Fact Sheet: Documentary Proof of Citizenship Petitions in Michigan
What is a Documentary Proof of Citizenship Requirement to Register to Vote?
Documentary proof of citizenship bills propose that before otherwise-eligible citizens can register to vote, they must provide paperwork in addition to their voter registration form showing that the person is a U.S. citizen. For most people, that would mean providing a passport or a birth certificate to register.
Voters in Michigan and almost every state currently register by simply swearing or affirming in writing that they are citizens under penalty of perjury.
Special interest groups (not citizen-led!) are circulating petitions in Michigan to add this unnecessary red tape to Michigan’s already-secure voting laws.
Documentary Proof of Citizenship Requirements and a Flawed Citizenship “Verification” Process Would Stop Many Michiganders from Voting.
If DPOC passed in Michigan, it would hurt election integrity by stopping thousands of eligible Michigan citizens from having their voices heard at the ballot box.
Michigan voters already passed strong laws updating the state constitution to expand voting access. These policies would roll back those changes and restrict access.
When Kansas and Arizona implemented similar policies, they blocked tens of thousands of eligible American citizens of all parties from registering and voting.
Recent studies show that aroundten percent of voting-eligible Americans—millions of citizens—do not have documents to prove their citizenship. If people cannot vote unless they show hard-to-get and expensive documents in order to register, it makes it harder for citizens to vote.
Passports can take between 4-6 weeks to process and cost $165 for first-time applicants. Michigan birth certificates cost more than $30.
Although citizens hurt by this policy are disproportionately likely to be students, low income people, women, and from communities of color, they include Americans across all political parties and demographic groups.
Women who changed their name when they married are less likely to have updated documentary proof.
DPOC paperwork requirements risk shutting down online voter registration and make mail registration much harder because even when people have the documents they need, they often can’t access photocopiers, scanners, or means to submit them electronically.
This policy shuts down most community-based voter registration programs, which help voters at shopping centers, churches, campuses, and other public places where people aren’t likely to have a birth certificate or passport with them, even if they have one at home.
These policies would also lead to aggressive and inaccurate voter purges, putting eligible citizens at risk of losing their freedom to vote.
Why DPOC Makes It Harder for Election Officials to Do Their Jobs:
A DPOC scheme would make running our elections significantly harder and more expensive by adding complexity, cost, and administrative delays to the voter registration process.
Clerks would need to verify, store, and process additional paperwork, increasing their workloads and the potential for errors.
Confusion over who is eligible to vote could lead to longer lines, voter frustration, and delays in ballot processing, straining resources and eroding public confidence in election administration.
Why We Don’t Need Documentary Proof of Citizenship to Have Fair Elections:
Both federal and Michigan state law already require voter registration applicants to attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury and provide for criminal penalties for anyone who does register despite being a non-citizen.
Excluding eligible citizens from voting because they don’t have the listed paperwork makes our elections less fair.
Voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is incredibly rare, and when it happens it is often a mistake. The extremely harsh consequences of deportation and prison time for a non-citizen who votes overwhelmingly ensures that only citizens are voting.
Fair Elections Center and its Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan legal professional.
