Michigan state Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) speaks at a news conference in opposition of a Republican-led House Joint Resolution to institute new requirements to prove citizenship in order to vote on March 11, 2025. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols
A resolution to require proof of citizenship to vote in Michigan cleared the Republican-led House Election Integrity Committee Tuesday while Democrats on the committee condemned the measure as a veiled attempt to install a poll tax.
The partisan divide on the proposed policy, House Joint Resolution B, was made abundantly clear last week as the committee took testimony. Republican supporters of the resolution implored the need for guardrails on non-citizen voting, while Democrats in opposition remarked the resolution is vague about what documentation voters would need to produce, jeopardizing qualified voters’ ability to vote if they fail to produce certain forms of ID.
Under the resolution, every Michigan voter would have to identify themselves as a citizen either when they register to vote or at a later date to the Secretary of State or their local clerk. The resolution outlines that the Secretary of State “must use all reasonable efforts to obtain information regarding the citizenship status of those individuals listed in the statewide qualified voter file”.
Amid Democratic opposition asserting that the resolution, which would likely not pass the partisanly split state Legislature, Former Brighton Township Clerk and current state Rep. Ann Bollin (R- Brighton Twp.) testified in the House Election Integrity Committee that the resolution wouldn’t make it harder to vote, but it would make it harder to cheat.
“Let’s not make more out of this resolution than need be. 83% of Americans support proof of citizenship to register to vote in elections,” Bollin said. “Let’s join them and vote yes.”
The resolution would impose hurdles that would decrease voter participation in the interest of addressing the non-existent problem of non-citizen voting, Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) said Tuesday at a news conference following the committee’s 6-3 partisan split vote to clear the resolution out of committee.
Whether it be paying for a copy of a birth certificate or a passport, there is a real cost to “purchase proof of citizenship” Koleszar said, and putting a price tag on voter registration creates a “poll tax” where families will have to pull $30 to $165 out to participate in elections.
President Donald Trump has led the charge that American elections are not secure since losing the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden, which he falsely asserted was stolen. Trump rehashed those disproven claims during his successful 2024 campaign, saying Republicans had to make turnout “too big to rig”. Despite a lack of verifiable evidence of mass election fraud, Trump’s supporters in Michigan have reiterated interest in securing elections in the state and eliminating fraud.
And when Michigan saw headlines for a 19-year-old Chinese student at University of Michigan being accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election it raised questions on how to prevent non-citizen voting while election experts continue to assert such incidents are extremely rare.
One individual’s actions should not qualify instituting rules that would make it harder for senior citizens and members of the military overseas who face barriers in submitting timely evidence of citizenship from voting, Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) said.
In fact for the majority of women who take their husband’s last name, their birth certificate with their maiden name would likely not be sufficient to establish citizenship, Xiong pointed out. And without outlined documents in the resolution, if a birth certificate was the form of identification demanded, it would effectively preclude married women in Michigan from voting.
“Make no mistake, this smells like a pink poll tax that burdens women to pay for and produce multiple forms of documents before being able to vote,” Xiong said. “This is not how democracy works. This is blatant voter suppression happening right before our eyes. It’s going to make it harder for every single citizen to vote in our state. These are unnecessary barriers being put between Michiganders and the ballot box.”
A resolution to require proof of citizenship to vote in Michigan cleared the Republican-led House Election Integrity Committee Tuesday while Democrats on the committee condemned the measure as a veiled attempt to install a poll tax.
The partisan divide on the proposed policy, House Joint Resolution B, was made abundantly clear last week as the committee took testimony. Republican supporters of the resolution implored the need for guardrails on non-citizen voting, while Democrats in opposition remarked the resolution is vague about what documentation voters would need to produce, jeopardizing qualified voters’ ability to vote if they fail to produce certain forms of ID.
Under the resolution, every Michigan voter would have to identify themselves as a citizen either when they register to vote or at a later date to the Secretary of State or their local clerk. The resolution outlines that the Secretary of State “must use all reasonable efforts to obtain information regarding the citizenship status of those individuals listed in the statewide qualified voter file”.
Amid Democratic opposition asserting that the resolution, which would likely not pass the partisanly split state Legislature, Former Brighton Township Clerk and current state Rep. Ann Bollin (R- Brighton Twp.) testified in the House Election Integrity Committee that the resolution wouldn’t make it harder to vote, but it would make it harder to cheat.
“Let’s not make more out of this resolution than need be. 83% of Americans support proof of citizenship to register to vote in elections,” Bollin said. “Let’s join them and vote yes.”
The resolution would impose hurdles that would decrease voter participation in the interest of addressing the non-existent problem of non-citizen voting, Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) said Tuesday at a news conference following the committee’s 6-3 partisan split vote to clear the resolution out of committee.
Whether it be paying for a copy of a birth certificate or a passport, there is a real cost to “purchase proof of citizenship” Koleszar said, and putting a price tag on voter registration creates a “poll tax” where families will have to pull $30 to $165 out to participate in elections.
President Donald Trump has led the charge that American elections are not secure since losing the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden, which he falsely asserted was stolen. Trump rehashed those disproven claims during his successful 2024 campaign, saying Republicans had to make turnout “too big to rig”. Despite a lack of verifiable evidence of mass election fraud, Trump’s supporters in Michigan have reiterated interest in securing elections in the state and eliminating fraud.
And when Michigan saw headlines for a 19-year-old Chinese student at University of Michigan being accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election it raised questions on how to prevent non-citizen voting while election experts continue to assert such incidents are extremely rare.
One individual’s actions should not qualify instituting rules that would make it harder for senior citizens and members of the military overseas who face barriers in submitting timely evidence of citizenship from voting, Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) said.
In fact for the majority of women who take their husband’s last name, their birth certificate with their maiden name would likely not be sufficient to establish citizenship, Xiong pointed out. And without outlined documents in the resolution, if a birth certificate was the form of identification demanded, it would effectively preclude married women in Michigan from voting.
“Make no mistake, this smells like a pink poll tax that burdens women to pay for and produce multiple forms of documents before being able to vote,” Xiong said. “This is not how democracy works. This is blatant voter suppression happening right before our eyes. It’s going to make it harder for every single citizen to vote in our state. These are unnecessary barriers being put between Michiganders and the ballot box.”
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