Latest news with #BryanPosthumus
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
To The Point: Posthumus, Fitzgerald on contentious session
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — On this 'To The Point,' we talk with the majority floor leader and the Democratic floor leader about a session that is yet to produce much consensus legislation. State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, weighs in, saying, 'Figures never lie, but liars sure can figure, right? The audacity of the individuals that espousing these lies is just ludicrous.' As does Democratic Floor Leader state Rep. John Fitzgerald, D-Wyoming. 'It's been an interesting change into the minority. It has been an interesting change now to have divided government, but I do think there is (an) opportunity, I am hopeful. I believe that we can do better and will do better,' he said. The view of a contentious session from both sides on this 'To The Point' episode for the weekend of May 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Republicans stumble on noncitizen voting effort, push forward on sanctuary cities ban
On May 1, 2025, State Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) testified in support of his House Joint Resolution B, which aims to amend the state constitution to require proof of citizenship for voters. | Kyle Davidson Michigan House Republicans took votes on several policies aligned with President Donald Trump's priorities on Thursday, achieving mixed results on measures to ban sanctuary cities, a proposed constitutional amendment intended to bar noncitizens from voting and legislation they say would end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in hiring. Though House Republicans successfully advanced several policies tied to undocumented immigration, Rep. Bryan Posthumus's House Joint Resolution B, which requires residents to show proof of citizenship when casting their ballot and registering to vote, stalled when put to a vote, failing to reach the two-thirds supermajority needed to advance. However, the effort to amend the state constitution is not quite dead, with Posthumus (R-Rockford) moving to reconsider the vote and tabling the matter for another session. Additionally members of the Board of State Canvassers approved the language and form for a proposal that mirrors the House's resolution, giving supporters 180 days to gather signatures in order to place the matter before voters on the 2026 ballot. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'There's a potential that down the road we bring it back up and see what happens then,' Posthumus told reporters after Thursday's session concluded. 'Whether it is done legislatively, which, while it failed today, that doesn't mean it's dead forever, or whether it's through the petition drive one way or another, I'm going to make sure it's on the ballot,' Posthumus said. Posthumus first offered the effort in 2024 in response to reports of a 19-year-old University of Michigan student from China casting a ballot in Ann Arbor. The Department of State has since identified 15 additional cases of noncitizen voting in the 2024 election out of more than 5.7 million ballots cast. 'This is a serious issue, one we must address with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer,' Benson said in an April 3 statement, noting that only U.S. citizens can legally register and vote in elections. 'Our careful review confirms what we already knew – that this illegal activity is very rare. While we take all violations of election law very seriously, this tiny fraction of potential cases in Michigan and at the national level do not justify recent efforts to pass laws we know would block tens of thousands of Michigan citizens from voting in future elections.' Voting rights advocates have repeatedly warned that Posthumus' proposal would have serious consequences on the ability of married or divorced women who change their names, seniors and low-income voters to cast their ballot. 'This is a poll tax, plain and simple. You have to pay money to produce documents in order to vote. That is a poll tax,' state Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) told reporters ahead of Thursday's House session. Though the policy does include a hardship exception to cover the cost for individuals who do not have the necessary documentation, Koleszar questioned whether that would include the middle class. While speaking on the floor, he also pointed to the impact of a similar policy in Kansas, which blocked 31,000 individuals who were otherwise eligible to vote from accessing the ballot. Rep. Stephen Wooden (D-Grand Rapids), the minority vice chair of the election integrity committee, compared the proposal to the Kansas law alongside another policy in Arizona and the SAVE Act proposed in Congress, all of which have drawn criticism for creating barriers to voting. The only substantive difference between these policies is that Posthumus's proposal would leave the implementation details to be hammered out by a future Legislature, Wooden said. Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing), who previously chaired the House Elections Committee pitched several alternatives to the joint resolution. 'How about having our Department of State do more audits before the elections and not after? What about using existing records to check new registrations on a rolling basis? How about adding bold, not-to-be-missed signage at every polling place laying out the consequences of voting as a noncitizen and let's put it in some different languages that reflect the population of the district to avoid any potential language barriers,' Tsernoglou said. Tsernoglou's office later announced a set of three bills sponsored by Wooden, Koleszar and State Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) in cooperation with the Secretary of State's office as part of the first phase of legislation aimed at tightening up Michigan's election security. The proposals include: Requiring the secretary of state to compare driver data to voter registration information to identify records of potential non-citizens that need further review. Giving the secretary of state the ability to remove voters who haven't voted in 20 years from the voter rolls after notice. Requiring the secretary of state to regularly review the instructions on the voter registration form to ensure citizenship eligibility requirements are clearly described. In his own floor speech, Posthumus challenged the arguments put forth by Democrats. While Koleszar noted the number of noncitizens barred from voting by the Kansas law was 'statistically indistinguishable from zero,' Posthumus pointed to the 2000 Presidential election, where former President George Bush defeated Al Gore by a 537-vote margin in Florida. He also pointed to multiple recent elections in the Michigan Legislature that had been decided by double digit margins. Additionally, Michigan has the benefit of being able to learn from Kansas and Arizona's mistakes, Posthumus said before urging a yes vote on the proposal. In the unlikely case that Posthumus' proposal achieves the two-third margin needed to pass the House, it would need to win support from two-thirds of members in the Democratic-led Senate before the matter could be placed on the ballot for a majority of Michiganders to decide in the next general election. Prior to taking a vote on House Joint Resolution B, the chamber cast its first votes of the day on a set of bills banning local and county governments from enacting or enforcing sanctuary city or county policies, ordinances or laws, which typically limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. If the bills become law, any locality with an existing sanctuary policy would have 60 days to eliminate it and comply with state policy. The bills creating this ban, House Bills 4338 and 4339, passed along party lines, with full support from Republicans' 58 member majority. However, House Bill 4342 — which would bar any city or village with a sanctuary policy in place from receiving state revenue sharing funds used to pay for key services like police and fire departments, funding for roads and sewers and garbage collection — did see the dropoff of one Republican, Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond). Another set of bills, House Bills 4340 and 4341, which aim to bar noncitizens from receiving welfare and housing assistance, gained support from Xiong and fellow Democratic Reps. Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Tullio Liberati (D-Allen Park), Denise Mentzer ( and Angela Witwer (D-Delta Township). However, the bills are unlikely to advance in the Democratic-led Senate, as split control of the Legislature has led to deadlock. In an uncharacteristic show of strong bipartisan support, nearly all members present in the House voted in support of a policy Republicans argue would end diversity, equity and inclusion practices in hiring at state agencies. House Bill 4288, put forth by State Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn) states 'a state agency shall not hire an applicant for unclassified employment unless the state agency bases the hiring on 1 or more objective and merit-based factors that include, but are not limited to, the applicant's relevant education or work experience.' It does not mention diversity, equity or inclusion, or DEI hiring practices. State Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia), who introduced nearly-identical legislation last year, said she was surprised to see Byrnes reintroduce the bill. However, when she began to mention DEI hiring practices, House Minority Floor Leader John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) raised a point of order, noting that 'the speech and debate on the floor of this house must contain and be relevant to the bill itself.' 'I do not find that —in the absence of any diversity, equity or inclusion language included in this bill — that that is relevant or germane to the debate here today,' Fitzgerald said. Rigas was permitted to continue, telling the House 'DEI has left us divided and lowered with lowered standards. H.B. 4288 fixes that by demanding objective, merit-based hiring. Agencies that choose to hire by race, identity or anything other than merit will face a $10,000 fine.' The bill passed with support from 105 members of the 110 member body. State Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) marked the sole vote against the legislation. While Wegela requested his name be removed as a cosponsor of the bill, Byrnes requested the board be opened for members to join in cosponsoring the bill, with the bill gaining support from 74 members by the time the voting board was closed. Fitzgerald later told reporters the bill was part of a larger pay-equity package, calling Republican's description of the bill as anti-DEI bill as 'a really poor misunderstanding of the legislation.' 'I think that really what we're focused on is trying to make sure that people who are not necessarily relationally, or have a relationship with their workplace, that they're applying to don't get shut out indiscriminately. We want to make sure that people on their merit, on their capability, on their work experience, have the opportunity to do that,' Fitzgerald said.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ballot initiative seeks to require proof of citizenship to vote
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A proposal requiring proof of citizenship to vote in Michigan could end up on the November 2026 ballot. The proposal would mandate that people registering to vote in Michigan must show a birth certificate, passport or other documents to verify their citizenship. When it's time to cast their ballot, they would also have to show voter ID. Currently, Michigan doesn't require proof of citizenship for voter registration and voters don't need a photo ID to vote in person. If people change their name or move to a new address, they would need to reverify their citizenship. The State Board of Canvassers has advanced the proposal by the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights, meaning the group can now start gathering signatures to try to put their question on the ballot. How 5 key demographic groups voted in 2024: AP VoteCast State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, has been trying to get his fellow lawmakers to place this on the ballot. Posthumus says it's aimed to make sure only U.S. citizens vote. 'My view is it should be easy to vote and difficult to cheat,' he said. A Michigan Department of State audit found that among 5.7 million ballots cast in November 2024, 16 likely non-U.S. citizens voted. 'That's 0.0002%,' Kyle Zawacki, the legislative director for American Civil Liberties Union Michigan, said. 'That's a decimal point and four zeros after it. There's people who broke the law and they will have their day in court, as they should. But we shouldn't be putting roadblocks up and speed bumps along the way for people to access the ballot.' Posthumus questioned the audit's effectiveness in determining only 16 people voted illegally. 'An internal self-review of our state-held databases is insufficient to know for sure,' he said. 'Other states that have done it have worked for Department of Homeland Security and utilized their databases.' Former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer, working for an opposition group called , argues the rule would disenfranchise voters who don't have access to or can't afford the documents to prove citizenship. 'This has real-world harmful effects and will deprive many, many voters of the right to vote,' he said. 'This proposal, like proposals like this is in other states, will disenfranchise millions of Michigan voters, married women who changed their names, rural voters and elderly voters.' Your Local Election Headquarters In response, Posthumus said there would be a financial hardship program covering the cost of citizenship documents for those in need. 'You can still register to vote the same way you do right now,' Posthumus said. 'You just have to provide proof of citizenship, that's it.' Committee to Protect Voters' Rights will need to collect about 440,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michiganders registering to vote would have to prove citizenship under proposal
In recent years, Michigan voters have approved measures to expand access to the ballot box. But at the next election, voters could have the chance to adopt a proposal voting rights advocates fear would erect a barrier for legally eligible voters to cast a ballot by requiring proof of citizenship to participate in elections. Only U.S. citizens can legally vote in Michigan. Currently, those registering to vote do not need to prove their citizenship status. A constitutional amendment supported by GOP state lawmakers would change that by requiring those registering to vote to present documents to demonstrate their citizenship such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate. The state's elections panel recently cleared the way for organizers behind the effort to begin collecting voter signatures to land a spot on the 2026 ballot. Proponents argue a proof of citizenship requirement to vote would ensure any votes cast by noncitizens do not dilute the votes of U.S. citizens in Michigan. A Michigan Department of State review found 15 people who don't appear to be U.S. citizens voted in the 2024 election along with a previously identified case of a a Chinese national who allegedly registered to vote and cast a ballot in Ann Arbor in the last election. There are more than 8.1 million registered voters in Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of State. Opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment argue it could disenfranchise tens of thousands or even millions of voters who would pay a high price for stopping a rare occurrence in Michigan elections. The proposed constitutional amendment would also change Michigan's voter ID requirement, barring the small group of voters without an ID from confirming their identities to vote by signing an affidavit. It would create a new ID requirement for absentee voters. In order to appear on the ballot, proponents of the proof of citizenship amendment to the Michigan Constitution must collect at least 446,198 voter signatures. To take effect, the proposal must receive a majority vote. The campaign comes amid a national push with the U.S. House of Representatives' recent vote on a bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a similar March executive order from President Donald Trump. Those registering to vote in Michigan must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, five years' imprisonment or both. If someone who is not qualified to vote casts a ballot or attempts to do so, that person is guilty of a felony under Michigan election law punishable by a fine of up to $2,000, four years' imprisonment, or both. State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford, introduced the constitutional amendment in the Michigan Legislature before the campaign launched to collect voter signatures to land a spot on the ballot. "This is a no-brainer. Only U.S. citizens should vote in our elections," he said in a Jan. 29 statement, the same day he proposed the amendment. "And people should have to show ID when voting to prove that they are who they say they are. That's just common sense." Opponents have pushed back by pointing out that voter fraud is a rare phenomenon. "So this is a solution in search of a problem especially because of the incredibly low numbers of non-citizens who we know from research and audits in other states are able to successfully register and cast ballots," said ACLU of Michigan Political Director Merissa Kovach. Starting in late 2026, the proposal would require those registering to vote in Michigan to verify their citizenship by providing documentary proof or having the Secretary of State verify that the person registering is a U.S. citizen. Posthumus told lawmakers during a hearing on the amendment that he hopes a nationwide database to verify citizenship will be available before the implementation of a proof of citizenship requirement. The proposal leaves future state lawmakers to decide the mechanics of the new proof of citizenship requirement, but documentary proof of citizenship might include a U.S. passport or a birth certificate. Married women who have changed their last name might need to present a marriage license along with a birth certificate. The proposed constitutional amendment would also require the Secretary of State to carry out an ongoing review of the state's file of registered voters to verify citizenship. If the Secretary of State receives information that someone registered to vote is not a U.S. citizen, they must send the individual a written notice giving them 60 days to verify their citizenship before cancelling their voter registration. Currently, Michigan voters without a photo ID have have the option to sign an affidavit to verify their identity to cast a ballot. State lawmakers passed Michigan's voter ID law in 1996. Most Democratic lawmakers at the time opposed the voter ID legislation, characterizing it as an attempt to suppress the vote. Legal challenges put its implementation on hold until the Michigan Supreme Court upheld the ID requirement in 2007. More than a decade later, voting rights advocates asked Michigan voters in 2022 to enshrine the affidavit option for voters without a photo ID in the state's constitution, a measure that passed with 60% support. The vote followed an attempt by Republican state lawmakers to pass legislation proposing stricter voter ID rules, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed. States have a patchwork of voter ID laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most states have some kind of voter ID system in place. Michigan is among the group of states that allow voters who don't present an ID at their polling location to cast a ballot without requiring any additional action from the voter to ensure their ballot counts, such as returning to an election office after voting to present an ID. The proposed constitutional amendment would require voters who sign an affidavit because they don't have a photo ID to cast a provisional ballot that would only count if the voter presents a photo ID on or before the 6th day after the election. Right now, election officials compare the signature on a voter's application for an absentee ballot and their absentee ballot with the signature on file to verify the absentee voter's identity. But the proposed constitutional amendment would add a new verification step. It would require Michigan voters requesting or returning an absentee ballot other than in person to provide an original copy of a photo ID, driver's license or state ID number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Whitmer vetoed GOP legislation in 2021 that would have made a similar change to Michigan election law. Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@ or 313-296-5743. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan proof of citizenship campaign to vote advances
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Board of State Canvassers greenlights petition seeking to block noncitizens from voting in Michigan
Joshua Haiar/States Newsroom As members of the Board of State Canvassers met on Friday to consider petition language for a proposed Constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship to vote, discussions between the language of the proposal and its merits frequently shifted to debates about voters' rights and concerns about noncitizen voting. After a number of revisions to the summary language, the board, which is made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, voted unanimously to approve the proposal language and the form. The final language approved by the board reads: 'Constitutional amendment to: add requirement to verify citizenship by showing a birth certificate, passport and/or other documents for voter registration; eliminate affidavit alternative for those without photo ID when voting; add requirement to provide photo ID or driver's license or partial social security number to receive our vote in absentee ballot; require Secretary of State to review voter rolls to verify citizens and remove non citizens using documents and government records; prohibit counting ballots from voters without citizenship documents and photo ID unless voters show documents within six days after election; require hardship program for obtaining required documents at state expense.' The proposed amendment mirrors an effort introduced by state Rep. Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) after a Chinese citizen attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor cast a ballot in the previous Posthumus' proposal was put forth in December, an organization called the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights launched a website proposing a petition drive to get an amendment on the ballot if lawmakers do not take up the proposal. While Posthumus reintroduced the proposal in January, the effort has yet to come up for a vote on the House floor, with Democrats calling its provisions akin to a 'poll tax'. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Voters' Rights has moved forward with a ballot proposal effort. In order to appear on the 2026 ballot, the committee must gather 446,198 signatures within 180 days and file them with the Secretary of State. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX During the meeting, the board's Democratic members as well as representatives from several voting rights groups argued the initial summary, as well as edits proposed by the group sponsoring the proposal, failed to capture the full impact of the amendment. Alongside concerns that the proposal would disenfranchise married women, low-income individuals, seniors, people living in rural communities and people who are homeless and cannot access the documents needed to prove their identity, board members and opponents raised concerns about how the proposal would impact individuals who have signed up to vote absentee in every election, as well as what documents could be used to prove citizenship. Democrat Mary Ellen Gurewitz, the board's vice chair, specifically raised concerns about birth certificates being listed in the summary, as married women who change their names would be required to submit both a birth certificate and a marriage license to verify their identity, though Committee to Protect Voters' Rights attorney Charles Spies said this process was not unique to voting alone. Gurewitz further argued that the proposal would strip voters of their rights, pointing to Proposal 18-3 and Proposal 22-2, where Michigan residents voted to expand voting rights to include no-reason absentee voting, nine days of early voting, use of a photo ID or signed affidavit to verify their identity, placement on a permanent absentee voter list and access to ballot drop boxes. However, Spies argued the proposal was not removing any right, but rather was protecting the rights of Michiganders to 'not have their votes diluted.' While noncitizens are not eligible to vote in federal, state or most local elections, some municipalities do allow them to vote in their elections. Instances of noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare, with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issuing a press release on April 3, noting that the state saw 16 credible cases of noncitizen voting in the November 2024 election out of more than 5.7 million total votes cast, though several members of the public who spoke up at Friday's meeting argued that any instance of noncitizen voting watered down their right to vote. Paul Cordes, one of the board's Republicans members, also argued that any number of voters cast illegally within the state is a problem with the system. Heather Cummings, the other Democrat on the board, concurred with Gurewitz, arguing that characterizing the proposal as an effort to protect voter rights is misleading. She later questioned how the proposal would impact the ability for Michigan residents to register to vote online. Charles Thomas Jr., the founder of the voter rights organization When You Vote – I Win, testified on his own behalf pointing to discrepancies between his and his father's name on his birth certificate, his name on his driver's license and his name on his passport. 'I'm a junior. I love the fact that you know, you all asked me to spell my name. On my birth certificate. I found that my father's name is spelled C, H, A, R L, E, Y. My name is spelled C, H, A, R, L, I, E. On my license is C H A R L, E, S. I got a passport, C, H, A, R, L, E, S. I'm not sure which one would count if I had to produce information to say who I was in order just to be able to obtain the right to vote,' Thomas said. Erica Peresman, the Senior Advisor for Promote the Vote, which successfully backed both the 2018 and 2022 voting rights amendments, told the Michigan Advance that these difficult-to-correct discrepancies should not be a barrier to voting. While the proposal would have the Legislature craft a program to ensure citizens facing hardship have the documents needed to cast their ballot, the way that program would operate remains up in the air, Peresman said, predicting that state officials would not be the ones helping residents from out of state retrieve their birth certificates from the place where they were born. 'They're just going to pay the cost of it, the legwork and dealing with the bureaucracies in these various states, that all has to be done by the individuals.…Our concern is always that people might just give up. They might not have the time, the energy, the resources to be able to run down all of these things, even if the actual cost of the document itself is being covered by the state,' Peresman said.
