Michigan Gains Access to New Tools to Keep Elections Fair and Secure
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
Help from feds to identify non-citizens
By Patrice Johnson, Founder and Chair, Michigan Fair Elections Institute
June 2, 2025
Michigan’s voter registration verification system has gaps, but new federal tools — once costly and complex — are now free and user-friendly, available to help ensure only U.S. citizens vote in Michigan elections.
On May 22, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major upgrade to its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, offering Michigan and other states a powerful way to verify voter citizenship and block non-citizen voting.
This program, separate from the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in Congress, lets officials check Social Security numbers against federal databases, making elections more secure. This follows USCIS’s April 1, decision to eliminate all fees for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, making SAVE accessible for Michigan election officials to strengthen their voter verification.
In the announcement, USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said: “For years, states have pleaded for tools to help identify and stop aliens from hijacking our elections. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, USCIS is moving quickly to eliminate voter fraud. We expect further improvements soon and remain committed to restoring trust in American elections.”
Michigan’s current voter rules have a weak spot. When people register to vote, they are only required to swear they are U.S. citizens under penalty of perjury for lying, but they don’t need to show proof like a passport or birth certificate. This makes it possible for non-citizens to slip through, either by mistake or on purpose. After a Chinese student turned himself in for voting in Michigan’s 2024 presidential elect, Michigan’s Secretary of State Benson changed her stance and announced that state records showed at least 15 non-citizens had voted.
When people register to vote, they are only required to swear they are U.S. citizens under penalty of perjury for lying, but they don’t need to show proof like a passport or birth certificate.
New Tool But New Complications
The issue is set to compound exponentially on June 30, when Michigan’s House Bill 4983 goes into effect as part of Public Act 268. The new law will automatically register everyone who interacts with the DMV, Medicaid, and other government agencies. It states, “Nothing in this section shall…require documentary proof of US citizenship for voter registration. See Sec 493a(10)).
Under the changes to PA 268, only if a person provides proof that they are NOT a U.S. citizen or if they mail a request to the Secretary of State to be unregistered, will they not be automatically registered to vote. Those who are automatically registered and vote but are not citizens, are “not considered to have knowingly intended to register to vote” and will be “presumed to have a defense for a violation under section 932a(c).” So, the law also provides non-citizens a defense against unlawful registration and voting.
Michigan currently verifies identity and residency with a driver’s license, state ID, or the last four digits of a Social Security number, which the Secretary of State (SoS) verifies. But citizenship? That’s left to the state, and until now, without a direct way to check federal records, the process left room for errors and abuse. Only “enhanced” driver’s licenses show citizenship, while standard IDs just prove people are legally in the U.S. — not enough to guarantee they are citizens, yet sufficient to register a person to vote. College students may use only their student ID and a document indicating residency, like a electricity bill addressed to them.
The new SAVE program fixes this problem by letting Michigan tap into federal databases to confirm citizenship instantly. Election officials can now check multiple voters at once using Social Security numbers, a huge step up from Michigan’s slower, state-only checks. Best of all, since April 1, 2025, this tool is free for states, thanks to USCIS. This supports President Trump’s Executive Order 14248, Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, which pushes for honest elections.
Michigan allows voter registration in person, online, or on Election Day, a right locked into the state constitution by a voter-led effort that bypassed the legislature.
These methods follow federal laws like the Help America Vote Act (52 USC 21083) and National Voter Registration Act (52 USC 20508). But without requiring citizenship proof, the system is not airtight.
REAL ID … no help
Not even a Michigan REAL ID automatically proves citizenship. While it is true that REAL ID-compliant licenses require proof of legal status, they do not necessarily indicate U.S. citizenship. A REAL ID in Michigan proves a person’s identity, citizenship OR lawful status, and residency. The REAL ID itself does not inherently prove citizenship. See Michigan.gov/REALID.
A 2026 ballot proposal could change Michigan’s constitution to demand “Only Citizens Vote,” showing people want tougher rules.
Nationwide, election security is a hot topic. The U.S. House passed the SAVE Act in April 2025, requiring proof of citizenship for federal elections. Now the SAVE Act goes to the Senate for a vote, after stalling in there last year. Opponents claim it could block eligible voters who don’t go to the effort of providing proper documentation. Supporters say it’s key to fair elections.
States like New Hampshire, Louisiana, and Wyoming (in 2025) already require citizenship proof, and over 160 bills across the U.S. aim to tighten voter rules, per the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“The SAVE program gives states reliable tools to check voter citizenship,” USCIS said.
Patrice Johnson is founder and chairperson of Michigan Fair Elections (MFEI) and Pure Integrity Michigan Elections (PIME). A former teacher, Patrice has founded five successful companies and served as senior executive with a Fortune 100 technology company. In 2017, she authored the book, the Fall and Rise of Tyler Johnson, the basis of a PBS documentary film, Finding Tyler. Questions or comments? Contact patrice@mifairelections.org.
Artificial Intelligence tools were used in the writing of this article.
People like you are MFEI's boots-on-the-ground eyes and ears for election integrity. If you have a news tip related to federal, state, or local elections, contact us HERE.
Learn how We The People can win back and secure OUR Future.
Join us Thursday, June 5, at 12 PM for
the weekly Coalition Task Force Meeting
To attend this meeting, use the Registration link above. It changes weekly.
After registering, you'll receive an email with details on how to join the meeting.
Note: No representatives of the media are allowed in our meetings without permission.
Important Notes and Disclaimers for Election Integrity Network National Working Groups and coalition calls
We operate under strict 501 (c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan guidelines. Please do not make any comments during the call or in the chat that are directly related to any political party or partisan comment that could be considered an endorsement or opposition of candidates running for office.
All calls are “off the record.” This means that no members of the media are allowed on our calls. For participant, we ask that no comment or presentation be shared outside of the call without the express permission of the speaker/host. No recording can be made of the call without express permission from the moderator- this includes closed captioning and AI notetakers.
Any notes, call chats or recordings are NOT to be uploaded to any public facing sites, such as websites, email blasts, or social media under any circumstances.
We always welcome new participants but ask that all newcomers register with their own registration link. Please do not forward your personal Webex confirmation link to another participant.
For the security of the call, if you join by phone, you may be asked to unmute and provide your name, or a member of our team may text you to ask for your name and add your name to the screen for you.
This meeting is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or instruction to lobby on behalf of any issue or organization.
Please donate to Michigan Fair Elections Institute
MFEI is a fiercely independent, tax-exempt 501(c)3 charity. We rely on voluntary contributions to fund our important, and sometimes costly, work. Legal claims are sometimes essential to improve the government and protect citizen rights, and they can be expensive. MFEI accepts no government funding.
Please support MFEI's investigative research, honest journalism, and litigative actions to defend We the People's inalienable rights as protected in the U.S. Constitution. Donate today to assist our educational efforts to protect the principles of individual liberty in America.
Mark your calendars to attend Election Integrity Network's outstanding National Working Groups (below). Consider also serving as liaison to report to the Task Force Coalition on our Thursday News@Noon meetings.
View and download special publications from EIN: US Citizen's Elections Bill Of Rights, Ranked Choice Voting presentation.
Full list of National Working Group Meetings and meeting links.
Comments