Texas Proposition 2, Require Noncitizens to Declare Intent to Become U.S. Citizens Six Months Before Voting Amendment (1896)

Texas Proposition 2
Election date November 3, 1896
Topic Citizenship voting requirements
Status Approved
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Texas Proposition 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Texas on November 3, 1896. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported requiring foreign-born men to declare their intent to become U.S. citizens at least six months before an election in order to be eligible to vote, instead of allowing them to qualify at any time prior to the election.

A "no" vote opposed changing the existing requirement, thereby maintaining that foreign-born men could become eligible to vote as long as they declared their intent to become U.S. citizens at any time before the election.

Election results

Texas Proposition 2
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		268,262	83.86%
No		51,649	16.14%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Aftermath

Proposition 1 (1921)

See also: Texas Proposition 1, Repeal Noncitizen Voting Provision, Authorize Absentee Voting, and Change Poll Tax Rules Amendment (July 1921)

On July 23, 1921, voters approved a constitutional amendment repealing the provision allowing noncitizen men who declared their intent to become U.S. citizens to vote, among other changes.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Proposition 2 was as follows:

“

FOR Joint Resolution Amending Article 6, Section 2, of the Constitution of the State of Texas, Requiring Persons of Foreign Birth to Declare their Intention to Become Citizens of the United States Six Months Before any Election at which Such Person may offer to Vote. AGAINST Joint Resolution Amending Article 6, Section 2, of the Constitution of the State of Texas.

”

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.

Constitutional changes

See also: Article 6, Texas Constitution

The ballot measure amended Section 2 of Article 6 of the Texas Constitution. The following underlined text was added and struck-through text was deleted:

Every male person subject to none of the foregoing disqualifications, who shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, and who shall be a citizen of the United States, and who shall have resided in this State one year next preceding an election, and the last six months within the district or county in which he offers to vote, shall be deemed a qualified elector; and election. And every male person of foreign birth, subject to none of the foregoing disqualifications, who, at any time before an election, not less than six months before any election at which he offers to vote, shall have declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, in accordance with the federal Federal naturalization laws, and shall have resided in this State one year next preceding such election, and the last six months in the county in which he offers to vote, shall also be deemed a qualified elector; and all electors shall vote in the election precinct of their residence; provided residence: Provided, that electors living in any unorganized county, may vote at any election precinct in the county to which such county is attached, for judicial purposes.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Texas Constitution

A two-thirds vote was needed in each chamber of the Texas State Legislature to refer the constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.

The constitutional amendment was introduced into the Texas State Legislature as House Joint Resolution 32 during the 24th regular legislative session in 1896.

See also

1896 Measures

• 1896 Measures
• Citizenship voting requirements on the ballot
• 1896 legislative sessions

Texas

• Texas ballot measures
• Texas ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Legislative Reference Library of Texas, Constitutional Amendments