Overview
- The four-member Michigan Board of State Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 on Monday and therefore did not certify the citizens-only proof-of-citizenship amendment for the November ballot.
- State Bureau of Elections staff used a standard random sample of 1,000 submitted signatures and determined that at least 629 valid signatures were required; canvassers concluded 626 were valid after reviewing contested sheets and affidavits.
- Sponsors, who submitted roughly 709,000 signatures in March, said they will appeal the board’s decision to the Michigan Supreme Court and may seek further review if needed.
- If the amendment reaches voters it would require new and some existing registrants to prove U.S. citizenship, create a two-roll system and remove an affidavit alternative to photo ID, which critics say could prevent some eligible Michiganders from voting.
- The canvassers’ party-line split and the sample-based process highlight how a small margin and tight legal deadlines — with absentee ballots due to be mailed in mid- to late-September — now put final ballot placement in the hands of the courts.