We're constantly assured by both the Democrats and the establishment media that the voting system in the United States of America is safe, secure and well-maintained. In fact, it's a bit too safe, secure and well-maintained for their liking; they would prefer that there was more mail-in voting and less voter ID requirements and voter-roll maintenance.
It's contingent upon the Republicans to shock American voters back into the reality of the matter: Voting in the U.S. is far too messy and needs to be cleaned up. A lawsuit in one of the biggest swing states in the 2024 election highlights just how bad the problem is.
According to The Hill, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit last week against Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson alleging that the state had been remiss in keeping up with who should be voting where.
"At least 53 Michigan counties have more active registered voters than they have adult citizens who are over the age of 18. That number of voters is impossibly high," the lawsuit said.
"An additional 23 counties have active-voter registration rates that exceed 90 percent of adult citizens over the age of 18. That figure far eclipses the national and statewide voter registration rate in recent elections."
By not actively keeping up with the voter rolls, the suit said, Michigan officials have violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
"Section 8 of the NVRA contains requirements with respect to the administration of voter registration by States and requires States to implement procedures to maintain accurate and current voter registration lists," a fact-sheet on the law from the U.S. Department of Justice said.
"Section 8 permits States to remove the name of a person from the voter registration rolls upon the request of the registrant, and, if State law so provides, for mental incapacity or for criminal conviction.
"The Act also requires States to conduct a general voter registration list maintenance program that makes a reasonable effort to remove ineligible persons from the voter rolls by reason of the person’s death, or a change in the residence of the registrant outside of the jurisdiction, in accordance with procedures set forth in the NVRA. The list maintenance program must be uniform, nondiscriminatory and in compliance with the Voting Rights Act."
The RNC said that this wasn't "the first time Michigan has failed to abide by the NVRA’s requirements." They cited a similar lawsuit against Michigan which was dismissed in 2020.
However, as the new suit noted, when that motion was filed, "Michigan had one county with registration rates in excess of 100 percent of the voting-age population, and 15 counties with rates above 90 percent."
Furthermore, it's not as if the old case didn't have positive repercussions for electoral security.
"Soon after the Court denied the motions to dismiss, the Secretary of State publicly announced that election officials would cancel the registration of 177,000 former voters who either surrendered a Michigan driver’s license to another state or had election mail returned undeliverable to an election official before the 2018 election," the suit said.
"In addition, the Bureau of Elections declared it would provide local election clerks the absentee ballot applications returned undeliverable to the Bureau for the 2020 election, and it would mail additional notifications requiring verification to voters listed as registered in other states by the Electronic Registration Information Center. Based on these representations, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case."
Since that suit, the RNC claimed, "Michigan’s voter rolls have gotten exponentially worse."
So, you naturally know what Michigan Secretary of State Benson's response was, being that she's a Democrat: This is an attack on our democracy, natch.
“Let’s call this what it is: a PR campaign masquerading as a meritless lawsuit filled with baseless accusations that seek to diminish people’s faith in the security of our elections,” Benson said in a statement, according to The Hill.
“Shame on anyone who abuses the legal process to sow seeds of doubt in our democracy.”
Yeah, shame on Republicans for pointing out the bloody obvious: Michigan, like many states, has voter rolls that are a mess and no appetite to clean them up from Democrats.
Michigan is arguably one of the biggest prizes up for grabs this November. It grants the winner 15 electoral votes and, according to the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate as of Monday morning, Donald Trump is up over Joe Biden by a 46.5 to 43.0 margin. In addition, the Cook Political Report lists several of state's seats in the House of Representatives as potentials to flip, in addition to a Democrat-held Senate seat that may be in play thanks to the retirement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Given the stakes, Michigan residents deserve honest voter rolls. The same can be said for every state, but that's doubly true when the state could determine who controls the White House and both houses of Congress. If the secretary of state isn't willing to do the housecleaning that, according to the RNC, the last lawsuit precipitated, the courts ought to force her and her state to do it. This isn't an attack on democracy, but a vital part of it.
It's contingent upon the Republicans to shock American voters back into the reality of the matter: Voting in the U.S. is far too messy and needs to be cleaned up. A lawsuit in one of the biggest swing states in the 2024 election highlights just how bad the problem is.
According to The Hill, the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit last week against Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson alleging that the state had been remiss in keeping up with who should be voting where.
"At least 53 Michigan counties have more active registered voters than they have adult citizens who are over the age of 18. That number of voters is impossibly high," the lawsuit said.
"An additional 23 counties have active-voter registration rates that exceed 90 percent of adult citizens over the age of 18. That figure far eclipses the national and statewide voter registration rate in recent elections."
By not actively keeping up with the voter rolls, the suit said, Michigan officials have violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
"Section 8 of the NVRA contains requirements with respect to the administration of voter registration by States and requires States to implement procedures to maintain accurate and current voter registration lists," a fact-sheet on the law from the U.S. Department of Justice said.
"Section 8 permits States to remove the name of a person from the voter registration rolls upon the request of the registrant, and, if State law so provides, for mental incapacity or for criminal conviction.
"The Act also requires States to conduct a general voter registration list maintenance program that makes a reasonable effort to remove ineligible persons from the voter rolls by reason of the person’s death, or a change in the residence of the registrant outside of the jurisdiction, in accordance with procedures set forth in the NVRA. The list maintenance program must be uniform, nondiscriminatory and in compliance with the Voting Rights Act."
The RNC said that this wasn't "the first time Michigan has failed to abide by the NVRA’s requirements." They cited a similar lawsuit against Michigan which was dismissed in 2020.
However, as the new suit noted, when that motion was filed, "Michigan had one county with registration rates in excess of 100 percent of the voting-age population, and 15 counties with rates above 90 percent."
Furthermore, it's not as if the old case didn't have positive repercussions for electoral security.
"Soon after the Court denied the motions to dismiss, the Secretary of State publicly announced that election officials would cancel the registration of 177,000 former voters who either surrendered a Michigan driver’s license to another state or had election mail returned undeliverable to an election official before the 2018 election," the suit said.
"In addition, the Bureau of Elections declared it would provide local election clerks the absentee ballot applications returned undeliverable to the Bureau for the 2020 election, and it would mail additional notifications requiring verification to voters listed as registered in other states by the Electronic Registration Information Center. Based on these representations, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case."
Since that suit, the RNC claimed, "Michigan’s voter rolls have gotten exponentially worse."
So, you naturally know what Michigan Secretary of State Benson's response was, being that she's a Democrat: This is an attack on our democracy, natch.
“Let’s call this what it is: a PR campaign masquerading as a meritless lawsuit filled with baseless accusations that seek to diminish people’s faith in the security of our elections,” Benson said in a statement, according to The Hill.
“Shame on anyone who abuses the legal process to sow seeds of doubt in our democracy.”
Yeah, shame on Republicans for pointing out the bloody obvious: Michigan, like many states, has voter rolls that are a mess and no appetite to clean them up from Democrats.
Michigan is arguably one of the biggest prizes up for grabs this November. It grants the winner 15 electoral votes and, according to the RealClearPolitics polling aggregate as of Monday morning, Donald Trump is up over Joe Biden by a 46.5 to 43.0 margin. In addition, the Cook Political Report lists several of state's seats in the House of Representatives as potentials to flip, in addition to a Democrat-held Senate seat that may be in play thanks to the retirement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Given the stakes, Michigan residents deserve honest voter rolls. The same can be said for every state, but that's doubly true when the state could determine who controls the White House and both houses of Congress. If the secretary of state isn't willing to do the housecleaning that, according to the RNC, the last lawsuit precipitated, the courts ought to force her and her state to do it. This isn't an attack on democracy, but a vital part of it.
