AUGUSTA, Maine — A Maine Republican wants the state’s constitution to explicitly prohibit non-citizens from voting in local elections.

Rep. Nathan Wadsworth’s proposed constitutional amendment would state that only U.S. citizens could vote in municipal or local elections.

The proposal is set for a Monday hearing.

The proposal faces a steep climb in the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The public would also need to approve the amendment.

Several Democrats in Maine’s most populous city of Portland have pushed to join the handful of U.S. states that allow asylum seekers and refugees to vote in local elections.

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