{"id":2514177,"date":"2025-11-24T18:28:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T23:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-election-integrity\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T18:29:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T23:29:54","slug":"rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-election-integrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-election-integrity\/","title":{"rendered":"RNC sues Michigan secretary of state over election integrity"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Frnc-sues-michigan-secretary-of-state-over-election-integrity%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=2514177&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>the Michigan Republican Party, Michigan Township clerk Cindy berry, and the Republican National committee filed a lawsuit on November 18 against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. They allege that Benson&#8217;s directive allowing individuals connected to Michigan but not residing in the state to vote in Michigan elections violates the state constitution. Specifically, Benson&#8217;s guidance permits U.S. citizens who have never lived in Michigan-and possibly never resided in the U.S.-to register and vote based on their family ties to Michigan residents, under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs argue that Benson overstepped her authority by using executive power to bypass the state legislature&#8217;s constitutional role in regulating election laws. The lawsuit seeks to block Benson&#8217;s directive and requests a court declaration that it is unlawful and unconstitutional. if Benson&#8217;s policy is upheld, Democrats could gain an electoral advantage since historically, about 80% of Americans living abroad vote Democrat.<\/p>\n<p>This case follows a previous lawsuit against Benson that challenged voting rights granted to residents living in Michigan for less than six months. That earlier suit was dismissed weeks before the 2024 presidential election on procedural grounds.The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >current lawsuit raises ongoing concerns<\/a> about election integrity and the limits of executive power in election administration in Michigan.  <\/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\">RNC sues Michigan secretary of state over election integrity<\/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\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1755222\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\">Michigan<\/a> Republican Party, Michigan Township of Chesterfield clerk Cindy Berry, and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rnc\/\">Republican National Committee<\/a> filed suit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Nov. 18 over an &ldquo;unconstitutional and unlawful&rdquo; violation of the state&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/constitution\/\">constitution<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit follows Benson&rsquo;s directive in 2024, which allowed individuals with ties to Michigan but not residing in the state to vote in the state&rsquo;s elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3897421\/james-comey-case-dismissed-trump-come-after-me-again\/\">&#8216;Trump will probably come after me again&#8217;: Comey reacts to criminal case dismissal<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3896956\/justice-department-defends-ban-associated-press-white-house-access\/\">All about access to president: DOJ defends ban on Associated Press White House access<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3896762\/harmeet-dhillon-doj-inquiry-protest-new-york-city-synagogue\/\">Harmeet Dhillon announces DOJ inquiry into protest outside New York City synagogue<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&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; says <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/-\/media\/Project\/Websites\/sos\/01mcalpine\/MOVE-Federal-Registration-and-Absentee-Voting-Programs.pdf?rev=5a2d208e8da94d7682d700d68a92d8ad\">Chapter 7<\/a> of Benson&rsquo;s Election Officials Manual for Military and Overseas Voters, Federal Voter Registration and Absent Voting Programs.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs asked the court to block Benson&rsquo;s directive from taking effect for individuals who fall under the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fvap.gov\/uploads\/FVAP\/Policies\/uocavalaw.pdf\">Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act<\/a> and to release a declaratory judgment that the secretary&rsquo;s directive goes against the law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a result, certain people who have never resided in Michigan (or perhaps anywhere else in this country) are registering to vote and voting in Michigan elections,&rdquo; the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Michigan election officials have registered persons to vote who have never resided in Michigan and have allowed them to vote in Michigan&rsquo;s state, local, and federal elections,&rdquo; it says, adding, &ldquo;So the Secretary of State&rsquo;s guidance is both unconstitutional and unlawful.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit says Benson has used her executive authority to override the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.mi.gov\/Laws\/MCL?objectName=mcl-Article-II-4\">power<\/a> of the state legislature and prevent them from amending the state constitution to allow people who do not reside in the state to vote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Simply, she has taken the Legislature&rsquo;s power and used it to thwart them from fulfilling their duty to &lsquo;enact laws &hellip; to preserve the purity of elections,&#8217;&rdquo; the suit argues.<\/p>\n<p>Berry, who filed the lawsuit alongside the RNC and the Michigan GOP, added in the lawsuit that she seeks the judge&rsquo;s discernment on whether &ldquo;clerks and election inspectors are, and will continue to be, subject to the Secretary&rsquo;s instructions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the RNC, Michigan GOP, and Benson&rsquo;s office for comment and a copy of the lawsuit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If the court does not uphold the lawsuit, Democrats could see a major advantage in the polls.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From all the analysis that we&rsquo;ve done and seen, something like 80% of Americans abroad vote Democrat,&rdquo; Bruce Heyman, former Democratic National Committee strategist and U.S. ambassador to Canada, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/09\/21\/overseas-voters-election-dnc-rnc-00180366\">told<\/a> <em>Politico<\/em> in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>This lawsuit marks the second legal complaint against Benson over her alleged circumvention of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arizona-ag-praises-scotus-ruling-protecting-election-laws-a-win-for-election-integrity-across-the-country\/\" title=\"Arizona AG Praises SCOTUS Ruling Protecting ... Laws: \u2018A Win For ... \u2026 Across The Country\u2019\">election integrity safeguards<\/a>. In October 2024, a similar <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-10-08-Complaint.pdf\">lawsuit was filed<\/a> against Benson for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-hold-the-line-on-for-the-people-act\/\" title=\"GOP senators hold the line on For the People Act\">granting voting rights<\/a> to people who have resided in the state for at least six months.<\/p>\n<p>The same plaintiffs of the latest lawsuit alleged that Benson&rsquo;s guidance violated Article 2 of the Michigan Constitution, which says a person must reside in the state for at least six months before casting a ballot.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3894391\/michigan-gop-seeks-federal-oversight-2026-elections\/\">MICHIGAN GOP SEEKS FEDERAL OVERSIGHT OF 2026 ELECTIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That lawsuit was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/2024-10-21-Order-and-opinion-granting-defendants-motion-for-summary-judgment.pdf\">tossed<\/a> by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.michigan.gov\/whitmer\/news\/press-releases\/2022\/02\/03\/governor-whitmer-makes-appointments-to-michigan-court-of-appeals\">Judge Sima Patel<\/a> of the state&rsquo;s Court of Claims weeks before the 2024 presidential election. Patel, who was appointed to her seat by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), denied the Republicans&rsquo; argument because the complaint was filed too close to the election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[The[The<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3471164\/michigan-supreme-court-rnc-election-integrity\/\">lawsuit<\/a> was an]11th-hour attempt to disenfranchise these <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/3134781\/court-fights-continue-quest-for-more-honest-elections\/\">electors<\/a> in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election,&rdquo; Patel argued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/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>RNC sues Michigan Secretary of State over election rules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4015,"featured_media":2514178,"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\/2025\/09\/AP20290654303044-Michigan.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[4585,4601,6915],"class_list":["post-2514177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-lawsuit","tag-michigan","tag-rnc"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP20290654303044-Michigan.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514177","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\/4015"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2514177"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2514181,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2514177\/revisions\/2514181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2514177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2514177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2514177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}