Michigan Canvassers Deadlock as Democrats Block Citizen Voting Ballot Measure [WATCH]

Democratic members of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted Monday against certifying the Americans for Citizen Voting initiative, leaving a proposed constitutional amendment requiring proof of citizenship to vote off the November ballot unless supporters prevail in court.

The four-member board split 2-2 on certification.

Republican Chair Richard Houskamp and Republican member Paul Cordes voted to certify the petition, while Democratic Vice Chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz and Democratic member Heather Cummings voted against it.

At least three votes are required for the Board of State Canvassers to certify a petition.

Gold. Upgraded. Buy real gold from $1. Store it in America. Sell it with one click.

The dispute centered on whether the campaign collected enough valid voter signatures to qualify for the statewide ballot.

Americans for Citizen Voting needed 629 valid signatures in the state’s random sample to receive a recommendation for certification.

Bureau of Elections staff reviewed a sample of 1,000 signatures and determined that 626 were valid, leaving the proposal three short of the required threshold.

The campaign challenged that determination and submitted sworn affidavits from voters whose petition signatures election officials had rejected.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Organizers maintained that the affidavits established that some signatures classified as invalid had actually been provided by registered voters.

During Monday’s proceedings, the organization presented testimony from a notary who notarized affidavits submitted by petition signers.

The board considered 20 affidavits, with five ultimately becoming central to the certification dispute.

Houskamp said the affidavits deserved particular consideration because they came from voters personally attesting that they had signed the petition.

“Those affidavits meant more than all the other signatures we were fighting for,” Houskamp told the media following the meeting.

“Because those were you people, and you were stepping up to the plate.”

WATCH:

The Board of State Canvassers has a rule barring consideration of new evidence unless it is submitted at least 48 hours before a meeting.

The Democratic members cited that rule in explaining their votes against certification.

Houskamp argued that the circumstances surrounding the voter affidavits warranted different treatment.

“This was voters who had signed petitions, who were coming forward and saying, ‘You invalidated my signature. I’m coming forward to tell you that that really was my signature and that really was me on the petition,’” Houskamp said. “And so when it comes to the 48-hour rule, I think that’s different.”

The five disputed affidavits proved critical because supporters said accepting them would have increased the campaign’s sample total from 626 to 631 valid signatures.

That would have placed the initiative two signatures above the 629 needed for a certification recommendation.

The board remained divided, however, and the two Democratic members voted against certification.

Americans for Citizen Voting Chairman Paul Jacob criticized the result after the meeting, pointing to the five voters who submitted sworn affidavits.

“Even the two Democratic canvassers on the board … admitted that there are five people with sworn affidavits who are registered voters who signed our petition and we’re not getting credit,” Jacob told the media.

“And how many are we short? Three. Do the math.”

The campaign originally submitted 709,841 signatures in March, more than 260,000 above the statutory requirement of 446,198, according to the Michigan Fair Elections Institute.

The Bureau of Elections initially counted 692 valid signatures in the 1,000-signature sample.

Challenges later reduced that figure to 612.

Americans for Citizen Voting attempted to restore 149 challenged signatures, but election officials ultimately restored 14, producing the 626-signature count considered ahead of Monday’s vote.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require proof of citizenship and photo identification for voting.

It would also establish a statewide citizenship verification system and require the Michigan secretary of state to review voter rolls for noncitizens and submit annual reports to state lawmakers about those efforts.

Jacob said the organization intends to challenge the board’s decision in court.

“The people of Michigan, 700,000 plus, signed this petition,” Jacob said.

“People deserve a vote on this issue, and they’re going to get one,” he continued.

“I am more than frustrated. I am ready to continue to do battle because we’re not giving up,” Jacob said.

“You can’t cheat the people of Michigan and get away with it.”

“We’re going to be back,” he added. “We’re going to go to every court we have to go to.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate John James has supported the initiative and signed its petition.

Following Monday’s decision, James criticized the Secretary of State’s office on X and accused it of preventing voters from deciding the proposal in November.

“She is using her office to fight voter ID and suppress the voices of 700,000 Michiganders who signed the petition to put Citizens Only Voting on the ballot this November,” James wrote.

🚨 Multiple foreign nationals have voted in Michigan elections.

This is not a conspiracy theory.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has acknowledged that noncitizens have voted.

Now she is using her office to fight voter ID and suppress the voices of 700,000 Michiganders who…

— John James (@JohnJamesMI) August 24, 2026

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor, has opposed proof-of-citizenship and photo-identification voting requirements at both the state and federal levels while overseeing the state’s election system.

The Michigan Fair Elections Institute had warned before Monday’s meeting that the campaign was running out of time to qualify for the November ballot.

The Board of State Canvassers meeting represented the only scheduled opportunity to secure certification through the ordinary process, while Sept. 4 is the deadline for final certification of the ballot summary, according to the institute.

Jacob said the campaign would now turn to the courts.

“Look, all we can do is have faith in God and do the right stuff,” Jacob said.

“We’re going to go to that court and we’re going to hope that they do the right thing.”

Without a court ruling reversing the Board of State Canvassers’ decision, the Americans for Citizen Voting constitutional amendment will not appear on Michigan’s Nov. 3 statewide ballot.

Gold is the oldest answer. SoundMoney makes owning it as easy as the apps you already use.