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Group touts signatures to put citizenship, voter ID question on Michigan ballot

February 4, 2026

A ballot committee called Americans for Citizen Voting reports gathering sufficient signatures to place a constitutional amendment on Michigan's November ballot that would impose stricter voting requirements. The measure would mandate proof of citizenship for voter registration, eliminate the current affidavit option for voters without ID by requiring provisional ballots with follow-up verification, and force the Secretary of State to audit voter rolls and remove anyone whose citizenship cannot be confirmed. The campaign, funded almost entirely by two nonprofits through approximately $6 million in donations, has faced opposition from voting rights organizations who argue it creates unnecessary barriers to voting.

Who is affected

  • Michigan registered voters and would-be voters
  • Voters without readily available photo ID or citizenship documentation
  • People unable to afford citizenship proof documents
  • Americans for Citizen Voting ballot committee
  • Voters Not Politicians advocacy group
  • Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and her office
  • Petition circulation and signature gathering firms
  • Restoration of America and Liberty Initiative Fund (donor nonprofits)
  • Michigan registered voters whose citizenship status cannot be immediately verified

What action is being taken

  • Americans for Citizen Voting is continuing to collect petition signatures until later this month before submission
  • The Secretary of State's office is working with the group to correct errors on their disclosure filing
  • Voters Not Politicians is running a "decline to sign" campaign against the petition
  • The ballot committee is paying petition and signature gathering firms to collect signatures

Why it matters

  • This proposal represents a significant shift in Michigan's voting access policies, potentially reversing recent expansions that made registration and voting easier for residents. The measure would eliminate the affidavit option established in 2022 that allows voters without ID to cast regular ballots, instead requiring provisional ballots with mandatory follow-up verification. If passed, it would mandate a comprehensive citizenship audit of all registered voters, potentially removing those who cannot provide documentation within 45 days, affecting Michigan's voter rolls that already contain more registrants than the eligible voting population. The proposal addresses ongoing partisan disputes about election security despite documented evidence showing noncitizen voting is extremely rare (15 suspected cases out of 5.7 million voters in 2024).

What's next

  • The group plans to submit signatures to the state later this month for review, validation and certification
  • If validated, the proposal would become Proposal 2 on Michigan's November ballot
  • The Secretary of State's office will work with the committee to correct errors in their campaign finance disclosure
  • Voters Not Politicians vows to "deploy every tool at our disposal to reach and educate voters" if the measure makes the ballot
  • If passed, any voter without verified citizenship after November 2027 could only vote provisional ballots until their citizenship is verified

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com