Wisconsin voters rejected a ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to explicitly ban foreign nationals from voting in state elections.
This voting measure is part of a national Republican effort to highlight legal non-citizen voting in local elections and illegal voting in state, local and federal elections, an extremely rare occurrence.
Some cities across the country allow foreign residents to vote locally, including in city council and school board elections.
Currently, no city in Wisconsin allows non-referendum voting at any level.
However, this referendum, like similar referendums in seven states, left the issue on the ballot.
Legal non-referendum voting is often confused with illegal voting in political discussions, but it is still a rare phenomenon that has garnered national attention.
This Congress, House Republicans promoted the Protecting American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), which would strengthen proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration.
The bill was defeated in the Senate and ultimately died.
Voters in North Carolina, another battleground state, voted for similar policies, as did voters in Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
