LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan voters will not get a chance to decide whether proof of citizenship and photo identification should be required for voting after the proposed constitutional amendment ran out of courts – and time.

The Democratic-controlled Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday denied Americans for Citizen Voting-Michigan’s request to force its proposal onto the November ballot, effectively ending the initiative for 2026.

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The court said the campaign was not entitled to a writ of mandamus because “the actions taken by the Board of State Canvassers in this case were discretionary.” The order went on to say that the legislature can “address whether audits should occur within a certain timeframe once signatures are submitted to the Bureau of Elections, whether and when affidavits must be considered in order to rehabilitate a rejected signature, and whether rejected signatures for which an affidavit has been submitted should be compared to the affidavit.”

From 700,000 Signatures to Three Short

ACVM submitted more than 700,000 signatures, well above the 446,198 required. But after state election officials reviewed a 1,000-signature sample and challenges were considered, the campaign ended up three valid signatures short in the sample.

The Board of State Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 on certification Aug. 24, prompting ACVM to turn to the courts.

On Thursday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the group’s separate emergency request for an injunction that could have put the amendment on the ballot.

Hours later, the Michigan Supreme Court closed the remaining door.

The Board of State Canvassers had been scheduled to meet Friday, Sept. 4, as the state reached its deadline for finalizing the November ballot. The meeting was subsequently cancelled.