Citizenship voting proposal denied ballot access by US, Michigan Supreme Courts

Michigan, US Supreme Courts deny emergency appeals to put proof of citizenship voting proposal on Nov. 3 ballot
State canvassers deadlocked on certification of the group’s petitions last month after Bureau of Elections identified faulty signatures
Two other measures slated to make Michigan’s Nov. 3 ballot

LANSING — A proposal to require proof of citizenship to vote in future elections won’t appear on Michigan’s Nov. 3 ballot after the state and US Supreme Courts denied emergency appeals.

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday afternoon rejected a requested injunction by Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan. He did not explain the decision, which came one day before the state was set to finalize the ballot.

Later Thursday, the Michigan Supreme Court also rejected what justices called an “extraordinary” attempt to revive the ballot proposal, which was blocked from the ballot last week in a deadlocked vote by the Board of State Canvassers.

Related:

The Michigan Bureau of Elections had determined a large share of petition signatures submitted by the group were invalid.

Among other things, Americans for Citizen Voting had argued the bureau took too long to review its petitions, leaving it with only a short window to prove some of the invalidated signatures were legitimate.

But state law does not require a longer window, the Michigan Supreme Court said in a Thursday order, noting the Legislature could change the law if desired.

The group had originally submitted nearly 710,000 signatures for the proposal and is “deeply disappointed” those supporters won’t get a chance to vote on the measure this fall, said Kristin Combs, spokesperson for Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan.

“We fought until the very last possible moment because those people deserved to have their voices heard. We are enormously grateful to every signer, volunteer, donor and supporter who stood with us throughout this fight,” Combs added.

The proposal sought to implement one of the strictest proof-of-citizenship requirements in the US.

New voters would have had to prove their citizenship when registering — a requirement currently in place in four states — but also require existing voters to prove their citizenship if the state couldn’t independently verify it.

Being a US citizen is already a state and federal requirement to vote in US elections, and noncitizen voting in Michigan elections is rare. The state last month charged five noncitizens for allegedly voting in 2024.

The amendment would have also removed an existing option for voters who show up to the polls without a valid photo ID to still vote by signing an affidavit verifying their identity under the penalty of perjury.

With the effort officially over for 2026, just two measures are slated to appear on Michigan’s November ballot: A proposal to call a constitutional convention, a question that automatically goes before voters every 16 years, and an initiative to get “money out of politics” by limiting spending by utilities and large state contractors.