A proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this year would allow residents who were born in the United States but have parental ties to the Federated States of Micronesia to apply for dual citizenship.
FSM is a Pacific nation located in Oceania's western region, comprised of the four island states Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Yap.
The nation has a growing diaspora, with several Micronesian communities living nationwide. More than 18,000 Micronesians from FSM, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau live in Hawaiʻi.
They share the Compacts of Free Association with the U.S., but FSM is the only one that prohibits dual citizenship.
Matt Howard, who is Chuukese and Pohnpeian, said the amendment would affect him the most.
"I want this to happen because I think we need to have more votes as far as what's going on back home," Howard said. "There are a lot more Micronesians leaving the FSM. And so many more kids are growing up within the U.S. but still have ties back home. And because we don't have rights to vote or to say things that need to get changed and things that need to happen back home, those votes get dropped."
The 31-year-old said he supports the amendment but can't vote because he was born in California and forfeited his FSM citizenship. According to the FSM National Election Office, only FSM citizens can vote in their elections.
The current FSM Constitution states that children must choose between their parents' country or the one they were born in by age 21. If they don't, they risk losing their FSM citizenship and rights to their ancestral lands permanently.
This amendment would change that. If passed, they can remain FSM citizens and be a citizen of another country. It would also allow people who renounced their FSM citizenship to regain it.
It's the third time FSM put dual citizenship on the ballot, but it failed to garner enough votes to meet the Pacific nation's 75% voting threshold, according to Sen. Ricky Carl of the Pohnpei Legislature.
There has been a debate in FSM about whether people with dual citizenship could buy up land.
More than 30 people attended a community forum on Saturday, questioning if they can still own land in FSM as dual citizens.
"As long as you're an FSM citizen, you have equal rights as any other FSM citizen who does not possess dual citizenship," Carl said.
The potential significant change is one of eight proposed amendments to FSM's constitution that's up for a vote on July 4.
People at the forum also expressed frustration about if they would have enough time to vote.
"My job is to provide adequate information to ensure you're informed. Whether I think there's enough time or not, that's beyond what I can assure you. I don't know," Carl said.
Carl is also a part of an education task force created this year. The other members are constitutional convention delegates Mason Albert and Bernie Martin and constitutional convention secretariat Santos Abraham.
Carl said the task force started traveling to several U.S. states beginning May 8. They met with FSM citizens in Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Utah, Oregon, Nevada and Hawaiʻi.
Carl said the forum usually takes four hours to explain the eight amendments, but most of the questions from the community were about dual citizenship — which is the first amendment.
The FSM Constitution is reviewed and potentially changed every decade. The last time it was amended was in 2001. The FSM constitutional delegates convened in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed deciding on the amendments.
FSM citizens can visit the Pacific nation's website for an absentee ballot.
