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Tennessee House sets for second reading a proposed amendment to bar noncitizen voting
Summary
The House read and scheduled Senate Joint Resolution 624 — a proposed amendment that would specify only U.S. citizens may vote in Tennessee elections — for second reading on April 15, 2026, after a formal concurrence motion and public reading of the text.
Chairman Farmer moved the House to concur in Senate Joint Resolution 624, a measure that would amend Article 4, Section 1 of the Tennessee Constitution to state explicitly that "no person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote in any election held in this state, including elections for state, county, municipal, or district offices, or for any ballot measure, referendum, or other questions submitted to the people." The clerk read the proposed amendment in full.
Supporters framed the change as a clarification of current practice. Chairman Farmer asked that the resolution be set for second reading; members agreed and SJR 624 was scheduled for a second reading session on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. No roll-call vote on final passage occurred during this session; the chamber treated the action as a procedural concurrence and scheduling for continued consideration.
Why it matters: If adopted in two successive legislatures and ratified per constitutional procedures, the amendment would codify citizenship as an explicit qualification for suffrage in Tennessee’s state constitution, affecting any future local or state proposals that contemplate voting rights for noncitizen residents.
What’s next: The resolution was set for second reading on April 15, 2026, and would require subsequent legislative and publication steps before moving to a referendum or referral to the next General Assembly, per the language read aloud on the floor.
