Early in-person voting for the upcoming general election is set to begin on October 24 at various locations across Detroit. For those who prefer to vote on Election Day itself, that will be Tuesday, November 3. Detroit residents should be aware that a photo identification is not strictly required to cast a ballot at a polling place in Michigan. While election workers will ask to see an ID, voters can still cast their ballot without one.
If a voter arrives at a polling place without identification, they will be asked to sign an affidavit affirming they are not in possession of a valid ID at that moment, whether it was left at home, has not been renewed, or if they do not have one at all. After signing this affidavit, the ballot will be counted just like any other. When presenting identification, an expired Michigan driver’s license or state ID is acceptable. However, an expired license from another state or any other type of expired photo ID cannot be used. In such cases, the voter would need to sign the affidavit.
Beyond identification, it is important for voters to know that they currently do not need to prove their citizenship to vote in Michigan. This has been a point of discussion, and there are ongoing efforts to introduce such a requirement.
For instance, a campaign aimed at amending the Michigan Constitution to include a citizenship requirement for voters did not qualify for the November ballot. This outcome followed decisions by both state and U.S. supreme courts to decline intervention. Despite this setback, organizers of the campaign have stated their intent to try again in the future.
At the state legislative level, House Bill 4765 proposes that the Michigan Secretary of State verify a voter’s citizenship. This verification would occur either through existing government databases or by requiring a document such as a birth certificate or passport. A significant detail within this bill is that a name change, even due to marriage, would necessitate additional documentation for verification. The Michigan House passed this bill in April, but it is currently stalled in the state Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.
A survey commissioned by Outlier Media delved into Detroiters' experiences with citizenship documents. The survey found that while most Detroit residents do possess a citizenship document, more than one in four respondents reported facing at least one barrier when attempting to present such a document.
These identified barriers included issues like ensuring the document was unexpired, confirming it reflected a current name, and the challenge of quickly locating the document when needed. These findings were part of the latest Detroit Metro Area Communities Study conducted by the University of Michigan.
Mara Cecilia Ostfeld, who serves as the faculty co-lead for the University of Michigan study, emphasized that the primary hurdles are often in the specifics. Ostfeld stated, “The barriers come from the details, like being able to find the document quickly, whether it’s current, and, of course, whether the name on it matches your current legal name.” She also highlighted the financial and administrative burden associated with maintaining up-to-date citizenship documents, noting that keeping these documents current can involve hundreds of dollars and extensive documentation, making it even more of a barrier for lower-income neighbors.
These local and state discussions occur within a broader landscape of proposed state and federal legislation that aims to require, or encourage states to require, citizenship documents for voting.
