One Vote, One Citizen: The Fight for Proposition 16 in Texas

In this episode of Seeing Red, Garrett Fulce sits down with Charlie Kolean, Texas State Director for Americans for Citizen Voting, to discuss Proposition 16, a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee only U.S. citizens can vote in all Texas elections. Kolean breaks down how this measure came to be, why it took three legislative sessions to reach the ballot, and what it means for Texas and the broader national movement toward citizen-only voting.

Together, Garrett and Charlie unpack the legislative mechanics, opposition talking points, and what Kolean calls “a common-sense safeguard” against the kind of local voting expansions seen in San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C. The discussion also digs into bipartisan coalition-building, misconceptions around voter eligibility, and the strategic effort to pass similar amendments in states like Michigan and Ohio.

This episode offers both a civics lesson and a deep dive into how Texas policy ripples across the nation.

0:00 – “One Vote, One Citizen”: What Proposition 16 Means

2:35 – Why Non-Citizen Voting Has Become a National Issue

6:31 – Legislative Process and Bipartisan Negotiations

10:12 – The Argument for Amending the Texas Constitution

13:46 – Opposition Talking Points and Public Opinion

17:30 – Comparing Texas to San Francisco and New York

22:29 – Inside the Texas Capitol: Getting Prop 16 to the Ballot

28:13 – How Bipartisanship Shaped the Final Amendment

31:34 – Voter Turnout Challenges and Off-Year Elections

39:27 – What Other States Are Doing (and Why Texas Leads)

47:52 – Future of the Movement: Michigan and Beyond

53:00 – What Prop 16 Means for Election Integrity in Texas

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