There are several elements to Proposal 2, a voting-focused ballot measure that Michigan voters will be asked to consider in the November midterm election. But one thing Proposal 2 won’t do? Abolish a voter identification requirement established by state lawmakers years ago.
But some Michiganders, including Ted Nugent, a politically conservative rock musician who has more than 3.5 million followers on Facebook, have shared misleading claims about the proposal on social media.
"For all of you Michiganders. " Nugent wrote in a Sept. 20 post. "Instead of listening to the vast majority of Michiganders supporting common sense election reforms like requiring a photo ID to vote, the soulless left decided to put a Constitutional Amendment on our ballot this fall."
Nugent — who MLive reported is a member of the far-right Oath Keepers, a militia group with ties to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — continued, claiming the proposal would threaten Michigan election security.
"What does Proposal 2 do?" Nugent asked. "It will permanently put in the Constitution that you NEVER have to show an ID to vote ever again."
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
That misrepresents what the proposal would do. Instead, it would enshrine Michigan’s current requirements to show voter identification into the state constitution.
Nugent’s claim about the voter ID element of Proposal 2 misleads by ignoring Michigan’s existing voter identification requirements.
If Proposal 2 passed, it would, among other things: require nine days of early in-person voting; require at least one ballot drop box per municipality or one per 15,000 voters in larger municipalities; allow municipalities to use publicly disclosed donations to help administer elections; and require state-funded postage for absentee ballots.
How would Proposal 2 impact voter ID requirements?
Tyrone Washington shows a mailer reminding voters they must present a valid photo ID to vote at the New St. Paul Tabernacle in Detroit, Nov. 6, 2007. Michigan voters were being asked to either show photo identification or sign a short affidavit for the first time. (AP)
Voters in Michigan have been required to show picture identification or sign an affidavit verifying their identity since 2007. An affidavit is a sworn written statement that asserts certain facts — in this case, that someone’s identification details are true, under penalty of perjury.
"After checking the ePollbook to verify that the voter is registered to vote in the precinct, ask the voter to show one of the forms of photo identification listed below to verify the voter’s identity," reads the state’s Election Officials’ Manual. "Be sure to ask all voters for picture ID."
The instructions continue: "If the voter states that he or she has picture identification but did not bring it to the polls or if the voter states that he or she does not possess one of the acceptable forms of picture identification, the voter can vote by signing the ‘Affidavit of Voter Not in Possession of Picture Identification.’"
A voter who claims to have picture identification but refuses to show it cannot be issued a ballot until they show it and should be referred to the local clerk."
