Following the buzz in Michigan that the state wants to clone Arizona’s controversial immigration bill, SB 1070, the state introduced a related measure that affects access to voting rights.
Senate Bill 1370 would require all voter applicants to submit evidence of United States citizenship with their voter registration applications. Any application that does not include a sufficient citizenship document would be rejected by election officials. Acceptable citizenship documents include driver’s license or state ID issued by the department of state (if the card indicates that the person provided proof of citizenship to obtain the ID); a photocopy of birth certificate or passport; a Bureau of Indian Affairs card or tribal treaty card; or U.S. naturalization documents or the number provided on the certificate of naturalization (if only the number is required, the voter applicant will not be added until the number has been verified with the U.S. immigration and naturalization service).
Voting rights advocates warn that proof-of-citizenship requirements at registration can disenfranchise eligible citizens who do not have ready access to citizenship documents. In 2006, an estimated 13 million citizens were without citizenship documents, according to a Brennan Center for Justice survey.
The bill is currently in the Senate Campaign and Election Oversight Committee.