Michigan officials are reacting to President Donald Trump’s executive order overhauling how U.S. elections are administered, including requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Signed Tuesday, the directive orders the federal Election Assistance Commission, which distributes grants to states, to start requiring proof of citizenship for those registering to vote within 30 days or face a cutoff in funds.
“If the election denier-in chief tries to interfere with any citizen’s right to vote, with this or any other action, we’ll see him in court,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat who is running for governor in 2026.
The order aligns with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE, that has been a priority for House Republicans to pass and is the latest salvo in Trump‘s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen due to voter fraud, specifically alleging without evidence that widespread noncitizen voting is occurring in federal elections.
Also condemning the order is Common Cause Michigan, a nonpartisan pro-democracy watchdog group, which encouraged state lawmakers to reassert their right to control Michigan elections.
“A president does not set election law for Michigan and never will. Trump’s executive action is just another transparent attempt to enact baseless voter suppression here in Michigan. Whether it is the block the ballot resolution Michigan Republicans are advancing or this executive order, voter suppression is unwelcome in Michigan, and we will fight it tooth and nail,” said Quentin Turner, Common Cause Michigan Executive Director.
Trump’s order follows a similar attempt by GOP legislators in Michigan who introduced House Joint Resolution B in late January, which House Democrats condemned as a de facto poll tax.
That critique was echoed by Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie, a Democrat who is running to replace Benson as Secretary of State.
“Trump is attempting to implement the SAVE Act, via executive fiat, rather than through the legislative process. This is a modern day poll tax as this would impose a cost to vote, because the required documents are usually not free,” posted Edevbie.
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