The question on the S.C. ballot about amending Section 4, Article II of the South Carolina State Constitution is misleading.
The voter qualification section of the S.C. Constitution already specifies that “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.” The ballot does not explain that the amendment is to remove the word ‘ Every’ and replace it with ‘ Only a.’
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The ballot makes it seem as if this is an addition to the S.C. Constitution; it is not. The question makes it seem as though non-citizens currently vote in South Carolina; they do not.
The question as stated on the ballot discourages a voter from replying “No,” because that would seem to indicate that the voter does not agree with qualified voters being U.S. citizens, S.C. citizens,18 years or older, and registered to vote in SC. Some voters may want to retain the word ‘Every’ to protect the voting rights of qualified SC citizens.