Michigan Citizenship Verification and Voter Identification Initiative (2026)

Michigan Citizenship Verification and Voter Identification Initiative
Election date November 3, 2026
Topic Citizenship voting requirements
Status Signatures submitted
Type Initiated constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

The Michigan Citizenship Verification and Voter Identification Initiative may appear on the ballot in Michigan as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.

This initiative would provide that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections.

Measure design

Click on the following sections for summaries of the different provisions of the ballot measure.

Expand All

Noncitizen voting prohibition and citizenship verification for voting

The amendment was designed to add language to the constitution stating that only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote and that individuals who are not U.S. citizens are not eligible to vote in any election.

The amendment would establish a statewide citizenship verification program. It would require the Secretary of State to establish a program using data from federal, state, and local sources to verify citizenship. This would include motor vehicle records, jury records, and other sources. It would also allow individuals to submit documentation to election officials in order to verify their citizenship. The Secretary of State, under this amendment, would be required to remove individuals off voter rolls if documentation indicates that person is not a U.S. citizen. If an individual is removed from voter rolls, the state must notify the individual within seven days, and the individual must be given 45 days to respond and provide documentation and an affidavit saying they are a citizen.

Under this amendment, documentation that establishes proof of citizenship include REAL ID identification, a valid U.S. passport, a military ID and record showing U.S. place of birth, or a government issued ID showing U.S. birthplace. Additional documentation includes birth certificates, a hospital birth record or adoption certificate showing U.S. birth, or a naturalization or citizenship certificate. The amendment also provides for documentation of name changes, such as marriage certificates.

If an individual’s citizenship has not been verified when they vote, they can be provided a provision ballot to cast a vote. However, the ballot will only be counted if the individual provides documentation of citizenship within six days after the election.

Absentee ballot changes

This amendment would add identification requirements for absentee voters. For voters voting by mail, they must provide a copy of an acceptable form of identification, a drivers license number, or the last four digits of their social security number.

Free identification program

The amendment would require a process to be established to provide free documentation or proof of citizenship if an individual demonstrates financial hardship. This would also apply to individuals whose documents were lost or unavailable.

Change photo ID affidavit provision

This amendment would change the current rule which allows voters without photo identification to vote by signing an affidavit. Under this amendment, a voter without photo identification can cast a provisional ballot, and that ballot would be counted if the voter presents identification within six days after the election.

Citizenship verification program report

The amendment would require the secretary of state to submit a yearly report to the legislature summarizing the citizenship verification system. The report must include the number of individuals in the voter rolls, the number whose citizenship was reviewed and verified, the number removed from the voter rolls, the number automatically registered or not registered after review, and the data sources used to conduct verification.

Legal enforcement and criminal penalties

The amendment would establish new criminal penalties regarding citizenship verification. Election officials who knowingly assist noncitizens in registering to vote, or who register individuals without proof of citizenship, are subject to up to $1,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment for up to five years. Individuals who provide false documentation or false information about their citizenship also face criminal penalties.

Text of measure

Full text

The full text of the ballot measure is available here.

Support

Americans for Citizen Voting is leading the campaign in support of the initiative.

Supporters

Organizations

• Liberty Initiative Fund
• Restoration of America

Arguments

• Americans for Citizen Voting: "Most people assume that in order to vote in the United States, a person must be a citizen of the United States. However, that’s not always the case — sometimes noncitizens do vote, legally or illegally. There are now 21 cities throughout the nation allowing noncitizens to vote, legally — including, oftentimes, noncitizens in the country illegally. Here in Michigan, we saw last November that noncitizens were able to vote illegally — the Chinese student at UM and then at least 15 more noncitizens cast ballots. When a non‑citizen casts a ballot—like all those we know did in Michigan’s 2024 General Election—it cancels out the vote of a lawful U.S. citizen, diminishing the voice of those who are legally eligible to participate."

Oppose

Opponents

Organizations

• Voters Not Politicians

Arguments

• Melinda Billingsley of Voters Not Politicians: "We had the policies that had been set in place by the Secretary of State’s office, by the Department of Elections to be constantly checking and reviewing our elections to make sure that our elections are secure. We don’t see a problem with it, because the problem doesn’t exist. There is a problem with the proposals being put forward by these petitions, because they would actually make voting harder for everyone."

Campaign finance

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2026

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through December 31, 2025. The deadline for the next scheduled reports is April 27, 2026.

Americans for Citizen Voting is the campaign registered in support of the initiative.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$6,460,611.36	$0.00	$6,460,611.36	$6,395,176.92	$6,395,176.92
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$6,460,611.36	$0.00	$6,460,611.36	$6,395,176.92	$6,395,176.92

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.

Committees in support of Citizenship Verification and Voter Identification Initiative
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Americans for Citizen Voting	$6,460,611.36	$0.00	$6,460,611.36	$6,395,176.92	$6,395,176.92
Total	$6,460,611.36	$0.00	$6,460,611.36	$6,395,176.92	$6,395,176.92

Donors

The following were the top donors who contributed to the support committees.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Restoration of America	$6,000,000.00	$0.00	$6,000,000.00
Liberty Initiative Fund	$420,000.00	$0.00	$420,000.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Background

Voting in Michigan

See also: Voting in Michigan

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Michigan, a voter must be a United States citizen and a resident of their city or township for at least 30 days. Voters must be at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be currently serving a sentence in jail or prison.

Voters may register to vote online, by mail, or in person at clerk's offices in their county, city, or township, or at a state department branch office 15 days or earlier before an election.

Within 14 days of an election and on Election Day, voters can register in person at their local clerk's office by presenting proof of residency documentation. According to the Michigan Secretary of State's website:

“

Proof of residency is official documentation (paper or digital) that lists a voter’s current name and address. When registering to vote within 14 days of an election, voters must present one form of proof of residency in person at a local clerk’s office. Proof of residency examples include: Michigan driver’s license, state ID, or U.S. Passport A utility bill Insurance documents (health, car, home, etc.) A bank or credit card statement Financial aid or school enrollment documents A lease agreement A paycheck or other government check Other government document

”

Noncitizen voting laws in the United States

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

The map below indicates which U.S. states allow or prohibit noncitizen voting in elections for state or local offices. It also indicates which states have approved ballot measures related to noncitizen voting.

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed a law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections, such as U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and presidential elections. Federal law did not address state or local elections.

As of 2025, municipalities in three states—California, Maryland, and Vermont—allowed noncitizens to vote in certain local and school board elections.

In June 2022, the New York State Supreme Court for Staten Island overturned a New York City law to allow noncitizen voting, ruling that it violated the state's constitution. According to Judge Ralph Porzio, “by not expressly including non-citizens in the New York State Constitution, it was the intent of the framers for non-citizens to be omitted.”

State constitutions on voting and citizenship

All state constitutions mention United States citizenship when discussing who can vote in that state's elections. In 32 states, constitutional language discussing citizenship says who can vote (e.g. "every citizen" or "all citizens"), but does not state that noncitizens cannot vote as of November 2025. In 18 states—Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming—their constitutions allow citizens, but not noncitizens, the right to vote.

The following table lists what each state's constitution says regarding citizenship and the right to vote. Click the arrow to browse pages in the chart or search for a state within the chart.

Citizenship voting requirement ballot measures

From 2018 to 2025, voters decided on 15 ballot measures related to adding language about citizenship requirements for voting. Voters approved all 15 measures.

State	Year	Ballot Measure	Type	Status
North Dakota	2018	North Dakota Measure 2	Initiated constitutional amendment	Approved
Alabama	2020	Alabama Amendment 1	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Florida	2020	Florida Amendment 1	Initiated constitutional amendment	Approved
Colorado	2020	Colorado Amendment 76	Initiated constitutional amendment	Approved
Ohio	2022	Ohio Issue 2	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Louisiana	2022	Louisiana Amendment 1	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Iowa	2024	Iowa Amendment 1	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Wisconsin	2024	Wisconsin Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Kentucky	2024	Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Idaho	2024	Idaho HJR 5	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
South Carolina	2024	South Carolina Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Missouri	2024	Missouri Amendment 7	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
Oklahoma	2024	Oklahoma State Question 834	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
North Carolina	2024	North Carolina Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
South Dakota	2026	South Dakota Constitutional Amendment J	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	On the ballot
Kansas	2026	Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	On the ballot
Arkansas	2026	Arkansas Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	On the ballot
Texas	2025	Texas Proposition 16	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Approved
West Virginia	2026	West Virginia Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment	Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	On the ballot

Partisanship of legislative votes on referred measures

In 16 states that placed constitutional amendments on the ballot to require citizenship to vote in state and local elections, Republican legislators supported the amendments, averaging 99.7%. In all but one state—South Dakota (2026)—every Republican legislator voted in favor; in South Dakota, 95.3% supported the amendment. Democratic support varied between states, averaging 43.1% and ranging from 0% in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin to 100% in Alabama (2020) and Iowa (2024).

Democratic support is shown to the left, Republican to the right. Data from 2020–2025.

Path to the ballot

Process in Michigan

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Michigan

In Michigan, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 10 percent of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures older than 180 days are invalid, which means all signatures must be collected within a 180-day window. Amendment petitions must be filed 120 days prior to the election.

The requirements to get an initiated constitutional amendment certified for the 2026 ballot:

• Signatures: 446,198 valid signatures are required.
• Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures is July 6, 2026.

Signature petitions are filed with the secretary of state and verified by the board of state canvassers using a random sample method of verification.

Stages of this ballot initiative

The following is the timeline of the initiative:

• April 30, 2025: The initiative was submitted to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers.
• May 2, 2025: The initiative was approved to circulate.
• February 3, 2026: The Americans for Citizen Voting campaign announced that it collected more than enough signatures to make the November 2026 ballot.
• March 4, 2026: Americans for Citizens Voting submitted 750,000 signatures to the Michigan Department of State.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Michigan

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Michigan.

How to vote in Michigan

Poll times

In Michigan, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Most of the state observes Eastern Time, while several counties observe Central Time. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Michigan, a voter must be a United States citizen and a resident of their city or township for at least 30 days. Voters must be at least 18 years old by Election Day, and not be currently serving a sentence in jail or prison.

Voters may register to vote online, by mail, or in person at clerk's offices in their county, city, or township, or at a state department branch office 15 days or earlier before an election.

Within 14 days of an election and on Election Day, voters can register in person at their local clerk's office by presenting proof of residency documentation. According to the Michigan Secretary of State's website:

“

Proof of residency is official documentation (paper or digital) that lists a voter’s current name and address. When registering to vote within 14 days of an election, voters must present one form of proof of residency in person at a local clerk’s office. Proof of residency examples include: Michigan driver’s license, state ID, or U.S. Passport A utility bill Insurance documents (health, car, home, etc.) A bank or credit card statement Financial aid or school enrollment documents A lease agreement A paycheck or other government check Other government document

”

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Michigan automatically registers eligible individuals to vote when they apply for or update a driver’s license or personal identification card. The state sends a notice to the person afterward allowing them to decline the voter registration.

The Michigan Department of Corrections must also work with the secretary of state to automatically register individuals who are released from incarceration. The state also automatically registers individuals who apply for Medicaid coverage with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Michigan has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Michigan allows same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Michigan law requires individuals to "be a resident of their city or township for at least 30 days by Election Day to vote in that election," according to the Michigan Secretary of State's office.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Michigan does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Six states — Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring individuals provide proof of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. Two states, Georgia and Mississippi, require a person provide proof of citizenship if their citizenship status cannot be verified by other means. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Michigan Voter Information Center, administered by the Michigan Department of State, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Michigan requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

The following list of accepted ID was current as of December 2025. Click here for the Michigan Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

“

You will be asked to show ID when you check in to vote. If you don’t have one, you can still vote. If this happens, expect a poll worker to ask you to sign a form before you vote that explains you didn’t have an ID. Your ballot will be included with all others and counted. ID types you can use to check in are: Michigan driver's license or state ID (may be expired) Driver's license or state ID issued by another state Federal, state or local government-issued photo ID U.S. passport Military photo ID Photo ID from an educational institution Tribal photo ID

”

Voters can obtain a state identification card at a secretary of state branch office for $10. Voters over the age of 65, voters who are blind, and voters whose driving privileges have been terminated due to a physical or mental disability can obtain an identification card for free. Additionally, voters who can present a reason for having the fee waived may also obtain an ID for free. Visit the Michigan secretary of state’s page or call (888) SOS-MICH (767-6424) for more information.

See also

2026 measures

• 2026 ballot measures
• Voter ID policy on the ballot
• Citizenship voting requirements on the ballot

Michigan

• Michigan ballot measures
• Michigan ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Michigan Board of State Canvassers

Footnotes

2026 ballot measures

State ballot measures

States:  • Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Indiana • Kansas • Louisiana • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Missouri • Nebraska • Nevada • New Mexico • North Carolina • North Dakota • Oklahoma • Oregon • South Dakota • Tennessee • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Topics: Abortion policy •  Affirmative action •  Age limits for officials •  Agriculture policy •  Athletics and sports •  Bail policy •  Ballot measure process •  Ballot measure supermajority requirements •  Bond issues •  Budget stabilization funds •  Business taxes •  Campaign finance •  Citizenship voting requirements •  Civil service •  Collective bargaining •  Constitutional rights •  Crime victims' rights •  Criminal sentencing •  Criminal trials •  Drug crime policy •  Election administration and governance •  English language policy •  Family-related policy •  Firearms policy •  Flood infrastructure and management •  Food and beverage taxes •  Forestry and timber •  Fuel taxes •  Healthcare governance •  Higher education funding •  Higher education governance •  Homestead tax exemptions •  Immigration policy •  Initiative and referendum process •  LGBTQ issues •  Law enforcement officers and departments •  Local government finance and taxes •  Local government officials and elections •  Local government organization •  Marijuana laws •  Minimum wage laws •  Parks, land, and natural area conservation •  Pollution, waste, and recycling policy •  Primary election systems •  Property tax exemptions •  Property taxes •  Psychedelic substances laws •  Public assistance programs •  Public economic investment policy •  Public education funding •  Public education governance •  Public employee retirement funds •  Public health insurance •  Public school teachers and staff •  Race and ethnicity issues •  Ranked-choice voting •  Recall process •  Redistricting policy •  Religion-related policy •  Restricted-use funds •  Salaries of government officials •  Sales taxes •  Sewage and stormwater •  Sex and gender issues •  State constitutional conventions •  State executive branch structure •  State executive powers and duties •  State judicial selection •  State judiciary oversight •  State legislative authority •  State legislative processes and sessions •  State legislative term limits •  Storm infrastructure •  Transportation taxes and fees •  Vehicle and driver regulations •  Voter ID policy •  Voting rights for persons with criminal convictions •  Water irrigation policy

Local ballot measures

 • Alabama • Alaska • Arkansas • California • Illinois • Louisiana • Michigan • Nevada • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • Wisconsin

Overviews

 • Scorecard •Tuesday Count •Deadlines •Filed ballot initiatives •Potential ballot measures •Polls •Campaign finance •Signature costs •Readability