In a significant legal move, the Republican National Committee (RNC) initiated a lawsuit against Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, on Wednesday. The suit, lodged in a federal court, seeks to compel state election officials to streamline Michigan’s voter registration lists. This action underscores a growing concern over the maintenance of accurate and current voter rolls, a requirement stipulated by the National Voter Registration Act.
This lawsuit emerges in the wake of a leadership shift within the RNC, closely aligned with Trump’s allies, setting the stage for the 2024 election. The legal challenge highlights an alarming discrepancy: over 53 counties in Michigan reportedly have a higher number of active registered voters than the total adult population over 18 years of age. Additionally, 23 counties show voter registration rates surpassing 90% of their adult population, a statistic significantly above both national and state averages in recent elections.
The foundation of America’s voter registration system prioritizes enrollment over deregistration, often resulting in outdated entries due to voters not updating their status after relocating. Despite federal mandates requiring regular updates to the voter rolls, these laws also safeguard against premature removal of voters, ensuring that individuals are not unjustly purged from the system.
Secretary Benson responded to the lawsuit, emphasizing the strides made in the past five years to cleanse the voter rolls of deceased and ineligible voters, surpassing efforts of the preceding two decades. She highlighted the removal of over 700,000 voters from the rolls since her tenure began, with plans to deregister an additional half million should they not participate in the upcoming general election.
Benson criticized the lawsuit as a baseless public relations stunt, aimed at undermining public confidence in the electoral process. This legal challenge comes amid a broader context of Republican activists engaging in personal challenges to voter eligibility and the development of tools intended to detect fraud.
The controversy extends to the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a bipartisan initiative facilitating interstate data sharing for voter roll accuracy. However, conspiracy theories have led to the withdrawal of nine Republican-led states, compromising the initiative’s effectiveness.
The RNC’s lawsuit signifies a strategic focus on voter rolls in their broader election law agenda, especially in pivotal states like Michigan. Coinciding with this legal action, the RNC announced the recruitment of two election lawyers, Charlie Spies and Christina Bobb, known for their advocacy of election integrity and reform.
Spies, addressing conservative activists, emphasized the inevitability of early voting and advocated for system reforms to bolster Republican confidence and participation in the electoral process. This legal and strategic maneuvering by the RNC reflects a concerted effort to shape the landscape of election law and voter registration integrity ahead of the 2024 elections.