Some Michigan Republicans are raising alarms after a video posted online appeared to show a non-U.S. citizen was on the state's voter roll.
The video came from James O’Keefe, a conservative pundit known for posting highly edited hidden-camera videos online.
In the new video, a person seems to pose as a noncitizen while asking a Michigan poll worker to confirm his voter registration. The person filming indicates he has a criminal record and has previously been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the video shows the person who appears to be a poll worker saying, "if your name is here, you can vote."
State Representative Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) chairs the Michigan House Election Integrity Committee. She said the purported noncitizen’s criminal record and previous ICE arrest should have raised alarms.
“I think we need answers on that. How was he on the rolls, how was he not removed?” Smit said during a press conference in Lansing on Wednesday.
For its part, the Michigan Department of State is warning to not take the video’s claims as fact without further review.
“Groups like this have a history of manufacturing shock videos that turn out to be false once the facts come to light. That said, we take every allegation of illegal activity seriously and will review these claims to see if they are supported by evidence.
“Nothing in the video shows evidence of people voting illegally in Michigan. In fact, the only thing this video seems to show is an 'investigative reporter' claiming to be somebody else during an election. In-person voter impersonation is a felony in Michigan,” an emailed statement from department spokesperson Angela Benander read.
The video was allegedly recorded during last week’s Michigan primary election. The U.S. Department of Justice sent federal observers to Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing, and East Lansing to monitor polling places.
Few issues came to light during their visit. But state Representative Gina Johnsen (R-Portland) said she would still like more federal oversight of Michigan’s voter rolls and elections in general.
“These allegations must be fully investigated, and Michigan should cooperate with federal authorities to identify and close any gaps in our safeguards,” Johnsen said.
The Republicans speaking at Wednesday's news conference framed the claims as a reason to tighten Michigan’s voter ID laws. They’re supporting a proposed amendment to the state constitution that could go before votes in November.
The policy would require a photo ID to register to vote, rather than checking a box affirming citizenship under the threat of perjury. People without photo IDs at the polls also wouldn’t have their vote counted without presenting their ID within six days after an election.
Michigan Republican Party co-chair Sunny Reddy said that won’t make voting harder.
“We can have secure elections and accessible elections. Every eligible citizen should be able to vote. Every legal ballot should be counted. And only those legally eligible to vote should participate in our elections,” Reddy said.
Critics of the proposal say it could lead to people being wrongly denied their right to vote, and that noncitizen voting is extremely rare and already a felony.
