Oakland County's Board of Commissioners voted 11-6 on Thursday, July 16, to formally oppose a ballot initiative that would require Michigan voters to present a photo ID, eliminating the affidavit option residents in Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township use when they lack a driver's license or state ID at the polls.
The resolution makes Oakland County the fifth county in Michigan to oppose the Americans for Citizen Voting proposal, joining Washtenaw, Wayne, Ingham, and Kalamazoo counties. Nine city or township councils have also passed formal opposition to the proposal.
The August primary is unaffected
The initiative would not change anything for the Tuesday, August 4, primary election. The proposal's petition signatures have not been certified by the Michigan Department of State's Bureau of Elections, and the measure would require voter approval before taking effect. Rochester-area voters heading to the polls on August 4 will continue to use the existing ID or affidavit process.
What the proposal would change
Under current Michigan election law (MCL 168.523), voters who cannot present a photo driver's license or state ID may sign a legal affidavit and still cast a ballot. The same applies to absentee voting. The Americans for Citizen Voting initiative would require voters to possess a photo ID and would compel the secretary of state to regularly review voter rolls and remove noncitizens.
The initiative's backers say the measure would ensure only citizens vote and bring Michigan's requirements in line with the majority of states that mandate photo identification at the polls. Americans for Citizen Voting said in early March that it had collected more than 750,000 petition signatures, above the threshold needed to place the initiative on the ballot. Those signatures had not been verified by the Bureau of Elections as of the Oakland Press's July 20 report.
Opposition voices
Kermit Williams, political director for Oakland Forward, said in a press release following the vote that the proposal would hurt eligible voters rather than improve security.
"Instead of making it harder for seniors, veterans, married women who have changed their names, and working families to participate in our elections, we should be focused on expanding access while maintaining the secure election systems Michigan voters have already endorsed," Williams said.
Christy McGillivray, executive director of Voters Not Politicians, said in a separate statement that the initiative would "directly interfere with our elections, not make them safer."
Kurt O'Keefe, one of the organizers behind Americans for Citizen Voting Michigan, did not respond to requests for comment left by voicemail and email, according to the Michigan Advance, which originally reported the story.
How to weigh in
Residents can contact the Oakland County Board of Commissioners through the Oakland County Clerk's office at 248-858-0564 or attend future board meetings at the county complex in Waterford Township.
