Republican state lawmakers have introduced a joint resolution that would amend the Michigan Constitution and require proof of citizenship to vote. The resolution also aims to modify voter identification requirements in the state.
The resolution would require that people registering to vote after December 18, 2026, verify their U.S. citizenship by either receiving verification from the secretary of state's office or by providing documentary proof when registering to vote. It also states that voters could alternatively provide proof of citizenship to a designated voter registration agency, the secretary of state, or a county, township, or city clerk where the they live.
The resolution does not just require changes for future registering voters. It also proposes that the secretary of state use an “ongoing systematic process to verify that each individual who appears in the statewide qualified voter file is a United States citizen.”
Citizenship status can be verified with a driver’s license number, state ID, or the last four digits of a Social Security number, according to the proposed resolution.
Proposed changes to photo identification requirements
The proposed amendment would also change current photo ID requirements for Michigan voters. Current Michigan law states that voters must prove their identity by presenting their photo ID or, if they do not have an ID with them, by signing an affidavit verifying their identity. (Making a false affidavit is a felony.)
Under the proposal, a signed affidavit would no longer be accepted as proof of citizenship. However, voters who do not have an ID present when voting could use a provisional ballot, and then present a photo ID within six days of the election.
State Representative Gina Johnsen (R-Portland), who sponsored the resolution, said strengthening photo ID requirements may prevent people without citizenship from voting.
“Almost everywhere you go, you have to sign in (and) show I.D. before you can conduct business in life,” Johnsen told Michigan Public. “So it's not like this is difficult, but it certainly gives people more security in knowing your elections are fair.”
Representative Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford), who is the House majority floor leader, introduced the resolution Thursday. He told Michigan Public that most Americans support photo ID requirements to vote. He also said he believes the state constitution’s protections against noncitizens voting are not perfect and should be improved.
“If there's a loophole in our constitution that involves the foundation of our democracy, we should fix it,” Posthumus said. “Whether there is widespread fraud or not, we should fix it.”
Noncitizen voter fraud is rare in Michigan, and nationwide
The Michigan Department of State’s website states that there has been no evidence of widescale voter fraud by noncitizens in Michigan.
“There is no evidence to support claims that large numbers of noncitizens have voted in past elections or are registering to vote in 2024,” the website reads. “In fact, the name of everyone who registers or votes in an election is a public record – it would be very easy to see if noncitizens were registering or voting in large numbers.”
Research also shows that voter fraud by those without citizenship in the U.S. is vanishingly rare. A 2017 study analyzing 23.5 million votes in the 2016 general election found that only 0.0001% of the votes were cast by people without citizenship in the jurisdictions studied.
Quentin Turner is the executive director of Common Cause Michigan, which is a pro-democracy organization. He told Michigan Public he believes the resolution — if passed — would do more harm than good.
“This is a completely unnecessary overreaction and it's going to end up putting a lot of legal votes in jeopardy,” Turner said. “We've seen in other states that U.S. citizens have had their voter registration canceled, are put in doubt because of software issues, because of similar laws or because they've registered decades ago and they didn't have to submit such personal information at the time.”
Turner also said the resolution may pose challenges for some U.S. citizens to vote. He said voters would have to provide a passport or birth certificate, which is not easily available to some U.S. citizens, to receive proof of citizenship.
“I'm not just talking about voters who are immigrants or naturalized citizens,” Turner told Michigan Public. “I'm talking about voters who are women who change their last name when they got married, voters who have changed the name at all since they were born, voters who have lost their birth certificate, voters who don't have a birth certificate, voters who don't have a passport.”
What’s next for the resolution
The resolution was referred to the Committee on Election Integrity after it was introduced. The committee can decide the future of the resolution, as well as amend or substitute it.
The resolution is headed next to the state House of Representatives and Senate, where it would require a two-thirds vote to be passed. If it were to be passed by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, the resolution would require a majority in an election to be added to the state constitution.
In 2018, North Dakota became the first state to explicitly ban noncitizens from voting through a constitutional amendment. Since then, several other states have followed suit.
If the resolution does not pass through the state Legislature, it can still go up for a vote on the general election’s ballot if a petition gathers 446,198 signatures.
A group called Prove It, Michigan! is preparing to launch a petition drive to get the resolution on the 2026 ballot. The group’s website cites an incident during the 2024 general election in which a University of Michigan student from China was accused of illegally voting. The student registered to vote and cast a ballot despite not being a U.S. citizen, prosecutors say. The 19-year-old student has since been charged with two felonies and is scheduled to go before a judge on February 13.
Posthumus said he believes the student voting despite not having citizenship casts a spotlight on election integrity in Michigan.
“It kind of culminated with a foreign national casting a ballot in our elections and that ballot counting toward the actual election in 2024,” Posthumus said. “When all of those things happened, it was kind of like a straw that broke the camel's back and it was like, ‘Okay, it's time to do something to ensure that only citizens vote in our elections.’”
Federal law already bans people without citizenship from voting in federal elections. Those who attempt to vote in federal elections face prison time, fines, or both. Michigan state law currently only allows U.S. citizens to register or cast a ballot in elections.
More information about voting in Michigan can be found at the Michigan Voter Information Center website here.
