Citizenship Voting Initiative Seeks 750K Signatures as Democrats Call It Voter Suppression

Americans for Citizen Voting submitted 750,000 petition signatures to the Michigan Department of State on March 4, 2026, aiming to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and mandate photo identification for absentee voting.

The initiative would fundamentally change how Michigan voters prove their eligibility to cast a ballot. Under current law, every voter must attest they are a citizen when registering. The proposal would add a verification layer requiring either a statewide citizenship verification program or submission of documents like a passport or birth certificate.

Key provisions of the Americans for Citizen Voting initiative:

• Require verification of U.S. citizenship for all registered voters through a state-administered program
• Allow voters to submit proof of citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate
• Remove noncitizens from voter rolls after notice and a 45-day response period
• Require provisional ballots for voters whose citizenship has not been verified
• Require photo identification for absentee voting
• Eliminate the affidavit option currently available to voters without a voter ID

The Michigan Department of State needs 446,198 valid signatures for a constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot, which equals 10 percent of the votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election. If enough valid signatures are found, the initiative will be voted on in November 2026.

Democratic opposition frames the measure as voter suppression.

Curtis Hertel Jr., chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, called the proposal "a blatant attempt from Michigan Republicans to make it harder to vote and disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michiganders." He added that the measure "would put in place burdensome requirements for voters, force many to re-register to vote and only make the voting process more difficult."

Hertel stated both ballot measures would have "disastrous effects on our state, and Michigan families cannot afford either one."

Republicans support the initiative as election protection.

Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, said the proposed amendment "would require the Secretary of State to verify the citizenship of all voters, regularly review the voter rolls, and implement voter ID while ensuring fairness through free state-issued IDs for those facing hardship."

Runestad described it as "a clear and constitutional way to protect the value of every lawful vote."

Michigan State Rep. Ann Bollin (R) also supports the measure. She said "this is really to cement and restore the public's confidence and trust in elections. It is not a high threshold."

Legal and voting rights groups raise concerns about implementation.

Christy McGillivray, director for Voters Not Politicians, opposed the measure saying "this ballot initiative is part of a wider national power grab by wealthy political elites who are trying to take power away from the people by blocking them from voting."

She warned that "the requirements and stringent implementation timeline in this initiative will force every Michigan voter to re-register to vote with very specific documentation that 700,000 eligible Michigan citizens don't have easy access to."

Michael Davis Jr. of Promote the Vote Action also opposed the initiative. He said "Michiganders have proven time and time again and by large margins that we support modernizing our elections and removing barriers to the ballot box. This initiative will do neither."

Davis characterized the measure as "voter suppression, pure and simple" and expressed confidence that "Michigan voters will see this effort for what it really is."

The initiative joins a national trend of ballot measures restricting voting.

In 2026, voters in at least three states Arkansas, Kansas, and South Dakota will decide on constitutional amendments to prohibit noncitizen voting. Ballot measures to prohibit noncitizen voting have become more common in recent years.

From 2018 to 2025, voters approved 15 ballot measures adding language about citizenship requirements for voting. In 2024, eight statewide measures to prohibit noncitizen voting were approved by voters the greatest number of noncitizen-voting-related measures to appear on statewide ballots in any election year.

Noncitizen voting already illegal under federal and state law.

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, including those for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and the presidency. This law does not apply to elections for state and local offices.

Every state requires voters to attest that they are U.S. citizens when registering to vote. While no state constitution explicitly allowed noncitizens to vote in state and local elections, some states have jurisdictions that allow noncitizens to vote in some or all local elections.

The District of Columbia and certain municipalities in California, Maryland, and Vermont allow noncitizens to vote in some or all local elections. Meanwhile, 18 states include language explicitly prohibiting noncitizen voting in their state constitutions.

The initiative faces implementation challenges.

The proposal would require the Secretary of State's office to "continually administer" a program to verify that every registered voter in Michigan is a U.S. citizen. Under current law, all voters must be U.S. citizens. But in 2025, a months-long review by the Secretary of State's office identified 15 individuals who allegedly weren't U.S. citizens but still cast ballots in the November 2024 presidential election in Michigan.

These 15 people were in addition to the University of Michigan student from China, Haoxiang Gao, who allegedly voted illegally in Washtenaw County in October 2024.

What this means for West Michigan voters.

Michigan voters across West Michigan communities including Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon will decide this measure if it appears on the November ballot. The initiative would affect how residents prove their eligibility to vote, potentially requiring additional documentation and time at the polls.

The proposal would eliminate the affidavit option currently available to voters without a voter ID. This change could impact elderly residents, low-income voters, and others who historically relied on the affidavit system to cast ballots without identification.

The deadline for campaigns to submit signatures for all citizen-led measures in Michigan is July 6, 2026. Along with the citizenship voting requirement initiative, Michigan voters may decide three other citizen-led measures in November, and will be deciding a constitutional convention question.