\u200b that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections, part of a larger movement known as Citizen-Only Voting Amendments (COVA). \u200dThis proposal seeks to change the state&#8217;s current wording from &#8220;every&#8221; citizen to &#8220;only&#8221; citizens, aiming to eliminate ambiguity regarding\u2064 noncitizens&#8217; voting eligibility in state and\u2063 local elections. While \u200cproponents believe that this change will enhance election \u200cintegrity, over thirty leftist groups are mobilizing against the amendment, arguing that it\u200d is \u200cunnecessary\u200b and potentially disenfranchising.<\/p>\n<p>Opponents include organizations such as the League of Women Voters, Voces de \u200cla Frontera, and \u200dthe ACLU of Wisconsin, which claim \u200cthat the \u200damendment could restrict voting rights and is driven by misinformation regarding noncitizen voting. Proponents, on the other\u2063 hand, \u200cargue that there is evidence \u200dof noncitizens on voter rolls and \u200dassert \u200bthat the\u2063 amendment does not infringe upon eligible citizens&#8217; voting rights. The\u200b outcome of this ballot\u2063 question is crucial, as it reflects a broader \u200dnational debate about election integrity and voter eligibility.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Wisconsin voters will have the opportunity on Election Day to ensure that &ldquo;only&rdquo; U.S. citizens can vote in Badger State elections &mdash; and an army of leftist groups is fighting tooth and nail to see the constitutional amendment ballot question fail.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin is among <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/06\/eight-states-poised-to-decide-on-citizens-only-voting-amendments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eight states <\/a>with <a href=\"https:\/\/onlycitizens.vote\/2024\/09\/04\/lawmakers-confident-in-peoples-choice-on-cova-ballot-measures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Citizen-Only Voting Amendments (COVA)<\/a> on Tuesday&rsquo;s general election ballot. While COVA advocates sound confident that the referenda will be approved, Wisconsin left-wing activists have come out in full force to try to shut down the drive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re confident that all eight amendments are going to pass because it&rsquo;s an issue people get and agree with. But the most difficult is Wisconsin because of well-funded opposition,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/onlycitizens.vote\/acv-team\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jack Tomczak<\/a>, vice president for Citizen Outreach for <a href=\"https:\/\/onlycitizens.vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Americans for Citizen Voting<\/a>, told The Federalist in an interview late last week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;Every&rsquo; vs. &lsquo;Only&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Wisconsin&rsquo;s ballot question asks voters the following: &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Should&hellip;[the Constitution] be amended to provide that only a United States citizen age 18 or older who resides in an election district may vote in an election for national, state, or local office or on a statewide or local referendum?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Wisconsin&rsquo;s constitution <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/statutes\/statutes\/6\/i\/10\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">states<\/a>, &ldquo;Every U.S. citizen age 18 or older who has resided in an election district or ward for 28 consecutive days before any election where the citizen offers to vote is an eligible elector.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Just one little word makes a very big difference, proponents of the amendment say. &ldquo;Only&rdquo; clearly limits voting in state elections to citizens; &ldquo;every&rdquo; leaves open the door for noncitizens to vote. While federal law prohibits foreign nationals from voting in federal elections, there&rsquo;s nothing that says noncitizens can&rsquo;t vote in local and state elections where constitutions don&rsquo;t explicitly ban the expanded franchise. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Wisconsin_Citizenship_Voting_Requirement_Amendment_(2024)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ballotpedia,<\/a> 43 states do not specifically prohibit noncitizens from voting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Blue states have exploited the loophole. As The Federalist has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/06\/eight-states-poised-to-decide-on-citizens-only-voting-amendments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, noncitizens are <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Laws_permitting_noncitizens_to_vote_in_the_United_States\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allowed<\/a> to vote in 17 cities in three states and the District of Columbia. Maryland boasts 11 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/8-states-poised-to-decide-on-citizens-only-voting-amendments\/\" title=\"8 States Poised To Decide On Citizens-Only Voting Amendments\">cities granting voting rights<\/a> to foreign nationals, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/politics\/article\/noncitizen-voting-school-board-18418251.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Francisco and Oakland<\/a> and three cities in Vermont doing the same.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin all have COVA questions on the ballot.&nbsp;The backing in those states, Tomczak said, is in line with the significant support for citizen-only voting found in <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/hilltv\/what-americas-thinking\/399016-poll-americans-overwhelmingly-reject-giving-voting-rights-to\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/onlycitizens.vote\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Americans-for-Citizen-Voting-Toplines-March-9-2023.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">polls<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Wisconsin liberals have been activated. More than three-dozen leftist groups are lending their names and resources to an effort to defeat the referendum. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/league-of-women-voters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">League of Women Voters,<\/a> which long ago abandoned any sense of nonpartisanship to promote a litany of left-wing causes, is leading the opposition campaign in the Badger State, Tomczak said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The League led the coalition of leftist groups in a <a href=\"https:\/\/urbanmilwaukee.com\/pressrelease\/30-wisconsin-organizations-urge-voters-to-vote-no-on-november-constitutional-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a> decrying the citizen-only voting amendment as &ldquo;an anti-voter amendment.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is indeed an anti-noncitizen voter amendment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, when the Republican-led legislature proposed the resolution to take the amendment question to voters, <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/2021\/related\/votes\/assembly\/av0249\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">only one<\/a> Democrat joined Republicans in supporting the measure in its first vote. Resolutions for constitutional amendment referenda must pass in two consecutive sessions of the legislature to make it on the ballot. The <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/2023\/proposals\/sjr71\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second time around,<\/a> not a single Democrat voted for the resolution.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Why?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This amendment is just a way for legislators to create a problem that doesn&rsquo;t exist and use fear as a tactic to further divide us,&rdquo; the leftist groups opposing the amendment insist.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>&lsquo;There&rsquo;s Been a Lot of Misinformation&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>But there is a problem. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/12\/yes-foreign-nationals-have-voted-in-u-s-elections-and-many-more-could-this-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thousands of foreign nationals<\/a> are showing up on voter rolls across the country amid the unprecedented millions of illegal immigrants pouring into the country thanks to the Biden-Harris administration&rsquo;s open border policies. The Wisconsin Elections Commission admits there are &ldquo;illegal registrants&rdquo; on Wisconsin voter rolls, but they do not say how many, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/04\/lawsuit-wisconsin-agencies-fail-to-use-tools-to-keep-noncitizens-off-voter-rolls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit <\/a>filed last month. The same lawsuit charges that the state Department of Transportation refuses to provide the Elections Commission with critical data tools that would verify whether a registered voter is a noncitizen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Democrat Gov. Tony Evers would have vetoed the resolutions on the citizen-only voting amendment if he had the power. Such resolutions, however, do not require the governor&rsquo;s consent. Evers&rsquo; spokeswoman <a href=\"https:\/\/wisconsinexaminer.com\/2023\/11\/10\/assembly-advances-elections-related-constitutional-amendment-proposals-and-bills\/\">told <\/a>the left-leaning Wisconsin Examiner that the governor doesn&rsquo;t support bills that &ldquo;enable politicians to interfere with elections or make it harder for eligible Wisconsinites to cast their ballot.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Demanding that only U.S. citizens vote in Wisconsin elections won&rsquo;t make it more difficult for citizens to vote, advocates of the ballot issue say.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen a lot of misinformation,&rdquo; Tomczak said, noting that left-wing groups and their friends in corporate media have claimed that the COVA issue is being driven by former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s assertions that the 2020 election was rigged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our amendment does not deal with federal elections,&rdquo; Tomczak said. &ldquo;None of the people in this organization has anything to do with the Trump campaign.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If Evers was remotely serious about preventing noncitizens from voting in state elections, he&rsquo;d tell his Department of Transportation to do all in its power to help elections officials vet the voter registration database.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Democrats have shown that they are not interested in such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-carolina-agency-the-feds-force-us-to-give-voter-registration-to-foreign-nationals\/\" title=\"South Carolina Agency: Federal Mandate Requires Voter Registration for Foreign Nationals\">basic election integrity protections<\/a>. All but a few Democrats in the House voted against a bill that would have required document proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The Democrat-controlled Senate refused to take up the measure, and President Joe Biden threatened to veto it if it got to his desk. And the Biden-Harris administration has, like Evers, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/03\/biden-harris-leftist-lawfare-warriors-are-blocking-efforts-to-keep-noncitizens-from-voting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refused<\/a> to give state elections officials the federal tools they need to verify citizenship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This week, 198 Democrats voted against the SAVE Act to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections. We&rsquo;ve known it from the beginning but now it&rsquo;s clear to all Americans why Democrats want open borders. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/V8ccDTsNYj\">pic.twitter.com\/V8ccDTsNYj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (@RepBethVanDuyne) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBethVanDuyne\/status\/1812539120272437525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2>&lsquo;They are Getting it Wrong&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>The groups partnering to try to kill the citizen only amendment are engaged in all manner of left-leaning causes. Many, like the League of Women Voters, despise popular voter ID laws that have strengthened election integrity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Changing the wording from &lsquo;every&rsquo; citizen to &lsquo;only&rsquo; citizens is a way for lawmakers to further restrict our freedom to vote as was the result with the Voter ID law,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Debra Cronmiller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin in the press release. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The coalition of the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">unwilling includes extreme leftist groups<\/a> and lawfare activists, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/voces-de-la-frontera\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Voces de la Frontera,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/legis.wisconsin.gov\/assembly\/10\/madison\/media\/5bbnqtou\/socialistcaucuspressrelease-jan3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Legislative Socialists<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/organization\/black-leaders-organizing-for-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Leaders Organizing for Communities <\/a>(BLOC), ACLU of Wisconsin, Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/organization\/coalition-to-march-on-the-rnc-cmrnc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wisconsin Revolution<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/law-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Law Forward<\/a>. The latter, &ldquo;was founded in 2020 by lawyers who have worked for Democratic interests in Wisconsin for many years,&rdquo; charity and activist tracker InfluenceWatch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/law-forward\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>. As The Federalist has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/05\/wi-city-at-center-of-zuckbucks-scandal-looks-to-tap-leftist-lawfare-groups-ahead-of-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the Madison-based firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawforward.org\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bills itself<\/a> as a protector of democracy, committed to &ldquo;fair, transparent, and representative government; where Wisconsinites can participate in free, fair elections where their vote counts.&rdquo; But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wi-city-looks-to-tap-leftist-lawfare-attorneys-ahead-of-election\/\" title=\"WI City Looks To Tap Leftist Lawfare Attorneys Ahead Of Election\">leftist law group&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s record shows a commitment to Democrat Party causes, including its lead role in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/06\/05\/wisconsin-ag-files-phony-fake-elector-charges-anyway-after-admitting-gop-plan-was-legal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">phony lawsuit<\/a> against Wisconsin&rsquo;s alternate electors for President Donald Trump in 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Corporate media have joined the crusade to attack the COVA movement as Election Day draws closer. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/03\/politics\/noncitizen-voting-ballot-measures-election\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Headlines <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/article\/2024\/oct\/31\/noncitizen-voting-is-already-rare-in-local-electio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stories<\/a> paint a picture of &ldquo;anti-immigrant&rdquo; legislation. It&rsquo;s a false narrative, said Tomczak. The cause is about election integrity and protecting the voting rights of U.S. citizens, he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Reporters don&rsquo;t understand the nuances of the issue so they write what they know, and they are getting it wrong&rdquo; Tomczak said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wisconsin voters can decide on Election Day if only U.S. citizens may vote, facing strong opposition from leftist groups<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2363739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-03-at-11.28.46-PM-1024x514.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[44317,34710,32570,44071],"class_list":["post-2363738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-citizen-only-voting","tag-leftist-groups","tag-voting-rights","tag-wisconsin-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-03-at-11.28.46-PM-1024x514.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2363738"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2363742,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2363738\/revisions\/2363742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2363739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2363738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2363738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2363738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}