LANSING, Mich — The Republican National Committee (RNC), Donald Trump's presidential campaign and others are seeking to close some voter registration sites in Michigan per a federal lawsuit filed this week.
The case claims that state officials overstepped their authority when they allowed Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospitals and U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offices as voter registration sites.
The lawsuit claims that these voter registration sites are invalid and should be closed without express authorization from the Michigan Legislature.
The RNC, Trump's campaign, the Michigan Republican Party and Georgetown Township clerk Ryan Kidd filed the lawsuit Monday, claiming Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary Of State Jocelyn Benson and others didn't have the authority to open voter registration sites at certain locations.
The allegation stems from an executive order by the governor and memorandums of understanding and agreement between the secretary of state and the SBA.
In December of 2023, Whitmer issued Executive Directive 2023-6 which designated the Saginaw VA Medical Center, the Detroit VA Medical Center, and the Department’s Detroit Regional Office as voter registration sites.
Then in March of 2024, Michigan's Secretary of State entered into memorandums of understanding and agreement with the SBA to use their offices as voter registration sites as well as creating a unique URL for online voter registration.
The lawsuit alleges these actions were unlawful due to a lack of authority, which the plaintiffs say is only given to the Michigan Legislature.
They claim that only the state legislature has the power to designate new voter registration sites as described by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).
The lawsuit does mention a brief period of 30 days in 1995 that was given to then-Governor John Engler to create new voter registration locations, but alleges that was the only time since the NVRA went into effect where that power was given to anyone outside of the legislature.
Whitmer's executive order directing that some VA Hospitals will be designated as voter registration sites are outside of this 30-day period in 1995 and therefore invalid, the lawsuit alleges.
The case has been filed in the United States District Court Western District of Michigan Southern Division.
