Republicans sued 3 battleground states this week. Here’s what you need to know

Republicans are reprising efforts to legally challenge election laws in three key battleground states that could help decide who wins in November.

Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada are targets of the blitz, led by the Republican National Committee (RNC) alongside state parties who are questioning election integrity when it comes to absentee ballots, the use of digital voter cards and whether noncitizens are being allowed to vote.

All three states were narrowly contested in 2020, with Trump winning North Carolina by 1.3 percentage points and President Biden taking Michigan by 3 points and Nevada by 7 points, and the states are still considered toss-ups in 2024, according to Decision Desk HQ polling averages.

Trump notoriously challenged his 2020 overall election loss, and the lawsuits filed this week also come as election deniers see their power solidified on the state level, worrying legal observers who say such efforts give a glimpse into what potential chaos might loom in 2024.

Here’s everything you need to know about the election-related cases in the battlegrounds.

Absentee ballots in Michigan

The Michigan lawsuit, filed Thursday, argues Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson failed to require the “proper” verification of absentee ballots through her office’s election guidance, which Republicans say omits certain requirements.  

The RNC and Michigan Republican Party have asked a Michigan court to reject absentee ballots without a written statement on the envelopes saying the signature on said envelope has been verified by local election officials.

The Michigan secretary of state’s office said the practice in question is a “simple administrative procedure” and that the suit is an “abuse of our judicial system and a waste of all our time.” 

“This lawsuit could have been an email,” said spokesperson Angela Benander. “This is not about the law, our processes, or election administration. It’s about getting a headline that causes voters to doubt the integrity of our election processes.” 

Michigan Republican Party Chair Pete Hoekstra claimed in a statement that the secretary of state was “interfering in Michigan’s elections, disregarding the very laws she’s supposed to enforce.”

Absentee ballots and digital voter IDs in North Carolina

On Tuesday, the RNC and North Carolina Republican Party filed a lawsuit against the State Board of Elections questioning the integrity of absentee ballot policy. The suit argues that board revisions to absentee ballot law conflicted with a state statute requiring ballots to be sealed for them to count. 

RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement that the board’s decision was “inconsistent with state law and diminishes protections for absentee ballots.”

“We have filed suit to uphold election integrity and ballot safeguards,” Whatley said.

In a separate lawsuit filed Thursday against the board, the RNC and state Republican Party argued a state court should block a University of North Carolina policy that allows students and employees to use digital IDs for in-person voting.

In August, the state election board voted 3-2 to approve the use of university-issued digital IDs for voting, but Republicans say the IDs do not comply with state voter ID law. 

“When the NCSBE majority wrongly approved use of this so-called Digital ID, we said we would not stand for it,” said state party Chair Jason Simmons in a statement. “This lawsuit will ensure that Voter ID laws are faithfully followed in North Carolina elections.” 

This is the RNC’s fourth lawsuit against the election board. 

Voter rolls in Nevada 

Meanwhile, in Nevada, the RNC and Nevada GOP sued Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, arguing that his office is allowing noncitizens to register to vote despite state officials maintaining there are protections in place that prevent such a thing from happening. 

“Only United States citizens are eligible to vote in Nevada’s elections. There are already numerous safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens, or anyone ineligible to vote, from casting a ballot,” a statement from the Nevada secretary of state’s office said. “Any claims of a widespread problem are false and only create distrust in our elections.”

Republicans, however, claim there is evidence of “thousands” of noncitizens on voter rolls who could cast their vote in November and influence election outcomes. 

“Allowing non-citizens to vote suppresses legal voters, undermines the democratic system, and violates the law,” Whatley said.

The suit also targets Nevada Democrats, who Republicans argue are supporting the alleged practice. 

The suit claims that the election body does not check DMV records or federal databases, arguing Nevada lacks basic citizenship-verification procedures in its voter roll processes.