{"id":2357889,"date":"2024-10-22T10:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T14:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judges-in-michigan-and-north-carolina-reject-gop-challenge-to-overseas-ballots-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-22T11:03:25","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T15:03:25","slug":"judges-in-michigan-and-north-carolina-reject-gop-challenge-to-overseas-ballots-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judges-in-michigan-and-north-carolina-reject-gop-challenge-to-overseas-ballots-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judges in Michigan and North Carolina reject GOP challenge to overseas ballots &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudges-in-michigan-and-north-carolina-reject-gop-challenge-to-overseas-ballots-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2357889&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Judges in\u2063 Michigan and North\u200b Carolina have dismissed challenges from the Republican National Committee (RNC)\u200c regarding overseas ballots. The\u200b RNC \u200cargued that U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/imf-demands-el-salvador-give-up-on-bitcoin\/\" title=\"IMF Demands El Salvador Give Up on Bitcoin\">citizens living abroad<\/a> who have never \u200dresided in the\u2064 states where they wish to vote should be barred from participating in \u2062elections. However, the courts \u2064ruled against the RNC&#8217;s lawsuits, emphasizing that both Michigan and North Carolina have established rules allowing overseas voters\u2014particularly\u200d military members \u2062and their families\u2014to cast ballots. <\/p>\n<p>In Michigan, Judge Sima Patel\u200d criticized the timing of the \u2063RNC&#8217;s lawsuit as an attempt to disenfranchise eligible voters who are connected to the\u2062 state. \u200cShe stressed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-elections-officials-ignoring-directive-on-noncitizen-id-training\/\" title=\"Ohio Elections Officials Ignoring Directive On Noncitizen ID Training\">federal law mandates states<\/a> to accommodate military \u2062and overseas voters and their dependents. Likewise, in North Carolina, \u2062Judge\u200d John\u200b W. Smith rejected the\u200c RNC\u2019s \u2063request, noting the absence\u2062 of evidence supporting claims of fraudulent voting. He highlighted that\u2064 the voting rules in question had bipartisan support since their enactment in 2011 and\u2063 had been consistently applied without\u2062 issue.<\/p>\n<p>The decisions underscore the ongoing legal battles \u200cregarding voter eligibility and election integrity, particularly for overseas \u200bballots,\u200d as the number of \u2062civilian voters \u2063abroad\u2063 surpasses\u200b military voters. Despite\u2062 claims from\u200b some GOP\u2064 figures, including former President Donald Trump, that such legal challenges are \u200cvital for election integrity, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">recent court rulings reaffirm existing voting rights<\/a> for overseas individuals.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judges in Michigan and North Carolina reject GOP challenge to overseas ballots<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1841715\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Judges in two battleground states rejected lawsuits from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rnc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republican National Committee <\/a>challenging some overseas ballots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The GOP made similar cases in both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Michigan<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>North Carolina<\/a>, arguing that U.S. citizens who live overseas but have not resided in the state they would be voting in should not be allowed to vote. Both lawsuits were rejected in the states.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For years, Michigan has allowed eligible residents, uniformed service members, and other citizens living outside the United States to vote in federal elections, which is required by federal law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Information on the matter from Michigan&rsquo;s secretary of state says, &ldquo;A United States citizen who has never resided in the United States but who has a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who was last domiciled in Michigan is eligible to vote in Michigan as long as the citizen has not registered or voted in another state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Judge Sima Patel of Michigan&rsquo;s Court of Claims said the RNC filed the lawsuit too late, calling it an &ldquo;11th-hour attempt to disenfranchise&rdquo; spouses and children of former Michigan residents who now live abroad.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/auditors-oregon-state-government-has-compliance-problems-some-a-decade-old\/\" title=\"Auditors report ongoing compliance issues within Oregon state government, some persisting for over ten years\">federal government requires states<\/a> to permit absent uniformed services and overseas voters, as well as their spouses and dependents, to apply for and vote,&rdquo; Patel wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Michigan officials said they had received about 16,000 requests for overseas ballots.<\/p>\n<p>In North Carolina, the RNC&rsquo;s request for an emergency court order to require election officials to set aside ballots from overseas voters who had not lived in the state was denied by Wake County Superior Court Judge John W. Smith.<\/p>\n<p>Smith said there was &ldquo;absolutely no evidence that any person has ever fraudulently claimed that exemption and actually voted in any North Carolina election.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He noted that the election rule the RNC challenged &ldquo;has been on the books at least since 2011 as a bill adopted with bi-partisan support,&rdquo; adding that both sides of this lawsuit &ldquo;have been involved in elections under the existing statute since its passage without complaint.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Civilian voters abroad began outnumbering the number of military voters overseas starting in 2016, but the military vote has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/10\/26\/poll-trump-backed-by-majority-of-veterans-but-not-younger-ones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>trending<\/a> less Republican in recent elections.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump and his GOP allies <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113187829420592812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>claimed<\/a> these cases were essential to securing election integrity this year.<\/p>\n<p>A similar federal lawsuit was <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/defense\/4934110-republicans-obstruct-voting-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>brought<\/a> by GOP Pennsylvania Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, Dan Meuser, Glenn Thompson, Lloyd Smucker, Mike Kelly, and Scott Perry, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/01\/07\/us\/elections\/electoral-college-biden-objectors.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>all six <\/a>of whom did not vote to certify the results of the 2020 election. Legal experts believe it will turn out similarly to Michigan and North Carolina as this issue was filed after state officials began sending out ballots to overseas voters. A ruling is expected soon.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Louis Caldera, a former secretary of the Army, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/defense\/4940077-military-voters-see-direct-attack-from-gop-election-challenges\/\">told<\/a> the<em> Hill <\/em>that the lawsuits send &ldquo;completely the wrong message&rdquo; to military voters with a lengthy voting registration process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There has not been a problem. No one can point to any case of a military member voting who was not entitled to vote,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very disturbing.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1841715\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1841715\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judges in Michigan and North Carolina dismiss GOP lawsuits on overseas ballots<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2910,"featured_media":2357891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP24243716363479.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[6203,7580,4601,32258,40294],"class_list":["post-2357889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-gop","tag-judges","tag-michigan","tag-north-carolina","tag-overseas-ballots"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/AP24243716363479.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2910"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2357889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2357891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}