The ‘show-your-papers’ measure failed to reach the ballot. That’s good for Michigan’s newest voters

Filed 47m ago · Via Michigan Advance · The Buffoon Desk

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Alexander Nakarada · creatorchords.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Nationaal Archief · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons

A Michigan ballot initiative requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration failed to secure a majority from the State Board of Canvassers, deadlocking and leaving it off the 2026 ballot for now, though backers say they'll pursue it in court.

The piece argues the requirement would disproportionately burden young and student voters, citing a study finding 24% of 18-29-year-olds lack the necessary documents, alongside married women who've changed their names.

State-level review cited in the piece found noncitizens cast just .00028% of over 5.7 million Michigan ballots in 2024, the scale of fraud the measure is meant to address.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A policy solving a problem that shows up in the fifth decimal place tends to say more about the people pushing it than the voters it targets. The court fight promised by supporters suggests the ballot box wasn't producing the outcome they wanted, so now it's the judiciary's turn.

Source: Read the original at Michigan Advance → Scored: Bye Bye Brain · Alexander Nakarada · CC BY 4.0

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