Supporters of stricter voter eligibility rules in Michigan submitted 750,000 petition signatures to qualify a constitutional amendment for the November ballot.
Backed by Americans for Citizen Voting, the measure would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and order audits of existing voter rolls.
Individuals who are flagged would receive notice and an opportunity to prove citizenship before removal from rolls.
The initiative demands that new voter registrants show documents like a passport, birth certificate, plus photo ID or naturalization papers.
The Michigan state Constitution already limits voting to U.S. citizens, but the Michigan Secretary of State would be empowered to cross-check registered voters against driver's license records, juror records, and federal databases from Homeland Security and Social Security.
The effort gained momentum from a 2024 incident where a Chinese University of Michigan student used a student ID to register, falsely attested citizenship, then fled after perjury and illegal voting charges.
“We want a system we can have confidence in,” Americans for Citizen Voting chairman Paul Jacob said. “The way you avoid big problems in elections is to fix the small problems when they rise up and present themselves.”
Michigan is just the latest state attempting to implement stricter voting requirements as advocated by President Donald Trump, who made a passionate plea this week for the expansion of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that requiring citizenship documentation for federal elections without federal or court approval is unlawful, but, if approved, the SAVE Act would mandate, on a federal level, showing documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
“It’s actually a matter, in a serious way, of national survival,” Trump said on March 9.
Lawmakers in South Dakota and Utah approved proof-of-citizenship bills last week and are awaiting the signature of their respective governors.
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox and South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden have signaled support for the bills and if approved in advance of November, the new rules could be in place by the mid-term elections.
However, in Missouri, after lawmakers heard arguments during a state Senate local government, elections, and pensions committee meeting, they voted 6-2 on March 9 to reject a proposal involving similar voting requirements.
It also directed the clerk of each circuit court to report monthly to the Secretary of State the names of people who identify themselves as not being citizens of the United States when called to jury duty.