Michigan House election committee hears competing testimony on proposal to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register

The Michigan House Election Integrity Committee heard testimony on House Joint Resolution B, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require documented proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. Sponsors and supporters told the committee the change would protect the accuracy of the qualified voter file; the Department of State and a coalition of voting-rights groups warned the proposal could block eligible voters and said the resolution leaves key implementation details undefined.

Supporters included Representative Anne Bolen and Representative Jay DeBoyer, who said the resolution merely requires the Secretary of State to establish a systematic verification process and would “make it harder to cheat.” Bolen said, “It is not the Save Act. It will not lead to women being disenfranchised.” DeBoyer, a former county clerk, said the measure is a “common-sense approach to securing our elections” and argued that recent changes in registration and absentee systems have strained clerks’ ability to keep accurate rolls.

The deputy director of the Secretary of State’s office opposed the resolution in testimony, saying Michigan has improved its administration and that the proposal would “undo all of that success…