Georgia Senate panel advances constitutional noncitizen voting ban

butch miller
Republican Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller of Gainesville (John Bazemore/AP Photo)

A state Senate committee is supporting a plan to amend the Georgia Constitution to include a ban on voting by noncitizens that is already in state law.

The Senate Ethics Committee voted 7-2 on Thursday to advance Senate Resolution 363. It moves to the full Senate for more debate. A constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds vote in each chamber to advance to a ballot referendum, meaning unified Democrats could kill the measure.

Republican Senate President Pro Tem Butch Miller of Gainesville and other supporters argue the current constitutional provisions that say all citizens of Georgia shall be entitled to vote needs to be clarified to reflect state law that says only citizens of the United States and residents of Georgia can vote.