WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – Media reports and data from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson show that noncitizens have cast ballots in Michigan elections. While Benson, a Democrat, has maintained noncitizen voting is a rarity, the rest of the country seems to support what Michiganders are learning: showing proof of citizenship in order to register to vote makes sense.
That data emerged in this week’s Economist/YouGov Poll where most Americans said they support requiring citizenship proof for voter registration. This news comes as Congress continues to debate the SAVE America Act, an election reform bill supported by President Donald Trump.
Noncitizens voting in elections.
According to the Economist/YouGov Poll, 29% of Americans say noncitizens voting in U.S. elections is a very serious problem, and 16% say it’s somewhat serious. Another 16% say it’s not a very serious problem while 27% say it’s not a problem at all.
Requiring proof of citizenship also comes down to party lines. The poll revealed 82% of Republicans said noncitizen voting is at least a somewhat serious problem, while only 13% of Democrats saw it as problematic.
Mail-in ballots.
Another provision of the bill would limit the use of mail-in ballots, an issue that became a reality for Michigan voters with the passage of Proposal 3 in 2022. The SAVE America Act would require mail-in ballots to require proof of U.S. citizenship when requesting and submitting a ballot. The poll showed 41% of Americans who said the use of mail-in ballots should be limited, while 44% said limits are not needed.
As with proof of citizenship, political party allegiance appeared to drive views on mail-in ballots. Most Democrats (76%) oppose this aspect of the SAVE America Act, while most Republicans (74%) support it.
