Should new Michigan voters provide proof of citizenship? House Republicans think so.

A ballot proposal by Michigan House Republicans would both reject votes cast without photo ID and require new voter registrants to show proof of U.S. citizenship.

A top House Republican, calling the measures a “no-brainer,” said they would enhance voter security. However, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson countered that they would “gut Michiganders’ voting rights in our state constitution.”

“Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections,” said state Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford. “And people should have to show ID when voting to prove that they are who they say they are. That’s just common sense.”

The proposed constitutional amendment is unlikely to pass the state Legislature, as it requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. While Republicans have a majority in the House, they would need to pursuade Democrats in both chambers.

Posthumus said it would be “political suicide” for Democrats not to support the measure.

If the legislature passed the measure, the proposed constitutional amendment would be placed on the ballot for voters to decide.

Benson called the proposal a failed policy that has been overturned in other states for “being blatantly unconstitutional.” She also claimed that in other states it has created a separate and unequal system of voting access for citizens or blocked “tens of thousands of eligible voters from casting their legal ballot in an election.”

“I stand with the people of Michigan who have overwhelmingly passed ballot measures to make voting more accessible and to enshrine citizens’ voting rights into our constitution,” she said. “We need to hold the line on protecting every eligible citizen’s constitutional right to cast a ballot in every election and get back to the business of working together on honest proposals to keep Michigan’s elections safe, secure and accessible.”

According to Votebeat, Arizona is the only state to enforce proof of citizenship requirements.

After legal challenges to those requirements, Arizona now allows those without citizenship proof to vote only in federal elections, while those providing citizenship proof can vote in state, federal and local elections, according to Arizona voter instructions.

The proposed constitional amendment comes after a Chinese national allegedly cast his ballot during the 2024 presidential election in Michigan. That man, a University of Michigan student, faces criminal charges.

The other way the Michigan proposal could get on the ballot is by garnering enough petition signatures. A group called Prove it, Michigan has already vowed to start a petition drive if the legislation fails.

Currently, voters don’t need a photo ID to vote in person. They can sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury if they don’t have one.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require a valid photo ID to vote. If voters don’t have one, they can sign an affidavit and cast a provisional ballot, but that ballot won’t be counted unless a photo ID is presented within six days.

Absentee voters would have to verify their identity by providing a copy of their ID, a driver’s license number, state personal identification number, or the last four digits of their social security number.

Currently, voters requesting an absentee ballot online must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number along with a photo ID number or acknowledgement that they do not have a photo ID.

Under the proposal, the state would provide free photo ID to people who cannot afford it. State IDs cost $10 and some residents are already eligible for a free ID.

Michigan doesn’t require residents to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, new registrants must attest under penalty of perjury that they are a U.S. citizen and that the information about their identity and residency is accurate.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require all new voter registrants after Dec. 18, 2026, to provide proof of U.S. citizenship or have the Secretary of State verify their citizenship. Proof of citizenship would not be required for every election.

Lawmakers would later define the acceptable forms of proof of citizenship.

The state would also have to routinely verify the citizenship of all voters in the statewide qualified voter file.

Posthumus said citizenship proof requirements would help prevent instances of noncitizens voting in elections, citing the incident last fall where a Chinese student at the University of Michigan allegedly cast his vote in the presidential election.

That student, Haoxiang Gao, faces criminal charges. He allegedly used his student identification and documents showing his Ann Arbor residency to register to vote.

Chinese University of Michigan student arraigned for illegally voting

Posthumus said the incident proves that non-citizen voting is a “real problem that needs to be fixed.”

“No citizen should ever have their vote canceled out by a non-citizen voting the opposite direction,” he said.

However, Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said at the time that noncitizen voting is “an extremely isolated and rare event.”