A review by the Michigan Secretary of State has found 15 people who appear to have voted in last November's general election in Michigan without being a U.S. citizen.
The state emphasized that’s only 0.00028% of the 5.7 million votes cast last November. Thirteen of the fifteen people suspected of voting illegally have been referred to the attorney general’s office for charges. One more is still under investigation and another has died.
Michigan Department of State spokesperson Angela Benander said the incidents are spread around the state.
“These are isolated votes. They’re not largely concentrated in a specific county or counties or in a specific jurisdiction. So again, that seems to bear out the theory that this is something that happens. It's rare,” Benander said.
The numbers come from what Benander described as a lengthy process where dozens of staff from the department compared driver data in Michigan with state and federal voter records. They don’t include a previously reported case of an international student from China at the University of Michigan allegedly voting illegally.
That student is also facing charges.
Despite the reassurance from the state that Michigan’s numbers are low and not that different from what other states like Ohio have found, state Representative Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said it’s proof Michiganders need a constitutional amendment to tighten voter I.D. policies.
“The reality is only us citizens should be able to vote. And in our constitutional amendment, it does more than just prevent foreign nationalists to vote, although it does absolutely do that. It also requires photo ID when casting your ballot, either at the ballot box, or when voting absentee,” Posthumus said.
He criticized current Michigan voter ID laws, which still allow residents to vote if they sign a written affidavit of identity if they don’t have an ID present with them. Making a false affidavit is a felony.
“We need to make sure this loophole is closed so that only us citizens can vote in our election,” Posthumus said.
Posthumus has introduced a joint resolution in the Michigan Legislature to get the amendment on the ballot in 2026, but it’s unlikely to get the supermajority support needed in both chambers to actually make it. As a backup, organizers are also working to circulate a petition to put the question before voters.
That effort could see its next step play out at a Board of State Canvassers meeting later this month.
Benander, however, said the amendment is unnecessary, and would likely disenfranchise eligible voters who don't have ready access to documents to prove their citizenship.
“It would be unreasonable and wrong for lawmakers to use 16 votes out of 5.7 million as a pretext to pass these restrictive federal or state laws,” she said.
Instead, Benander pointed to legislation the department hopes to partner with lawmakers on in the future to codify such reviews going forward, among other changes. Benander said in the meantime, the department will conduct periodic reviews similar to this one to ensure future non-citizens that are registered to vote get caught and removed before they can cast a ballot.
