Committee advances proposal requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register for state and local elections

Chair Smith opened a hearing on House Bill 47 65 and heard testimony from Representative Daniel Wolford, Bill Richardson and public commenters before the committee adopted a substitute for the bill by a 5–3 roll-call vote.

Representative Daniel Wolford testified in strong support of the measure, saying that "every improper ballot cancels out the lawful vote of a Michigan citizen" and that noncitizens have been documented on voter rolls in Michigan and elsewhere. Wolford described the proposal as nonpartisan and said it would protect the "sacred" nature of citizenship; he invoked family and military-service examples to underscore the bill's purpose.

Bill Richardson, who identified himself as a township clerk in Jackson County, told the committee the bill would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register for state and local elections and said audits have found non-U.S.…