Five states considering required voter ID to stop non-citizen voting and boost election security

Five states are considering legislation or ratifying constitutional amendments that would either implement voter ID or prevent non-citizen voting, as both issues have become significant election integrity concerns.

Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Utah and Wisconsin are in the process of strengthening election integrity by pushing forward bills or proposed constitutional amendments that would verify a voter’s identity and/or ensure that they are a U.S. citizen before voting. Only about half of the states have voter photo ID, and just 15 explicitly prohibit non-citizen voting.

77% favor ID: Polls

According to a Rasmussen Reports poll released last month, 77% of U.S. likely voters believe that requiring photo ID to vote is a reasonable measure to protect election integrity. The survey was conducted Jan. 26-28 of 1,229 U.S. likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.

As of November, 35 states require voters to present a form of identification to cast their ballots, but some states have exceptions. Of the 35 states, 23 require voters to present photo ID, with some exceptions, and 12 do not explicitly require it. There are 15 states that do not require voter ID to vote in person on Election Day.

Meanwhile, thousands of non-citizen voters were discovered on voter rolls of several states last year. While non-citizens are prohibited from voting in federal, state and most local elections, the states of California, Maryland and Vermont, and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.

Following the approval of ballot measures to ban non-citizen voting in eight states last year, there are now 15 in total that allow only U.S. citizens to vote in elections: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Listed below are the states that are currently considering legislation or ballot measures to require voter ID and/or ban non-citizens from voting:

Iowa

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) proposed legislation that would prevent non-citizens from being added to the state voter rolls. The bill was recommended for passage by a state Senate committee last week.

“This bill, particularly, is a way for us to be more on the front end, to make sure that on the voter registration side that we make sure we do our due diligence,” Pate said during a subcommittee hearing. “It allows us to better partner with other agencies to have the most accurate list we can.”

The bill would allow Pate’s office to contract with federal, state, and private agencies to use their information to help with the identification of non-citizens on Iowa’s voter rolls. The legislation would also require the cancelation of voter registrations of non-citizens. Also, election poll workers would be allowed to ask about a person’s citizenship status if their voter registration is challenged.

Maine

For voters in Maine, there will be a ballot measure to decide on in November regarding voter ID. If the referendum is passed, then state law would require Maine voters to present a valid state ID or driver’s license to request an absentee ballot or vote in person.

"We want to make sure the people that are voting are citizens of Maine and are citizens of the United States and should be voting the correct way," State Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R) said last month.

Other election integrity measures are also included in the ballot initiative, such as limiting the number of ballot drop boxes in communities, ending the automatic mailing of absentee ballots and requiring voters to obtain them in person, and shortening the absentee voting period.

Michigan

A constitutional amendment for proof of citizenship and voter ID is working through the Michigan House. If the proposed amendment receives a two-thirds majority vote in both the state House and Senate, then Michigan voters will decide in the next general election whether to add it to the state constitution.

The proposed amendment would require voter ID for both in-person and absentee voting. If voter ID isn’t provided when someone votes in person, then that voter may cast a provisional ballot, allowing them six days after the election to return with ID so that their ballot is counted. Also, the amendment would require people registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship.

Michigan state Rep. Ann Bollin (R), a co-sponsor of the proposed amendment, said in a statement on Thursday, “Michigan doesn’t require voters to do something as simple as show proof of citizenship. Voters don’t even have to show photo ID at the polls. Michigan voters deserve better election security. By requiring voters to prove their citizenship and present photo ID, this plan will provide commonsense guardrails to protect the integrity of Michigan elections.”

She also pointed to an example from last year where a non-citizen had voted in Michigan, but it wasn’t discovered until it was too late. “Last year, a Chinese national exploited a gaping loophole in Michigan law to cast a ballot and meddle in our elections,” Bollin said. “He easily voted illegally because he never had to provide proof of citizenship, and his vote counted the same as every legal Michigan voter. It’s clear this loophole is more like a wide-open front door with a welcome mat inviting noncitizens into polling places. We need to close this door and secure our elections so U.S. citizens can vote without illegal ballots canceling theirs out.”

Utah

A bill introduced last month in the Utah state House would require voters to return mail-in ballots in person to poll workers with voter ID, unless they had applied for their mail-in ballots at the county clerk’s office.

The bill would allow voters to return their ballots at polling locations during a two-week early voting period or on Election Day, in addition to ballot drop boxes with county poll workers stationed at them.

Wisconsin

State law already requires voter ID to vote, but Wisconsin voters will decide in April whether to enshrine it in the state constitution. State Rep. Rob Kreibich, who supports the proposed constitutional amendment, wrote in January to explain the need for the amendment.

“For clarification, photo ID is already required by Wisconsin State Statute. But a ‘yes’ vote would amend the Wisconsin Constitution to include this requirement, which will further protect the integrity of the voting system from our leftist-activist WI Supreme Court. I believe this constitutional amendment will also increase future voter turnout,” Kreibich wrote.