LANSING, Mich. — A federal court in Michigan has dismissed a lawsuit concerning voter records, marking another setback for the Republican National Committee (RNC) in their efforts to scrutinize the voting process in this critical state.
The lawsuit claimed that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Jonathan Brater, the Director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections, were neglecting their duty to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter registration records. However, U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering ruled that the Republicans did not provide sufficient evidence and lacked the legal basis for their challenge.
Additionally, a state judge in Michigan earlier this week dismissed a different attempt from the RNC to invalidate ballots cast by certain overseas and military voters.
The initial lawsuit, filed by the RNC in March, asserted that the number of registered voters in Michigan exceeds the number of eligible citizens. This claim, which misinterprets data, has recently been echoed by Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for Tesla and SpaceX, as well as for owning the social media platform X. In their arguments, the Republicans contended that the state failed to remove ineligible voters from the rolls, consequently breaching the National Voting Rights Act.
The court, however, found no merit in the Republicans’ arguments. Judge Beckering pointed out that their assertions were not credible and failed to indicate any specific instances of ineligible individuals appearing on Michigan’s active voter list.
The RNC and its legal representatives have not provided comments following the court’s decision.
While it is true that the state has more registered voters than eligible citizens, this discrepancy includes voters who are classified as inactive and cannot be removed from the rolls under both federal and state regulations.
According to federal law, states cannot eliminate voters who may be ineligible until at least two federal general elections have occurred after those individuals have failed to respond to an official notification. Beckering highlighted that currently, over 550,000 registered voters are marked for cancellation in either 2025 or 2027.
In response, Secretary Benson stated, “False and baseless allegations—whether shared on social media or in legal documents—are not likely to prevail in a court of law. In court, it is evidence, the law, and factual information that matter.”
The RNC’s lawsuit is part of a larger initiative by Republicans aimed at questioning the validity of numerous voter registrations and raising concerns about the integrity of the current election, as claims of potential electoral fraud are reiterated by Trump without substantiating evidence.