Legal Battle Over Michigan Voter Roll Raises Election Integrity Questions

Roll of "I Voted" stickers on table.

Michigan’s voter rolls are under scrutiny as the Republican National Committee (RNC) takes legal action, claiming inflated registration numbers that surpass the state’s eligible voter count.

At a Glance

  • Michigan has over 8.4 million registered voters, exceeding the number of eligible residents
  • The RNC claims 53 counties have voter registration rates of 100% or higher
  • Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson dismisses allegations, citing ongoing list maintenance
  • Critics argue inflated rolls could lead to misallocation of resources and potential fraud
  • No evidence of voter fraud due to improper voting has been found

RNC Takes Legal Action Over Michigan Voter Rolls

The Republican National Committee has launched a legal battle against Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, alleging that the state’s voter rolls are grossly inflated. This action is part of a broader nationwide effort by the RNC, which has filed election-related lawsuits in nearly half of the U.S. states, focusing on voter ID rules, mail ballots, and voter roll maintenance.

The crux of the RNC’s argument lies in the discrepancy between Michigan’s registered voter count and its eligible voting population. With over 8.4 million registered voters in a state with fewer than 8 million eligible residents, the RNC claims this indicates poor voter list maintenance and potential vulnerabilities in the electoral system.

County-Level Discrepancies Raise Concerns

The lawsuit filed by the RNC points to alarming statistics at the county level. According to their claims, 78 out of 83 Michigan counties have more registered voters than eligible voting-age residents. This includes major population centers like Wayne County, Michigan’s largest, which reportedly has 1.4 million registered voters but only 1.3 million eligible residents.

“These voter registration rates are abnormally or, in the case of counties with greater than 100% registration, impossibly high,” according to attorneys for the RNC.

Similarly, Genessee County presents a stark contrast with 351,000 registered voters but fewer than 300,000 eligible residents. These discrepancies, the RNC argues, could lead to misallocation of resources for voter outreach efforts and increase the risk of ineligible or fraudulent voting.

Secretary of State Benson’s Response

In response to these allegations, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, is seeking to dismiss the RNC’s lawsuit. Her office claims to have removed 800,000 people from voter rolls since 2019, with plans to remove another 360,000 by 2025. Benson’s team argues that they are employing “rigorous list maintenance practices” to keep the voter rolls accurate.

“The RNC and its members are concerned that defendants’ failure to comply with the NVRA’s voter-list maintenance obligations undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for ineligible voters or voters intent on fraud to cast ballots, ” per language found in the RNC’s lawsuit.

Benson’s office acknowledges the presence of 606,800 inactive voters on the rolls but states that these individuals cannot be removed until 2027, in compliance with federal law. Inactive voters include those who have moved, have undeliverable mail, or haven’t voted in two consecutive federal elections.

Implications for Election Integrity

The debate over Michigan’s voter rolls raises significant questions about election integrity and resource allocation. The RNC argues that inaccurate voter lists lead to inefficient use of campaign resources and could potentially open the door to fraudulent voting. However, it’s important to note that no evidence of voter fraud due to improper voting has been found, and safeguards like ballot signature matching are in place.

RNC’s lawsuit further says that, “If voter registration lists include names of voters who should no longer be on the list, the RNC may spend more resources on mailers, knocking on doors, and otherwise trying to contact voters, or it may misallocate its scarce resources among different jurisdictions.”

As the 2024 election approaches, the outcome of this legal battle could have far-reaching consequences for how states maintain their voter rolls and conduct elections. It underscores the ongoing tension between ensuring ballot access for all eligible voters and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

Sources:

  1. https://apnews.com/article/rnc-trump-lawsuits-2024-election-voter-rolls-c7d8943dcac776103d948532f62f2a5c
  2. https://gazette.com/news/wex/michigan-s-inflated-voter-rolls-draw-scrutiny-as-election-looms/article_e9d25e90-0d0c-57cd-a074-24fbb44d6e70.html
  3. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/michigan-voter-rolls-claim-84m-voters-when-there-are-less-8m-eligible-residents