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Iowa Amendment 1, Require Citizenship to Vote in Elections and Allow 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primaries Amendment (2024)
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U.S. House • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • Municipal • All other local • How to run for office |
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| Iowa Amendment 1 | |
|---|---|
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| Election date November 5, 2024 | |
| Topic Suffrage | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
Iowa Amendment 1, the Require Citizenship to Vote in Elections and Allow 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primaries Amendment, was on the ballot in Iowa as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024.[1] It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported prohibiting local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote by providing in the state constitution that only a citizen of the U.S., rather than every citizen of the U.S., can vote; and supported allowing 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to vote in primary elections. |
A "no" vote opposed prohibiting local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote, thereby maintaining state constitutional language that says every citizen of the U.S., rather than only a citizen of the U.S., can vote; and opposed adding to the state constitution the existing state law allowing 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election to vote in primary elections. |
Election results
See also: Results for voting-related and noncitizen voting ballot measures, 2024
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Iowa Amendment 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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1,150,332 | 77.13% | ||
| No | 341,034 | 22.87% | ||
Overview
What did the amendment change about voting in Iowa?
- See also: Text of measure
This measure prohibited local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote by providing in the state constitution that only a citizen of the U.S., rather than every citizen of the U.S., can vote.[1]
It also provided that 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the general election may vote in primary elections.[1]
What do other state constitutions say about suffrage and citizenship?
In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, such as U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. Federal law did not address state or local elections.[2]
As of October 2024, all state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 43 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship said who could vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but did not state that noncitizens cannot vote. In seven states (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio) the states' constitutions provide that citizens, but not noncitizens, have the right to vote. In 2018, 2020, and 2022, constitutional amendments to state that only a citizen (rather than every citizen) may vote were approved in six states.
In what states can 17-year-olds vote?
As of 2024, the Iowa Secretary of State's website listed the following requirements to register and vote in Iowa:[3]
- must be a U.S. citizen,
- must be an Iowa resident, and
- must be at least 17 years old (18 years old by election day, or for primary elections be 18 by the general or city election to vote).
As of January 2023, in 17 other states and Washington, D.C., 17-year-olds turning 18 by the time of the general election were permitted to vote in that year's primary elections.[4]
Did other states vote on similar measures in 2024?
- See also: Background
Bans on noncitizen voting at the state level had become more frequent since 2018. Voters in six states approved ballot measures banning noncitizen voting from 2018 to 2022. In 2024, eight state legislatures referred constitutional amendments to the ballot to prohibit the state or local governments from allowing noncitizen voting. The eight states were Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Voters approved each constitutional amendment.
Jack Tomczak, Vice President of Americans for Citizen Voting, which supported the ballot measures, said, "We, and legislators who sponsor these, are getting ahead of fixing a problem that maybe has not reared its head as much in these states. It’s not like it’s happening everywhere and it must be stopped immediately. But preemption is not a bad thing." Jonathan Diaz, Director of Voting Advocacy for the Campaign Legal Center, said, "These proposed constitutional amendments are aimed really at two things: preventing local governments in those states from allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections, and advancing this false narrative that non-U.S. citizens are somehow participating in U.S. elections in large numbers, which is totally unsupported by any evidence or facts."[5]
As of 2024, municipalities in California, Maryland, and Vermont, along with Washington, D.C., allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections. In November, voters in Santa Ana, California, decided on a ballot measure to allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for the amendment was as follows:[6]
| “ | Shall the following amendment to the Constitution be adopted?
Summary: Provides for only U.S. citizens aged 18 or older and meeting state and county residency requirements to vote in all elections. Further provides that 17-year-olds who will be 18 years old by the General Election are eligible to vote in the primary election, subject to the same citizenship and residency requirements. Full Text: Section 1 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Iowa, as amended by the amendment of 1970, is repealed and the following adopted in lieu thereof: Section 1. Electors. Only a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years, who shall have been a resident of this state for such period of time as shall be provided by law and of the county in which the citizen claims the citizen's vote for such period of time as shall be provided by law, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are authorized by law. However, for purposes of a primary election, a United States citizen must be at least eighteen years of age as of the next general election following the primary election. The required periods of residence shall not exceed six months in this state and sixty days in the county.[7] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article II, Iowa Constitution
The measure amended Section 1 of Article II of the state constitution. The following struck-through text was deleted and underlined text was added.[1]
Section 1.
Electors.
Every citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been a resident of this state for such period of time as shall be provided by law and of the county in which he claims his vote for such period of time as shall be provided by law, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are now or hereafter may be authorized by law. The general assembly may provide by law for different periods of residence in order to vote for various officers or in order to vote in various elections. The required periods of residence shall not exceed six months in this state and sixty days in the county.
Only a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years, who shall have been a resident of this state for such period of time as shall be provided by law and of the county in which the citizen claims the citizen's vote for such period of time as shall be provided by law, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are authorized by law. However, for purposes of a primary election, a United States citizen must be at least eighteen years of age as of the next general election following the primary election. The required periods of residence shall not exceed six months in this state and sixty days in the county. [7]
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 12, and the FRE is 46. The word count for the ballot title is 208.
Support
The amendment was introduced by the committee on state government.
Supporters
Officials
- State Sen. Jason Schultz (R)
Organizations
Arguments
Opposition
Arguments
You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Ballotpedia did not identify political action committees registered to support or oppose this measure. If you are aware of one, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
Background
Voting in Iowa
- See also: Voting in Iowa
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Iowa, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Iowa, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. A voter that is 17 years old may participate in a primary election if they will be 18 by the time of the next general election. The deadline to register is 15 days prior to the election but registration is permitted on Election Day with proof of identification.Iowans may register online or by completing a form and returning to their county auditor’s office by mail or in person.[8][9] As of 2024, the Iowa Secretary of State's website listed the following requirements to register and vote in Iowa:[10]
- must be a U.S. citizen,
- must be an Iowa resident, and
- must be at least 17 years old (18 years old by election day, or for primary elections be 18 by the general or city election to vote).
Citizenship voting requirement ballot measures
From 2018 to 2024, voters decided on 14 ballot measures related to adding language about citizenship requirements for voting. Voters approved all 14 measures.
Partisanship of legislative votes on referred measures
In 16 states that placed constitutional amendments on the ballot to require citizenship to vote in state and local elections, Republican legislators supported the amendments, averaging 99.7%. In all but one state—South Dakota (2026)—every Republican legislator voted in favor; in South Dakota, 95.3% supported the amendment. Democratic support varied between states, averaging 43.1% and ranging from 0% in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin to 100% in Alabama (2020) and Iowa (2024).
State constitutions on suffrage and citizenship
As of October 2024, all state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 43 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship said who could vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but did not state that noncitizens cannot vote. In seven states (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio) the states' constitutions provide that citizens, but not noncitizens, have the right to vote.
Noncitizen-voting in the United States
In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, such as U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. Federal law did not address state or local elections.[2]
Sixteen municipalities across the country allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections as of December 2023. Eleven were located in Maryland, three were located in Vermont, and two were located in California. San Francisco allowed noncitizens to vote in school board elections by approving Proposition N in 2016.
In June 2022, the New York State Supreme Court for Staten Island overturned a New York City law to allow noncitizen voting, ruling that it violated the state's constitution. According to Judge Ralph Porzio, “by not expressly including non-citizens in the New York State Constitution, it was the intent of the framers for non-citizens to be omitted.”[11]
Voting for 17-year-olds
- See also: Voting in primaries at 17 years old
As of 2023, in 17 states and Washington, D.C., 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time of the next general election are permitted to vote in that year's primaries and caucuses.[12]
Congressional primaries
The map below shows which states allowed 17-year-olds to vote in congressional primaries as of May 2024. These states are displayed in green. The table below the map provides further details, including links to relevant state laws.[13]
| 17-year-old voting by state, congressional primaries | |
|---|---|
| State | Statute |
| Connecticut | Conn. Const. art. 6, § 11 |
| Delaware | Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 1701, 3110 |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code Ann. § 1-1001.02 |
| Illinois | 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/3-6 |
| Indiana | Ind. Code §3-7-13-2 |
| Iowa | Iowa Code § 48A.5 |
| Kentucky | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.055 |
| Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, §111-A |
| Maryland | Md. Code Ann., Elec. Law § 3-102 |
| Mississippi | Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-11 |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-110 |
| New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-4-2 |
| North Carolina | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-59 |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.011 |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3 |
| South Carolina | S.C. Code Ann. § 7-9-20 |
| Utah | Utah Code Ann. § 20A-2-101 |
| Vermont | Vt. Const. ch. II, § 42 |
| Virginia | Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-403 |
| West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 3-2-2 |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Iowa Constitution
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a simple majority vote is required in both the Iowa State Senate and the Iowa House of Representatives in two successive legislative sessions.
2023-2024 session
The amendment was passed in the Senate on March 7, 2023, by a vote of 49-0, and was passed in the House by a vote of 97-0 on April 5, 2023.[1]
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2021-2022 session
The constitutional amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 9 on February 10, 2021. It was passed in the Senate on March 29, 2021, in a vote of 45-0. It was passed in the House on March 15, 2022, in a vote of 96-0. The amendment was sent to the Iowa Secretary of State and thereby referred to the 2023-2024 session of the state legislature on March 31, 2022.[1]
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How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Iowa
See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Iowa.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Iowa State Legislature, "Senate Joint Resolution 9," accessed April 11, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cornell Law School, "18 U.S. Code § 611 - Voting by aliens," accessed March 26, 2020
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ NCSL, "Voting Age for Primary Elections," accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ NBC News, "GOP efforts to crack down on noncitizen voting extend to state ballot measures," September 14, 2024
- ↑ Polk County, Iowa, "Sample ballot," accessed September 23, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 8.0 8.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Iowa Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ Reuters, "New York judge rules law allowing noncitizens to vote for mayor is unconstitutional," June 27, 2022
- ↑ NCSL, "Voting Age for Primary Elections," accessed April 6, 2023
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedncsl - ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Find Your Polling Place," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ The Iowa Legislature, "I.C.A. § 49.74," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Election Day Registration," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "State of Iowa Official Voter Registration Form," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Iowa Secretary of State, "Voter ID FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Voter Identification Requirements," accessed July 21, 2025
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