Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, on Tuesday introduced legislation to amend the state Constitution to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and provide photo ID when voting.
“This is a no-brainer. Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections,” Posthumus said. “That’s the only reasonable argument against requiring photo ID to vote – opponents say that some people can’t get it, That’s ridiculous, because to function as an adult in our society today you need ID, but just to make sure that isn’t a stumbling block, the state will have to provide photo ID for free to people who cannot afford it. Problem solved.”
The easiest way for the legislation to become law is for the Legislature to put the proposal on a statewide ballot. Requiring the resolution to pass the House and Senate with a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
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A two-thirds majority would require 74 votes in the GOP-controlled House and 26 votes in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where they hold a slim two seat majority; with one vacancy after Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet resigned to become the representative for Michigan’s eighth congressional district after winning the seat in the Nov. 5 election.
Gov. Whitmer has not yet called for a special election to be held for the 35th Senate district.
If the resolution passed in both chambers it would not require the governor’s signature to move forward.
The other option is to gather petition signatures through a ballot initiative. Based on the Secretary of State Petition Signature Requirement Chart, a minimum of 30,000 verified signatures would need submitted to the state within 180-days to make the ballot.
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Either option, voters would ultimately decide whether the amendment is approved in an election.
Posthumus believes his resolution to amend the state constitution will pass the state Legislature because it would be political suicide for Democrats to vote against it.
A recent Gallup Poll regarding election laws support this claim, 84% were in favor requiring voters to provide photo identification to vote and 83% favored requiring people to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
The push requiring photo ID to vote in Michigan comes after a Chinese international student at the University of Michigan allegedly voted in the U.S. presidential election, and was counted due to minimal safeguards before being placed in the tabulator. The student was later caught only after he requested his ballot back from poll workers.
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Posthumus said incidents like this proves that non-citizens voting is a real problem that needs to be addressed.
“No citizen should ever have their vote canceled out by a non-citizen voting the opposite direction,” Posthumus said.
If voters approve the proposed amendment:
- Anyone registering to vote after Dec. 18, 2026 will have to provide proof of citizenship. Proof of citizenship would only have to be provided when registering to vote; voters would not have to prove citizenship every single time they vote.
- Photo ID would be required to vote in-person. Citizens who do not remember to bring photo ID with them to their polling location will still be allowed to cast a provisional ballot by signing an affidavit of identify (just like under current law), but it won’t be tabulated unless they provide photo ID within six days.
- The state would be required to provide free photo ID to people who cannot afford it, so that they are not denied their constitutional right to vote.
- The Legislature would have to define how citizenship can be proved.
- Voters who choose to vote by absentee ballot 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.
- The state would have to, on an ongoing basis, verify that everyone who appears in the statewide qualified voter file is a U.S. citizen, and that registration lists used in polling locations are consistent with the statewide qualified voter file. If a registered voter’s citizenship is challenged, they will get notified and have a chance to respond before their name is removed from the qualified vote file.
- If citizenship status is not confirmed before an individual attempts to vote, then they must cast a provisional ballot that will not be tabulated until they provide proof of citizenship.
Reps. Ann Bollin, Jay DeBoyer, and Rachelle Smit support the amendment; all three previously served as local clerks.
The House Joint Resolution was referred to the House Committee on Election Integrity.