LANSING — Michigan Republicans are pushing a constitutional amendment to put restrictions on non-citizen voting, a practice already made illegal by multiple state and federal laws.
The proposal, known as HJR B, would require applicants to provide some proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
The state constitution already says that an individual must be a U.S. citizen to vote — but it does not lay out any process for confirming those claims.
“Voters will verify their citizenship either upon registration or before they vote, the secretary of state will be required to establish a systematic process to verify a voter’s US citizenship,” said Rep. Ann Bollin, (R) 49th District, Brighton Twp. “It will not make it harder to vote, but it will make it harder to cheat.”
Right now, voters must attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury when registering to vote. They must also show some form of identification when voting, or sign an affidavit saying that they’re not in possession of one.
HJR B would require “documentary proof of United States citizenship,” but does not say what types of documents would be considered sufficient.
“The documentation that a voter can provide to prove their citizenship is left vague and (un)defined intentionally,” said Mariah Bryant, director of democracy engagement for Voters Not Politicians. “In fact, it’s entirely possible that voters would no longer be able to register to vote using their driver’s license or other state provided identification.”
The proposal would require the secretary of state to confirm voters' citizenship through “all reasonable efforts.”
There is no evidence that non-citizen voting has had an impact on the outcome of any U.S. elections — but there have been cases of some non-citizens being included in voter rolls.
In Michigan, one University of Michigan international student was confirmed to have cast a ballot in the 2024 election. Due to Michigan’s election anonymity laws, that student’s vote couldn’t be retrieved was counted in the state’s total.
That student later turned himself in and was charged. The student is said to have used his university ID to register, which is a valid form of identification in state law.
“We are now sitting here with a real life example of someone who has, whether nefariously or not, cast a ballot illegally, and is now going to pay, potentially, a tremendous cost with that action,” said Rep. Jay DeBoyer, (R) 63rd District, Clay Twp.
State constitutional amendments must pass through the House and Senate with two-thirds support in each — and with a narrow Republican House majority and Democratic control of the Senate, the resolution is unlikely to move forward.