Opinion | Proof of citizenship to vote is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist

It’s five days before Election Day, and you’re on your way to register and then vote at an early voting site in your community — did we mention you’re a busy mom and it’s your first election voting in Michigan — when you arrive to register you’re told you need to prove that you’re a US citizen and will need to provide a birth certificate or passport. 

You rush back home to find your birth certificate, but when you return you’re told that because the name on your birth certificate and your driver’s license aren’t the same — because you changed your last name when you got married — you’ll also need to produce your marriage license, but by now it’s time to pick up your kids from day care so you leave frustrated, angry, and unable to cast a ballot.

This could be the new reality for millions of voters because lawmakers at both the state and federal level are working to pass legislation that would require voters to provide proof of citizenship in order to register to vote, or update their voter registration. This is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist!

It is a felony for non-citizens to register to vote and vote in US elections. It is also illegal in Michigan for non-citizens to cast a ballot in any state election. People who violate this law risk both imprisonment and deportation. There is absolutely no evidence of widespread, non-citizen voting in federal or state elections. It is just not happening … anywhere. 

These dangerous pieces of legislation create unnecessary red tape for voters and will prevent American citizens from voting. Americans who cannot find or do not have a birth certificate or passport will not be able to register to vote, or update their voter registration. Married women, who have changed their last name, would be impacted, because they would not be allowed to provide a birth certificate alone to register to vote. 

Who else would be impacted? Rural voters, working class voters, voters of color, and older Americans who are less likely to hold a passport or readily accessible birth certificate, members of the US Military who would not be able to use their military ID to register to vote, unless it is accompanied by their military service record AND that record shows they were born in the US, and tribal citizens would be unable to register using their Tribal ID alone.

Additionally, these policies would prevent survivors of natural disasters from registering or re-registering to vote if their passport or original birth certificate was lost or damaged. Every American voter seeking to register to vote or update their voter registration information after they move would be affected by the changes that state and federal legislators are seeking to make.

At the federal level, the legislation in question is the SAVE Act. The SAVE Act passed through the US House of Representatives on April 10, now it is up to our US Senators to stop it. In Michigan, House Joint Resolution B (HJR B) was introduced in the State House. If the bill is unable to garner the needed support in the state Legislature, they have a backup plan to collect signatures and put it on the 2026 ballot for voters to consider.

Voters already affirm their identity when they go to vote and check a box indicating that they are a US citizen when they register, and again, the penalty for lying can result in imprisonment, fines, or deportation. So, we must ask, who are these lawmakers trying to silence? Women? Members of the US military? Rural voters? Working class voters? Voters who are poor? Voters of color? Older Americans? Or all the above?

Our elections are secure, accurate and more accessible than ever before, but our elections are facing one of the largest threats in recent years. If these dangerous policies pass, they would roll back the protections that so many have fought tirelessly for. Contact your state and federal lawmakers today and tell them to oppose any legislation that would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship to vote.