Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) on Wednesday announced plans to introduce a constitutional amendment in the upcoming legislative session aimed at blocking non-citizens from casting a ballot in the state.
First announced during an interview with WILS, Posthumus’ proposal would require voters to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote and government-issued photo identification when casting the ballot.
Election officials have repeatedly stressed that noncitizen voting is extremely rare with safeguards in place to prevent noncitizen voting. Audits of voter rolls in Georgia, Ohio and Iowa found that noncitizens accounted for a small fraction of states’ total number of registered voters, according to a report from ABC.
In 2018, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment expanding voting rights in Michigan to include a right to a secret ballot, no-reason absentee voting and in-person voter registration on election day with proof of residency among other provisions. Michigan voters approved another amendment in 2022 guaranteeing fundamental right to vote and expanding access to the ballot through measures like guaranteed access to ballot drop boxes, early voting for a minimum of nine days before election day, and the use of a photo ID or signed affidavit to verify voter identity.
Jamie Lyons-Eddy, the executive director of Voters Not Politicians, a non-partisan pro-democracy advocacy group, emphasized the current law in a statement provided to the Advance.
“Michigan law already requires a photo ID to vote, and federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting. Frankly, this entire narrative is nonsensical political posturing that risks disenfranchising eligible voters,” Lyons-Eddy said.
“Michigan voters have already made their choice very clear on this matter – they want elections that are secure, modern, and accessible. I can’t understand why any elected official would want to undermine the will of Michigan voters by threatening to roll back the very same voting rights that voters across the political spectrum support,” she said.
If pursued in the Legislature, the two thirds of the members in each chamber must vote to place the matter before voters in the next general election. If pursued through the petition process, petitioners must gather 446,198 signatures to place the matter on the ballot.
This story was originally published by Michigan Advance. Read more here: https://michiganadvance.com/2024/12/11/posthumus-to-propose-constitutional-amendment-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-from-voters/