LANSING — Republicans who control the Michigan Senate passed contentious legislation Wednesday that would mandate a photo ID to vote in person and add identity requirements for people who want to vote by mail.

The bills, which were sent to the GOP-led House on party-line 19-16 votes, are among a wave of Republican-sponsored measures to tighten voting rules in various states. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will veto the bills if they reach her desk, but the GOP could eventually sidestep her with a maneuver that lets the Legislature enact citizen-initiated ballot proposals.

Michigan voters without a photo ID now can sign an affidavit and cast a ballot at their polling place. More than 11,400 of nearly 5.6 million voters did that in the November election. Under the legislation, they would instead vote a provisional ballot and have to either verify their voter registration or their identity and residence within six days for it to count. Voters currently seeking an absentee ballot by mail or at an election clerk’s office must sign the application, and the signature is matched to the voter file. The legislation would require applicants to include a copy of their photo ID, their driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Those who do not would get a provisional ballot.

Republicans said the bills would ensure election integrity and security, contending the system became more vulnerable following a 2018 voter-approved constitutional amendment that expanded absentee voting and allowed same-day registration. Nearly 3.3 million people — a record — voted absentee in November amid the coronavirus pandemic. Democrats denounced the legislation, which is opposed by clerks and voting-rights advocates, as a “poll tax” and said it would suppress the vote by making it harder to participate, particularly for seniors and low-income residents. They also raised identity theft concerns.