Michigan Citizenship Requirement Ballot Measure

An anti-voting lawsuit seeking to force Michigan to place a proposed constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship to vote on the November 2026 ballot.

Background
Americans for Citizen Voting – Michigan (ACVM) filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, challenging the Board’s rejection of its proposed constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship to vote. In March, ACVM submitted more than 700,000 signatures to place a measure on the November 2026 ballot. The proposed amendment would require residents to show photo ID to vote, implement voter-roll verification and provide that only U.S. citizens may vote in elections.

Michigan requires initiative petitions to include valid signatures equal to at least 10% of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. Rather than verify every submitted signature, the Board randomly sampled 1,000 signatures to determine whether the petition met the required threshold. At least 629 of the sampled signatures needed to be valid for the petition to qualify, but the Board determined that only 626 were valid. The Board subsequently deadlocked 2-2 on whether to certify the measure, preventing it from advancing to the ballot.

ACVM’s lawsuit alleges that the Board’s actions violated its due process and equal protection rights under the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions. The group is asking the Michigan Supreme Court to order the Board to certify the proposed amendment and place it on the November 2026 ballot.

Why It Matters

Proof of citizenship requirements for voting can disproportionately burden marginalized communities and create barriers that risk disenfranchising otherwise eligible voters.

Latest Updates

• Sept. 3, 2026: The U.S. Supreme Court denied ACVM’s application. The Michigan Supreme Court also denied ACVM’s request for relief.
• Sept. 2, 2026: Michigan filed its response.
• Sept. 1, 2026: The U.S. Supreme Court requested a response by noon on Sept. 2.
• Aug. 31, 2026: ACVM filed an application for an emergency injunction with the U.S. Supreme Court.  
• Aug. 27, 2026: ACVM filed its complaint with the Michigan Supreme Court.