The Republican National Committee is suing Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson after allegedly finding signature verification markers absent from “thousands” of ballots in the state’s primary election.
“Our secretary of state is actively interfering in Michigan’s elections, disregarding the very laws she’s supposed to enforce,” said Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra in a Thursday press release regarding the suit. “The Michigan Republican Party will never stop fighting for the safety and security of our elections, so every single Michigander can feel confident in their vote … .”
The RNC, the Michigan GOP, and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry sued Benson and Director of Elections Jonathan Brater for issuing “incomplete” guidance on ballot verification, causing “confusion.”
The suit, filed Thursday, claims “thousands” of absentee ballots in the Detroit suburb of Warren were “apparently” counted in the state’s Aug. 6 primary, “despite the complete absence of a statement by the clerk on the corresponding return envelope that the absent voter ballot is approved for tabulation.”
Plaintiffs claim that state law requires two markers to be present on ballots before they can be tabulated: the date the ballot was received, and a statement showing the clerk has verified the voter’s signature.
Michigan election law (MCL 168.765 §2) states that “written or stamped on each absent voter ballot return envelope must be the date, and the time and date if received on election day, that the absent voter ballot return envelope was received … and a statement by the city or township
