The Republican National Committee is suing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, alleging that state election law and guidance from her office violate the state Constitution by allowing non-Michigan residents to vote in elections.
“Individuals who have never lived in the United States, let alone Michigan, should not have a say in Michigan’s elections,” RNC Chair Joe Gruters said in a Nov. 21 statement. “Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is ignoring the Michigan Constitution by allowing people who don’t live in Michigan to vote in Michigan. That’s why the RNC is fighting to ensure only lawful votes count.”
The suit brought by the RNC targets those who haven’t lived in the state but are the spouses of military and overseas Michigan voters and children born to residents of the state.
Lawyers for the RNC say provisions around overseas absentee voting in state law, further defined by the state’s elections manual, allow these individuals to vote in Michigan elections despite never having lived in the state.
RNC lawyers say this is unconstitutional, as the state Constitution requires a voter to have lived in the state for at least six months, though lawmakers can reduce this requirement or waive it for former residents.
Benson spokesperson Angela Benander called the lawsuit the latest attempt by the RNC to “spread distrust in Michigan’s secure and fair elections.”
