Sometimes the Texas Legislature treats the Constitution like a group project where nobody bothered to read the first page before suggesting edits. Case in point: SJR 37, by Senators Birdwell and Middleton, which proposes a constitutional amendment to “clarify” that only U.S. citizens may vote in Texas elections.

Clarify what? It’s already there plain as day. Article VI, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution explicitly says that to be a qualified voter, a person must be a citizen of the United States. There is no ambiguity, there are no loopholes, and there’s no hidden meaning.

This kind of political theater is worse than harmless redundancy, it distracts from real issues. It gives politicians cover to say they took action on election security without lifting a finger to address real reforms, like transparency in redistricting, ballot access for third party and independent candidates, or streamlining voter registration.

And let’s be honest: our legislators know this is already covered. They’ve read the Constitution…or at least they should have. Article VI has been there since 1876, updated multiple times, always retaining the basic principle that Texas voters must be U.S. citizens. SJR 37 never should have been filed, shouldn’t have made it out of committee, and certainly shouldn’t have made it through both chambers to land on the November ballot.

Texans deserve more than to have our intelligence insulted by symbolic busywork. Our Constitution is already clear: to vote in this state, you must be a U.S. citizen. SJR 37 doesn’t protect elections—it protects politicians from having to explain why they aren’t tackling the hard stuff.

So when you see this on the ballot, remember: sometimes the most patriotic vote is the one that reminds our lawmakers to actually do their jobs, not repeat themselves.