State laws on whether noncitizens can vote face legal challenges

Published May 15, 2025 6:00am ET



Several state laws concerning whether noncitizens can vote are being tested in court, as Republicans attempt to limit voting rights to citizens while Democrats seek to expand them to noncitizens.

Some GOP-led states, such as Louisiana and Wyoming, have passed their own versions of a U.S. House bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. To date, 54 bills have been introduced in 25 states that will either impose or expand proof of citizenship requirements, according to Voting Rights Lab’s legislation tracker. Liberal opponents, however, are pushing back against these measures, with the Elias Law Group challenging Wyoming’s voting integrity bill and a coalition of liberal litigators, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, threatening to sue over Louisiana’s election security law.

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