Legislation requiring a person to prove United States citizenship when registering to vote was considered by the House Elections Integrity Committee this week. The bill changes current laws that allow a person to provide their driver’s license or state ID when registering to vote.
Key Points:
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- House Bill 4765 was introduced by Representative Jason Woolford (R-Howell).
- The bill details a number of items that could be used to prove citizenship, including a birth certificate, passport, American Indian card issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with KIC classification, Bureau of Indian Affairs card number, or naturalization documents, among others.
- It also requires voter registration applications to clearly state it will not be processed until satisfactory proof of citizenship is provided.
- The bill remains before the committee, awaiting further consideration.
Following the hearing, Michigan Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie issued a statement, “The vast majority of Michigan voters use the ID that they carry with them every day – a driver’s license or state ID – when they register to vote. Under this bill, that would no longer be enough; Michiganders would need more than a standard REAL ID when they register. At least five million of Michigan’s registered voters don’t have an enhanced REAL ID. Under this bill, Michiganders would be on the hook for about $150 million in additional government fees to upgrade their IDs just to continue what they are able to do right now – use their driver’s license to register and to vote.”
