{"id":2358418,"date":"2024-10-23T13:41:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T17:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/courts-say-people-who-never-lived-in-mi-nc-can-vote-there-anyway\/"},"modified":"2024-10-23T13:46:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T17:46:24","slug":"courts-say-people-who-never-lived-in-mi-nc-can-vote-there-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/courts-say-people-who-never-lived-in-mi-nc-can-vote-there-anyway\/","title":{"rendered":"Courts Say People Who Never Lived In MI, NC Can Vote There Anyway"},"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\">26<\/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%2Fcourts-say-people-who-never-lived-in-mi-nc-can-vote-there-anyway%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=2358418&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>On Monday, courts in Michigan \u2062and North Carolina dismissed separate lawsuits brought \u200dby the Republican National Committee (RNC), which aimed\u2064 to restrict voting to individuals who have resided \u2062in \u200bthose \u2064states. \u200cThe lawsuits challenged how \u2062each state applies the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), claiming violations of state constitutions by allowing\u200d overseas voters\u2014with no prior residency in the states\u2014to participate in elections.<\/p>\n<p>In Michigan, the case revolved around guidelines from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson&#8217;s Election Officials Manual, which permits citizens with familial ties\u2062 to Michigan to vote even if they have never\u2064 lived there. Judge Sima Patel ruled the challenge too \u2064late\u2062 and stated that the\u200c guidelines \u2063align with \u2064both federal and state law. <\/p>\n<p>Similarly, in North Carolina, Superior Court Judge John \u200bSmith rejected a request to prevent the application \u2063of the state\u2019s Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA), reaffirming the statute&#8217;s longstanding acceptance since its bipartisan adoption in 2011. <\/p>\n<p>Both rulings appear \u2064to echo previous litigation surrounding the 2020 election, where Republican challenges were often dismissed\u2063 on technical grounds. Notably, a significant portion of\u200d those voting under UOCAVA are non-military\u200b and have been leaning Democratic.  <\/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<div>\n<p>Courts in Michigan and North Carolina on Monday rejected separate lawsuits from the Republican National Committee that sought to ensure only individuals who have actually stepped foot in the states can participate in elections there.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/10\/lawsuits-letting-people-who-never-lived-there-vote-in-north-carolina-michigan-violates-state-constitutions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuits<\/a>, both brought in part by the RNC, took &ldquo;issue with how the states apply the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which requires states to allow certain overseas citizens &hellip; to register and vote absentee,&rdquo; as The Federalist previously reported. The lawsuits alleged that election officials in the states are <a href=\"https:\/\/gop.com\/press-release\/rnc-sues-to-stop-illegal-voting-from-overseas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">violating<\/a> their respective constitutions by opening the door for individuals who have never resided in these states to vote there.<\/p>\n<p>In the Michigan case, plaintiffs, including the RNC and the state GOP, specifically challenged what they alleged to be &ldquo;unlawful instruction&rdquo; from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson&rsquo;s Election Officials Manual which <a href=\"https:\/\/prod-static.gop.com\/media\/documents\/20241008_Sums_Cmplnt_1728485572.pdf?_gl=1*oqybg8*_gcl_au*MTExNjAyOTQ3OC4xNzI4NTA3OTk5&amp;_ga=2.211829908.1041191558.1728507999-19585057.1728507999\">says<\/a> that &ldquo;a United States citizen&nbsp;who has never resided in the United States&nbsp;but who has a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who was last domiciled in Michigan&rdquo; to vote in the state &ldquo;as long as the citizen has not registered or voted in another state.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>In her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.michigan.gov\/4aa11f\/siteassets\/case-documents\/opinions-orders\/coc-opinions-(manually-curated)\/2024\/24-000165-mz.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> on this case, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel essentially argued that plaintiffs filed the suit too late. Patel sided with, as she referred to them, the already &ldquo;busy&rdquo; election official defendants, suggesting they should not be expected to &ldquo;create an entirely new process&rdquo; to separate ballots &ldquo;issued to members of the subject group who have<br \/>never resided in Michigan and remove them before tabulation&rdquo; in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>Patel also ruled that the &ldquo;challenged language&rdquo; in Benson&rsquo;s guidance is &ldquo;consistent with federal and state law, and the Michigan Constitution,&rdquo; despite plaintiffs&rsquo; claim that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/Laws\/MCL?objectName=mcl-Article-II-1#:~:text=1.,otherwise%20provided%20in%20this%20constitution.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Article 2 Section 1<\/a> of the &ldquo;Michigan Constitution allows Michigan residents&mdash;and <em>only<\/em> Michigan residents&mdash;to vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The story is similar in North Carolina, where Superior Court Judge John Smith <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-10-21-Order-denying-Republican-plaintiffs-motion-for-preliminary-injunction.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">denied a request<\/a> for an injunction of North Carolina&rsquo;s Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA), which plaintiffs, once again including the RNC and the state GOP, argued is being used to allow those who have never lived in North Carolina (or who may have never lived in the U.S.) to participate in the state&rsquo;s elections. <\/p>\n<p>In his opinion, Smith appeared to rule in favor of maintaining the &ldquo;status quo,&rdquo; despite the lawsuit&rsquo;s effort to ensure that only North Carolinians who have actually lived in the state can cast ballots there.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That statute has been on the books at least since 2011 as a bill adopted with bi-partisan support &hellip; and has not been challenged until the filing of this complaint and motion,&rdquo; Smith wrote. &ldquo;Both the Plaintiffs and the Defendants have been involved in elections under the existing statute since its passage without complaint.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Plaintiffs have failed to show that the issuance of a preliminary injunction is necessary to maintain a <em>status quo<\/em> during this litigation since the effect of the relief sought by way of a mandatory injunction would in fact change the <em>status quo<\/em> which has been in place since at least 2011,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2-proud-boys-jailed-with-no-release-conditions-until-trial-for-alleged-role-in-capitol-breach\/\" title=\"2 \u2018Proud Boys\u2019 Jailed With No Release Conditions Until Trial For Alleged Role In Capitol Breach\">judge added<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The decisions from the judges appear <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/03\/11\/courts-repeatedly-refused-to-consider-trumps-election-claims-on-the-merits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reminiscent<\/a> of litigation surrounding the 2020 election, where <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">courts repeatedly stonewalled challenges brought<\/a> by Donald Trump and other Republicans. At least one challenge brought before the election that year was dismissed under the pretense that no harm had been done because the election had not yet been completed. Other challenges brought after the election were then essentially ruled as moot or dismissed due to technicalities.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of UOCAVA voters are reportedly non-military and &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/10\/17\/politics\/overseas-voters-lawsuits-democrats-republicans\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">have become very favorable for Democrats<\/a>,&rdquo; according to CNN. Early absentee ballots cast in North Carolina included 12,333 overseas ballots and 3,265 military ballots, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/dl.ncsbe.gov\/Press\/2024%20General\/NC%20Absentee%20Stats%20for%202024%20General\/2024-10-23%20Daily%20Absentee%20Stats%20Report%20-%202024%20General.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">data<\/a> from the North Carolina State Board of Elections published Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>In August, the DNC announced a &ldquo;six-figure investment&rdquo; to help &ldquo;fund &hellip; efforts to win the votes&rdquo; of <a href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/dnc-announces-innovative-six-figure-investment-in-democrats-abroad-to-ensure-engagement-of-key-voters-living-outside-u-s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">millions<\/a> of Americans &ldquo;living or serving outside of the United States.&rdquo; The overseas vote could potentially make the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/09\/21\/overseas-voters-election-dnc-rnc-00180366\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">difference<\/a> in swing states this November amid an already tight race.<\/p>\n<p>Concerns have also been raised regarding the overall security of overseas voting. Another UOCAVA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-09-30-Complaint-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> brought by Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania argues that either Secretary of State <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/al-schmidt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Al Schmidt<\/a> or Deputy Secretary for Elections Johnathan Marks (or both of them) have issued guidance &ldquo;to exempt UOCAVA applicants entirely from any verification requirements.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Breccan F. Thies is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pa-court-rules-improperly-dated-mail-ballots-must-be-counted\/\" title=\"PA Court Rules Improperly Dated Mail Ballots Must Be Counted\">previously covered education<\/a> and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Courts in Michigan and North Carolina dismissed RNC lawsuits aimed at restricting voting to state residents only<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2358419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-15-at-9.20.53-PM.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[33739,39490,32570],"class_list":["post-2358418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-election-law","tag-legal-rulings","tag-voting-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-15-at-9.20.53-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358418","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\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2358418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2358418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2358419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2358418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2358418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2358418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}