Podcast: Pro and con voices on Amendment J, clarifying the citizenship requirement for voting

A question on the Nov. 3 general election ballot asks South Dakotans to add language in the state constitution specifying that people who are not U.S. citizens are disqualified from voting. The state constitution already includes citizenship as a voting eligibility requirement.

Two years ago, state officials discovered 273 non-U.S. citizens had accidentally been registered to vote in South Dakota while their driver’s license forms were being processed. Noncitizens can obtain a driver’s license or state ID if they are lawful permanent residents or have temporary legal status, and there’s a part of the driver’s license form that allows an applicant to register to vote if they’re a citizen.

One of those 273 people voted, according to the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office. That was in 2016. All of the registrations were canceled after their discovery.

State Sen. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, supports Amendment J. She said it would close a loophole in the constitution. Rep. Erik Muckey, D-Sioux Falls, opposes Amendment J. He said the state already has laws in place that criminalize noncitizens voting. They both explain their views in this episode of Searchlight Report.

A “yes” vote on the ballot question would add language to the state constitution specifying that noncitizens are disqualified from voting. A “no” vote would leave the constitution as is.

Click here to access a transcript for this episode.