A one word change on the SC constitution is up for debate. How could this impact voters?

A subtle change to the South Carolina Constitution will be on the November ballot. Whether it actually changes anything is up for debate, opponents say.

A commission decided Monday that no additional explanation would be necessary to help voters understand what they’re being asked. The one word change is straightforward, the Constitutional Ballot Commission decided. Simple.

So what does it actually change?

The question that will appear on the ballot asks whether “Every citizen of the United States and of this State of the age of eighteen and upwards who is properly registered is entitled to vote as provided by law” should be changed to “Only a citizen of the ...”.

The general assembly voted earlier this year to add the question to the ballot.

“Advocates for this constitutional amendment believe that using “only a” as opposed to “every” might confine elections at municipal levels to only be citizens,” Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “You can have a situation, and this is what advocates have claimed, where a person could vote in a municipal election who may not be a citizen.”

South Carolina legislators cited areas such a San Francisco that have allowed non-citizens to vote in school board elections as their reason. Wilson acknowledged there have been no reports of municipalities trying to allow non-citizens to vote.

It’s a safety guard in order to ensure it’s “rock solid,” that only citizens vote, Wilson said.

“It’s basically just an extra safeguard to confine elections and to confine voters in elections in South Carolina to only citizens of this state at any level, local, state, federal,” Wilson said.

Fear among lawmakers and citizens that non-citizens are voting has become an online frenzy. Former President Donald Trump has made claims that immigrants improperly vote in federal elections, sparking misinformation surrounding voting.

In May, state Rep. Adam Morgan, R-Greenville, made a viral X post that alleged a state government office was responsible for giving a voter registration form to a non-citizen, both in person and then by mail. The person’s family member who received the forms contacted Morgan, former chair of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus.

The photo of the form on the post, which he called a voter registration form, was actually a voter registration declination form, not filled out. The form can be found online and printed out. The forms are distributed to those who are receiving government assistance and asks if they’d like to vote. The form doesn’t ask if the person is a U.S. citizen.

The governor called on South Carolina Law Enforcement to investigate, and SLED found the claims to be unfounded.

If non-citizens aren’t voting in South Carolina, why change the constitution? While Republicans say the safety measure is necessary, Democrats call it a waste of time.

Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine, D-Richland said it really doesn’t change anything, and it’s a waste of “time, effort and resources.”

“There are so many things that we need to be focusing on to make the lives of citizens better. Going through this, which is unnecessary, taking time, energy, money, resources for something that’s not necessary, not a problem,” she said.

She said hopefully if Republicans get this, they can help focus on other things that are more important to the people of South Carolina.

This is the only proposed change to the constitution.

This story was originally published August 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.