The President of the United States is required to be a natural-born U.S. citizen through a specific provision in the U.S. Constitution. A naturalized citizen cannot serve as commander-in-chief by law.
However, other elected offices are open to both naturalized and native-born citizens. In Alabama, three officials want to change that.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, State Sen. Donnie Chesteen (R-Dothan), and State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise) have brought a bill that would require almost all officials in Alabama to be natural born.
Only local officials, such as Mayors, city council members and county commissioners, were not included in a ban through newly-introduced SB21.
“For the same reasons our founding fathers sought to ensure that our nation’s leader was a natural born American citizen, we believe the same standard must be required of those operating in the highest levels of our state government,” Allen said in a statement on Monday.
“I am confident that the vast majority of Alabamians join us in wanting to strengthen our state Constitution to put Alabama first and to counteract any potential future influence from abroad.”
While the Secretary of State does not get to vote on or introduce bills himself, the office commonly takes the lead on legislation affecting elections.
The issue of having non-American-born individuals running for office is a hot one at the moment.
A startling example up north is Ugandan-born Zohran Mamdani, who is leading all polls for Mayor of New York. Mamdani is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist who won the Democrat Mayoral primary.
If passed by both houses of the Alabama Legislature, Allen’s proposal would be put to a statewide vote in November 2026.
According to SB21’s official description, “Offices of Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; judge of the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals or Court of Criminal Appeals; judge of a circuit court or district court; member of the Legislature; Attorney General; State Auditor; Secretary of State; State Treasurer; Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries; member of the State Board of Education; and local sheriff, district attorney, circuit clerk, or constable required to be held by a natural born citizen of the United States,”
According to Allen, the goal is to mirror the U.S. Constitution’s standard for the presidency and insulate state leaders from potential foreign influence.
The bill has been pre-filed in the Alabama Legislature ahead of the January 2026 legislative session. State Sen. Donnie Chesteen is the sponsor in the Senate, and State Rep. Rhett Marques will carry a companion bill in the House.
The bill would restrict candidacy for most offices from an estimated 80,000 Alabamians who are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]
