Judge tosses RNC challenge to Michigan voter roll maintenance

A federal judge on Tuesday tossed the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) lawsuit challenging how Michigan maintains its voter rolls. 

U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering ruled that neither the RNC nor two individual voters who joined the suit had legal standing to bring their case. Even if they did, Beckering said she would’ve dismissed the lawsuit because it didn’t state a plausible claim. 

The RNC claimed Michigan election officials were violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires states to make a “reasonable effort” to remove ineligible voters from their rolls. Based on a comparison of census data and Michigan’s voter file, the lawsuit alleged at least 53 counties have more registered voters than adult citizens.

State officials pushed back, arguing that many people on the rolls are inactive voters and the NVRA demands certain criteria before a name can be completely removed. Michigan has cancelled nearly 1 million registrations since 2019, and the RNC hadn’t identified a single ineligible voter, the officials noted in court filings.

The lawsuit’s accusations were spread widely online, including by X owner Elon Musk, whose post was met with rebuke from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D), who called it “dangerous disinformation.” 

“As Defendants emphasize, Plaintiffs have not alleged any specific breakdown in Michigan’s removal program, nor have Plaintiffs requested any specific relief. Plaintiffs’ claim is merely that Defendants’ list maintenance program is ‘not reasonable,’” Beckering, a President Biden appointee, wrote in Tuesday’s opinion. 

The judge said that conclusion wasn’t necessary, however, since none of the plaintiffs had shown enough harm to have legal standing to sue over the state’s voter roll maintenance. 

“Neither the allegations about activities in which the RNC normally engages nor the allegations about RNC resources having been diverted to address speculative fears of future harm are sufficient to establish that Plaintiff RNC has standing to pursue its NVRA claim,” Beckering wrote. 

The Democratic National Committee filed a friend-of-the-court brief backing state officials’ effort to toss the case. 

The Hill has reached out to the RNC for comment.