Photo ID in Michigan

by Jon Greenbaum

July 20, 2006: Michigan's photo ID law was originally passed in 1996 but was never enforced, since the Attorney General of Michigan at that time concluded that the legislation was unconstitutional. The legislature then passed the bill again in 2005 and asked the Michigan Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the new law. The Lawyers' Committee and AARP filed an amicus brief in the Michigan State Supreme Court on July 20, 2006, asking the court to find Michigan's photo ID law in violation of the state Constitution as well as the United States Constitution. Under this law, voters without ID (totaling over 370,000 voters in Michigan) are subject to challenges at the polls, which are often applied in a arbitrary and sometimes discriminatory manner.

Read our Michigan amicus brief here.