Block Your Vote Resolution

HJR B proposes an amendment to the Michigan State Constitution that would require documentary proof of United States citizenship to register to vote, and would modify existing voter identification requirements. Michigan elections are safe, secure, and largely accessible for all. While framed as a measure to verify voter eligibility, this proposal would disproportionately impact women, marginalized individuals, and it would directly lead to eligible voters being excluded from the democratic process. 

By adding costs and burdensome new steps to the voter registration process, the amendment would create more barriers for citizens exercising their constitutional right to vote. The proposal would disqualify registration with more common and accessible forms of ID like Michigan driver’s licenses, military IDs, and even Michigan REAL IDs. 

In Michigan, more than 2.2 million women have a married name that doesn’t match their birth certificate, which would disqualify them from using their birth certificate to register to vote according to HJR B. Additionally, over 5.8 million Michigan residents lack a valid U.S. passport, one of the few guaranteed forms of valid identification under HJR B. 

Dangerous proposals like HJR B do not solve any real world issues, but they do create unnecessary barriers, overburden local clerks, and raise the cost of election administration. Michigan League of Conservation Voters (MLCV) opposes this joint resolution because it undermines democracy by restricting access to the ballot box and making it harder for eligible citizens to vote.