A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) that challenged Michigan’s method of maintaining its voter rolls.
U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering ruled that neither the RNC nor two individual voters involved in the case had legal standing to bring the lawsuit. Even if they had standing, Beckering stated that the case would have been dismissed due to its failure to present a plausible claim.
The RNC had accused Michigan election officials of violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires states to make “reasonable efforts” to remove ineligible voters. The lawsuit alleged that, based on census data, at least 53 Michigan counties had more registered voters than adult citizens.
In her opinion, Judge Beckering, a Biden appointee, noted that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate any specific failures in Michigan’s voter removal program, nor did they request any concrete relief. She wrote, “Plaintiffs’ claim is merely that Defendants’ list maintenance program is ‘not reasonable.’”
Additionally, the judge ruled that none of the plaintiffs demonstrated sufficient harm to have standing to sue, stating that the RNC’s concerns about diverting resources to address speculative fears of future harm were not enough to justify their claim.
The Democratic National Committee supported the state’s efforts to have the case dismissed by filing a friend-of-the-court brief.
