In recent years, Michigan voters have approved measures to expand access to the ballot box. But at the next election, voters could have the chance to adopt a proposal voting rights advocates fear would erect a barrier for legally eligible voters to cast a ballot by requiring proof of citizenship to participate in elections.
Only U.S. citizens can legally vote in Michigan. Currently, those registering to vote do not need to prove their citizenship status. A constitutional amendment supported by GOP state lawmakers would change that by requiring those registering to vote to present documents to demonstrate their citizenship such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate. The state’s elections panel recently cleared the way for organizers behind the effort to begin collecting voter signatures to land a spot on the 2026 ballot.
Proponents argue a proof of citizenship requirement to vote would ensure any votes cast by noncitizens do not dilute the votes of U.S. citizens in Michigan.
A Michigan Department of State review found 15 people who don’t appear to be U.S. citizens voted in the 2024 election along with a previously identified case of a a Chinese national who allegedly registered to vote and cast a ballot in Ann Arbor in the last election. There are more than 8.1 million registered voters in Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of State.
Opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment argue it could disenfranchise tens of thousands or even millions of voters who would pay a high price for stopping a rare occurrence in Michigan elections.
The proposed constitutional amendment would also change Michigan’s voter ID requirement, barring the small group of voters without an ID from confirming their identities to vote by signing an affidavit. It would create a new ID requirement for absentee voters.
In order to appear on the ballot, proponents of the proof of citizenship amendment to the Michigan Constitution must collect at least 446,198 voter signatures. To take effect, the proposal must receive a majority vote.
The campaign comes amid a national push with the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent vote on a bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a similar March executive order from President Donald Trump.
A new proof of citizenship for Michigan voters
Those registering to vote in Michigan must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, five years’ imprisonment or both. If someone who is not qualified to vote casts a ballot or attempts to do so, that person is guilty of a felony under Michigan election law punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, four years’ imprisonment, or both.
State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, introduced the constitutional amendment in the Michigan Legislature before the campaign launched to collect voter signatures to land a spot on the ballot. “This is a no-brainer. Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections,” he said in a Jan. 29 statement, the same day he proposed the amendment. “And people should have to show ID when voting to prove that they are who they say they are. That’s just common sense.”
Opponents have pushed back by pointing out that voter fraud is a rare phenomenon. “So this is a solution in search of a problem especially because of the incredibly low numbers of noncitizens who we know from research and audits in other states are able to successfully register and cast ballots,” said American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan Political Director Merissa Kovach.
Starting in late 2026, the proposal would require those registering to vote in Michigan to verify their citizenship by providing documentary proof or having the Secretary of State verify that the person registering is a U.S. citizen. Posthumus told lawmakers during a hearing on the amendment that he hopes a nationwide database to verify citizenship will be available before the implementation of a proof of citizenship requirement.
The proposal leaves future state lawmakers to decide the mechanics of the new proof of citizenship requirement, but documentary proof of citizenship might include a U.S. passport or a birth certificate. Married women who have changed their last name might need to present a marriage license along with a birth certificate.
The proposed constitutional amendment would also require the Secretary of State to carry out an ongoing review of the state’s file of registered voters to verify citizenship. If the Secretary of State receives information that someone registered to vote is not a U.S. citizen, they must send the individual a written notice giving them 60 days to verify their citizenship before canceling their voter registration.
Proposal would make Michigan voter ID requirement a strict one
Currently, Michigan voters without a photo ID have have the option to sign an affidavit to verify their identity to cast a ballot. State lawmakers passed Michigan’s voter ID law in 1996. Most Democratic lawmakers at the time opposed the voter ID legislation, characterizing it as an attempt to suppress the vote. Legal challenges put its implementation on hold until the Michigan Supreme Court upheld the ID requirement in 2007.
More than a decade later, voting rights advocates asked Michigan voters in 2022 to enshrine the affidavit option for voters without a photo ID in the state’s constitution, a measure that passed with 60% support. The vote followed an attempt by Republican state lawmakers to pass legislation proposing stricter voter ID rules, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed.
States have a patchwork of voter ID laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most states have some kind of voter ID system in place. Michigan is among the group of states that allow voters who don’t present an ID at their polling location to cast a ballot without requiring any additional action from the voter to ensure their ballot counts, such as returning to an election office after voting to present an ID.
The proposed constitutional amendment would require voters who sign an affidavit because they don’t have a photo ID to cast a provisional ballot that would only count if the voter presents a photo ID on or before the sixth day after the election.
A new verification requirement for absentee voters
Right now, election officials compare the signature on a voter’s application for an absentee ballot and their absentee ballot with the signature on file to verify the absentee voter’s identity.
But the proposed constitutional amendment would add a new verification step. It would require Michigan voters requesting or returning an absentee ballot other than in person to provide an original copy of a photo ID, driver’s license or state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Whitmer vetoed GOP legislation in 2021 that would have made a similar change to Michigan election law.
Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan proof of citizenship campaign to vote advances
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