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Committee advances amendment to CACR 4 narrowing citizenship language; 10–7 vote
Summary
The Election Law Committee adopted an amendment to CACR 4 that removes an explicit citizenship requirement and leaves domicile/residency language; the committee reported the measure as amended with a 10–7 vote amid debate over the phrase "actually reside."
The House Election Law Committee debated and approved an amendment to CACR 4 — a proposed constitutional amendment concerning voter eligibility — that removes a citizenship requirement from the text and focuses the question on residency.
Vice Chairman Quayle opened the executive session on CACR 4 and the committee moved amendment 20‑25‑2937H, which removes the citizenship portion so the constitutional amendment would address residency alone. "The amendment removes the citizenship portion of the CACR," a committee member explained. "So it just becomes an issue of residency."
Opponents raised concerns about the amendment’s wording. Representative Muirhead said the phrase "actually reside" is undefined and could introduce new constitutional ambiguities, particularly for absentee voters. Representative Newsom flagged potential confusion over whether "legal resident" might be read to include noncitizen lawful permanent residents, which he said was not the sponsors’ intent but could create problems in practice.
After brief debate the committee agreed to a voice vote on the amendment and then recorded the final committee recommendation. The roll call recorded 10 members voting in favor and 7 opposed. The committee chair announced that the motion to report CACR 4 as amended carried 10–7; a majority report will be prepared and a minority report assigned.
Ending: The committee reported CACR 4 as amended to the full House. Members who opposed the amendment said they would prepare a minority report expressing concerns about ambiguity in the residency language and possible unintended consequences for absentee voters.
