Save Act – Voters Not Politicians

Politicians and special interests are trying to rewrite parts of our state constitution that Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved in 2018 and 2022.

the problem:

Anti-voter lawmakers and national special interests groups are trying to restrict the ability of eligible American citizens to register to vote by introducing burdensome and unfeasible new identification requirements.

HJR B (Michigan), SAVE Act (Federal), and two different proposed ballot initiatives would require voters to present documentary proof of citizenship in order to register, update their registration, or even every time they vote, blocking eligible Michigan citizens from voting.

Millions of Michiganders voted to make secure voter registration and elections more accessible for eligible Michigan citizens in 2018 and 2022. We can not allow partisan politics and intentional election fearmongering to take over our state’s elections and disenfranchise Michigan voters.

UPDATE: A national special interest group called “Americans for Citizen Voting” has filed another proposal in Michigan to require proof of citizenship upon registering to vote. This group has forced similar proposals through other state legislatures to get their voter suppression policy on the ballot, and they plan to start collecting signatures on June 1, 2025.

Learn More About the Initiatives Attempting to Block Your Ballot

The so-called “Committee to Protect Voters’ Rights” is sponsoring a constitutional amendment petition based on Michigan House Joint Resolution B. Their goal is to collect 446,198 valid signatures in order to put the initiative on the November 2026 ballot
On April 18, 2025, the Michigan Board of State Canvassers approved the 100 word summary and the petition form. The Committee to Protect Voters Rights is cleared to begin circulating at any time.
- Tens of thousands of legitimately registered voters will be disenfranchised if the proposal is adopted. Failing to include this vital information in the 100 word summary of the petition prejudices potential signers in favor of the proposal.
A second petition, sponsored by the national special interest group “Americans for Citizen Voting”, was filed on May 9, 2025.
- Nearly identical to the Committee to Protect Voters’ Rights petition, the “Americans for Citizen Voting” proposal is a naked attempt to force eligible voters to jump through hoops in order to access their ballot – another power grab by special interest groups who want to take political power away from the people.
Michigan voters spoke loudly and clearly in support of voting options and voting access when they adopted the Promote the Vote 2022 constitutional amendment just 3 years ago. Each of these proposals would force us backwards by burdening eligible voters with proving citizenship before they can vote.

Learn More About HJR B

In January Michigan House Republicans introduced House Joint Resolution B, a proposed amendment to the Michigan constitution that would restrict the ability of eligible citizens to register to vote by introducing burdensome new requirements.
- Read the text: House Joint Resolution B of 2025 (Michigan Legislature)
- Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R – HD90 – Rockford) is the resolution’s primary sponsor.
- On May 1, the House voted on HJR B, but it failed to get the two-thirds majority vote necessary to pass. The vote was 58-48, with all present Republicans voting in favor and all present Democrats voting against.
The sponsors of HJR B have made it clear they intend to gather petition signatures for a constitutional ballot initiative in order to place the proposed amendment on the November 2026 ballot.
- Supporters filed a Ballot Question Committee (Committee to Protect Voters’ Rights). They need to collect 446,198 valid signatures in order to put the initiative on the 2026 ballot.
HJR B is not a voter ID bill, it is a proof of citizenship bill that forces voters to produce difficult-to-obtain and costly documentation in order to prove that they are eligible. The amendment would require that upon registering to vote, individuals provide documentary proof of citizenship, like a passport, naturalization papers, or birth certificate.
Only 39.7% of Michigan citizens have a valid passport, well below the national average of 53.1%. Almost 6 million Michigan citizens do not have a valid passport that could easily prove their citizenship.
HJR B would have a huge impact on seniors, adoptees, college students, tribal citizens, low-income earners, people in rural communities, Black Michiganders, and active-duty military servicemembers.
HJR B is most likely to disenfranchise women – especially married women. 2.2 million Michigan women don’t have a birth certificate that matches their legal married name. HJR B provides no clear path for them to prove citizenship.
HJR B will create chaos in Michigan elections, and place additional burdens on local clerks and election administrators, making our entire election process less efficient and more expensive.

Learn More About SAVE Act

The SAVE Act was first introduced in 2024 as H.R. 8281 and re-introduced in 2025 as H.R. 22 by Rep. Chip Roy (R – TX21).
- Read the text: H.R. 22 – SAVE Act (Congress.gov)
- During the 2023-2024 session, the SAVE Act passed the House in a vote of 221 – 198.
On April 10, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 22, in a 220-208 mostly party-line vote.
- The 220 lawmakers who voted in support of the voter suppression bill include all seven Republican members of Michigan’s congressional delegation. All Michigan Democratic Congressional representatives voted no.
The bill now only needs to secure 60 votes in the Senate to advance to President Trump’s desk and be signed into law.
The SAVE Act would require every single American citizen to bring documentary proof of citizenship – like a passport or original copy of a birth certificate – in person to register to vote or update their voter registration. (Michigan Real ID would not meet the required standard)
This would especially harm the two-thirds of Black Americans who lack a valid U.S. passport, the tens of millions of Americans who do not have readily available access to their birth certificates, and millions of married women who do not have birth certificates with their current legal name.
In Michigan, hundreds of thousands of eligible citizens are estimated to not have readily available access to the documentation required by the SAVE Act.
Federal passage of the SAVE Act would apply only to federal elections, forcing the state to maintain two separate voter registration rolls and creating additional costs and burdens for our local clerks and election administrators.

Learn More About the President's Executive Order on Elections

On March 25, 2025 the president signed an executive order titled Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections. This order, which closely mirrors the SAVE act, is an attempt to stage a federal takeover of our elections, and could prove disastrous for future elections.
The order, as written, would directly undermine not just Michigan’s electoral systems, but the will of voters of Michigan who chose, through direct democracy in Proposals 18-2, 18-3, and 22-2, to establish our current secure, modern, and accessible election system.
The order seeks to mandate documentary proof of citizenship for registering to vote in federal elections, but only specifies a US passport; REAL ID that indicates citizenship (most REAL IDs, including Michigan, would not qualify); a military ID that indicates citizenship; or a government-issued ID that indicates citizenship (again, most IDs – including in Michigan – do not qualify).
- In effect, the order seeks to restrict voter registration to only citizens who hold a valid US passport.
The order also threatens to hold federal election funding hostage if states do not comply with the voter suppression policies, even though removing funding would only result in making our elections less secure.
Most terrifyingly, the order seeks to put DOGE, and the unelected, unaccountable billionaire who runs it, in charge of verifying the eligibility of voters on state voter rolls.
On April 24, a federal judge partially blocked aspects of the order, including the requirement for voters to present documentary proof of citizenship (specified as a passport) in order to register and the requirement for federal voter registration agencies to “assess” the citizenship of individuals who receive public assistance.

what can you do?

Take action now to stop this blatant attempt at voter suppression!

Attend the next Stop Voter Suppression Town Hall to get the latest updates about these threats and how you can join the fight to protect our constitution and our rights.
Sign up for the Stop Voter Suppression Educators Training to learn how to become a community educator and inform your communities from the harms of these ballot initiatives.
Join our Dial for Democracy citizen lobbying program. Your lawmakers need to know that endangering voting access for eligible Michigan voters is unacceptable, and that blocking both the SAVE Act and HJR B is an urgent priority. Sign up today to get specific email instructions on how to contact your US Congressional representatives and state lawmakers, and a script to follow when you call.
Submit a Letter to the Editor to your local newspaper. Let your legislator and your community know that the SAVE Act and HJR B are a threat to Michigan voters and our elections.
Become a VNP volunteer using the volunteer sign-up form below to get connected to a volunteer team in your local area.

why it matters

Michigan’s elections are already secure, accessible, and transparent. That’s why we need to protect them now.

HJR B didn’t have enough support in the legislature to reach the required two-thirds majority in both chambers that would place it on the ballot for voter approval. This voter suppression bill was never expected to garner enough support in the legislature. Instead national special interest groups and self-interested politicians are trying to subvert Michigan’s democratic processes to force this through the initiative process because they’re desperate to control who can and can’t vote.

The truth is that this is voter suppression disguised as a citizen initiative and not a solution to a problem; these proposals are creating a new problem by making it harder for eligible Michigan voters to vote.

The SAVE Act only needs to secure a simple majority in the US House and 60 votes in the Senate to advance to President Trump’s desk and be signed into law. If it succeeds, millions of eligible Americans, including tens of thousands of Michiganders, will be blocked from accessing their right to vote.

Every Michigander who supports democracy and wants to protect our elections must work together to show these politicians and special interests that Michigan voters don’t need or want any interference in our elections.

Additional Resources:

The SAVE Act: Overview and Facts (Center for American Progress)
Analysis: House Bill Would Hurt American Voters (Brennan Center for Justice)
Voter ID is NOT Documentary Proof of Citizenship. Here’s Why That Matters. (Voting Rights Lab)
Voter ID in Michigan FAQs (Promote the Vote)
Democrats condemn proof of citizenship voting resolution advancing in Michigan House as ‘poll tax’ (Michigan Advance)
Michigan voter citizenship amendment cleared to collect signatures for 2026 ballot (MLive)
Sharing the Facts about Federal Overreach of States’ Authority to Administer Elections (States United Democracy Center)
Similar Laws in Other States
- NH’s new ID requirements send some would-be voters home (New Hampshire Public Radio)
- Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn’t work out so well (AP News)
- Who are the Arizona voters without proof of citizenship? They may surprise you. (Votebeat Arizona)