SB 185

By: Theresa Manzella

Over the last four years, the Biden Administration allowed 11 million illegal immigrants to enter our nation. Through loose citizenship policies and weak border surveillance, communities in every state have experienced an influx of non-citizen residents.

This has caused:

• Numerous Americans to lose job opportunities,

• Harmful drugs to be distributed, and

• Crime rates to increase due to a lack of sufficient local law enforcement resources.

Furthermore, a consequence that has discreetly evolved from such practices is election fraud.

Non-Citizen Voting and the Need for SB 185

A select group of states do not have laws on the books that ban non-citizens from voting in local elections, and an increasing number of communities allow such voting to occur.

To combat this trend and prevent Montana from engaging in this indiscretion, I have introduced SB 185—a bill to present a constitutional amendment to Montana voters that will ensure only U.S. citizens and Montana residents can participate in our elections.

Clarifying Montana’s Constitution

The Montana Constitution currently states:

“Any citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older who meets the registration and residence requirements provided by law is a qualified elector.”

This language may seem clear-cut in implying that only Montana residents and U.S. citizens can vote. However, five states with similarly written constitutions have permitted non-citizens to vote in local elections.

People who have not fulfilled citizenship requirements are finding loopholes in these states’ laws that govern voter registration and are participating in elections that do not technically apply to them or have jurisdiction over them.

What SB 185 Will Do

Senate Bill 185 will provide Montanans with a ballot measure to amend our state constitution and ultimately specify that:

“Only U.S. citizens and Montana residents” can engage in local elections.

This is a commonsense proposal to ensure that people who are not bound by the laws of our land do not get to influence our local governing bodies.

Next Steps for SB 185

SB 185 had its first hearing in the Senate State Administration Committee on Friday, Feb. 14th, and will be voted on by the committee in the coming days!

I am passionate about this measure, and I enjoy my work in the legislature representing the people of Montana!

— Theresa Manzella, SD44