The Republican National Committee (RNC) sued Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Wednesday in an effort to address the swing state’s voter register rolls, according to a press release.
The RNC’s lawsuit alleges that the state is failing to abide by the National Voter Registration Act’s (NVRA) requirement that voter rolls must keep “clean and accurate voter registration records.” Under the NVRA, states must make a “reasonable effort” to remove people who are ineligible to vote from their voter rolls as a part of their duty to maintain a “general voter registration list maintenance program.”
“Election integrity starts with clean voter rolls, and that’s why the National Voter Registration Act requires state officials to keep their rolls accurate and up-to-date. Jocelyn Benson has failed to follow the NVRA, leaving Michigan with inflated and inaccurate voter rolls ahead of the 2024 election. The RNC is filing this key lawsuit because Michigan voters deserve clean voter rolls and confidence in their elections,” Michael Whatley, chairman of the RNC, said in the press release.
WASHINGTON, DC: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, testify during a hearing before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on “Administration of Upcoming Elections.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The party is alleging that under its analysis more than 90% of Michigan’s counties have “inflated voter rolls,” the lawsuit shows. Of those counties, 53 allegedly have more active registered voters than adult citizens over the age of 18.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: Jocelyn Benson at the SiriusXM Business Radio Broadcasts “Beyond The Game: Tackling Race” From Wharton San Francisco on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The RNC sent a warning to Benson in December 2023, demanding that she fix the alleged problems they identified, a press release states.
US Vice President Kamala Harris holds a listening session about voting rights with Michigan State Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and community advocates in Detroit, Michigan on July 12, 2021. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Benson responded to the lawsuit in a statement to the Daily Caller, saying that election officials have “done more in the last five years than was done in the previous two decades to remove deceased voters and ineligible citizens from our voting rolls and ensure their accuracy.” The state of Michigan, according to Benson, has removed at least 700,000 voters from the voter rolls since she began her tenure. Another half million will be removed if they do not vote in the 2024 general election, Benson told the Daily Caller.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Jocelyn Benson attends The Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports at New York Historical Society on October 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Women’s Sports Foundation)
“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. Shame on anyone who abuses the legal process to sow seeds of doubt in our democracy,” Benson told the Daily Caller.
A voter casts their ballot in the Michigan primary election at Oakman Elementary School on February 27, 2024 in Dearborn, Michigan. The Michigan Democratic and Republican parties held their primary elections today. Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley has vowed to stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday on March 5. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
After being determined the Republican presidential nominee for the 2024 election, former President Donald Trump’s team has shaken up the leadership at the RNC. After former party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel resigned from her post, RNC members elected Whatley as chairman and the former president’s daughter-in-law Laura Trump as co-chair. Senior Trump adviser Chris LaCivita is now in charge of the committee’s operations. (RELATED: ‘I’m Sure She’s A Nice Lady’: RNC Scrambles To Defense Of Ronna McDaniel After Viral Vivek Call-Out)
US President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Citizens Medal to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, during a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2023. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“Thank you to the 168 members of the RNC and President Trump for entrusting me to serve as RNC Chairman,” Whatley tweeted shortly after being elected. “We are already well on our way to making Joe Biden a one-term President, and I look forward to working with every Republican to deliver victories up and down the ballot!”