Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was joined by voting rights and civil liberties groups Thursday to oppose a proposed federal law to require additional proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
Congress is considering a bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, that would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require a birth certificate or U.S. passport or naturalization paperwork to register to vote.
Currently, 8 states require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Supporters insist changes are needed to prevent non-citizens from voting in U.S. elections.
A Chinese citizen attending the University of Michigan allegedly voted in last fall’s election. He was only caught when he confessed. The ballot could not be recovered and was counted.
19-year-old Haoxiang Gao was charged with being an unauthorized elector attempting to vote and for perjury for making a false affidavit for the purpose of securing voter registration.
Secretary of State Benson insists only a minute fraction of the votes cast in Michigan elections involve non-citizens. At a news conference Thursday, she said the voting rights of tens of thousands of Michiganders should not be put at risk to prevent the small number of non-citizens who attempt to vote in elections.
“No matter how many protections you put in a bank you’re going to have people who try to rob it. And sometimes even people get through and successfully do. That doesn’t mean you shut down the bank,” said Benson
Benson says she’s working with state lawmakers to address voting security issues.
Critics of the SAVE Act say it could complicate the voter registration process for many Americans, including married women who’s name no longer matches their birth certificate.
