Poll: Seven-in-10 NC voters support constitutional ban on non-citizen voting

A recent poll of North Carolina voters found a 68% support margin for a state constitutional amendment specifically prohibiting non-citizens from voting in elections. 

The poll from Carolina Partnership for Reform noted that with Republican legislators holding supermajorities in both chambers, such an amendment could make it on the ballot in November without Democratic support.

The issue of non-citizen voting has captured the attention of many voters, particularly within the GOP and unaffiliated groups. Dr. Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation, recently testified in favor of House Bill 1074, Constitutional Amendment/Citizen-Only Voting, arguing that the voting clause in the NC constitution “needs to be clarified to affirm that only qualified United States citizens may vote.”

To pass, a constitutional amendment must garner a three-fifths majority of support in both chambers of the legislature and a simple majority vote of voters at the ballot box.

In the poll, voters also expressed overwhelming support for several potential constitutional amendments, ranging from voter ID to a cap on the state’s income tax rate.

A proposal to require voters to provide photo identification before voting garnered significant support. Seventy-percent of voters are in favor, compared to 29% opposed — a 41-point margin of support. Voters formerly approved a constitutional amendment requiring photo ID to vote in a 2018 ballot measure.

NC’s voter ID law is still snarled up in court, this time before a federal judge whose ruling on the matter could drop in the coming weeks.

Another popular amendment is the proposal to reduce the maximum allowable income tax rate from seven percent to four percent. A substantial 71% of voters support this change, with only 20% opposed, making for a 51-point margin. For the 2024 tax year, the state’s income tax rate is set at a flat 4.5%, but in years past the maximum rate ranged as high as 8.25%.

An amendment to repeal the literacy test requirement for voting also received support, though it yielded the highest percentage of “don’t know” responses due to some confusion over its discriminatory history. Nevertheless, by an 11-point margin, 50% of voters support the repeal, while 39% are opposed.

Lastly, a fifth amendment polled by CPR revealed the most popular proposal in the poll: An amendment to adopt term limits for North Carolina Supreme Court justices, limiting them to two twelve-year terms. This proposal enjoys a +55 margin of support, with 73% in favor and only 18% opposed.

The poll was conducted from April 25-28, 2024, among 500 registered voters. The margin of error is +- 4.38%.

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