(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Republican National Committee, under new leadership, has filed a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, alleging that the state has undermined ballot security measures.
At the heart of the lawsuit is an alleged directive from Benson instructing local election officials to presume the validity of signatures on absentee ballots.
These alleged instructions directly contradict the Michigan Constitution and a prior court order that upheld the requirement that signatures must match those on file.
This week, a Republican National Committee-led coalition filed an election integrity lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for secretly attempting to circumvent Michigan’s absentee voting safeguards.
— GOP (@GOP) March 29, 2024
“Michigan’s State Constitution is very clear: election officials have to verify the identity of voters casting absentee ballots,” stated RNC Chairman Michael Whatley in a press release.
Whatley further remarked, “Jocelyn Benson is yet again working to undermine election integrity by secretly instructing officials to disregard and circumvent these clear requirements. The RNC is suing Benson because Michiganders deserve election integrity, not underhanded Democrat schemes.”
The RNC alleged that Benson issued the directive regarding ballot validity through unofficial channels, seemingly away from public scrutiny. This directive was issued before the 2024 primaries.
“The Secretary’s instructions are unlawful now for the same reason they were unlawful three years ago: they were not adopted in accordance with Michigan’s Administrative Procedure Act,” the RNC wrote in a statement posted on its website.
State Court of Claims Judge Christopher Murray ruled that Benson’s 2021 guidance to state clerks before the 2020 presidential election was “invalid,” as reported by the Detroit News.
“The presumption is found nowhere in state law,” Murray wrote. “The mandatory presumption goes beyond the realm of mere advice and direction, and instead is a substantive directive that adds to the pertinent signature-matching standards.”
The lawsuit is being led by the RNC with the assistance of the Michigan GOP and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
