Kansas committee hears testimony on constitutional amendment to clarify U.S. citizenship as voter qualification

The Committee on Elections opened a hearing on House Concurrent Resolution 5004, which would amend the Kansas Constitution to state explicitly that only U.S. citizens are qualified electors.

Supporters said the amendment would remove ambiguity and prevent local governments from allowing noncitizen voting. Madeline Melissa, a visiting fellow at Opportunity Solutions Project, told the committee, “Americans should decide American elections,” and said a similar wave of amendments has passed in other states. Becky Arps of Americans for Citizen Voting said the measure would let Kansans decide the question at the ballot box and cited municipal noncitizen voting in some states as a rationale for the change.

Neutral witnesses raised practical questions and…