Michigan City of Detroit Election Inspector Challenge

Lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican State Committee and other state and local Republican party officials against the city of Detroit’s election commission and two of its members challenging Detroit’s election inspector apportionment practices. In Michigan, election inspectors — the state’s term for poll workers — are appointed ahead of every election to serve in each precinct and early voting site in one of two ways: direct application to a county, city or township clerk or through a nomination by a county’s political party. Each city board of election commissioners must appoint an equal or a near equal as possible number of election inspectors from each major political party. The plaintiffs claim that 300 of Wayne County’s 335 election precincts failed to reach this equal number of Republican and Democratic election inspectors ahead of the August 2024 primary election, with 202 of the noncompliant precincts including no Republican election inspectors at all. The plaintiffs allege that Detroit only hired 310 Republican election inspectors compared to 2,337 Democratic ones. The plaintiffs argue this unequal election inspector apportionment violates Michigan election law, and ask the court to order Detroit’s election commission to implement practices that ensure an equal number of Republican and Democratic election inspectors are hired. 

RESULT: On Oct. 11, the RNC announced that it reached a settlement agreement with the city of Detroit that ensures the city will change it processes and protocols to create more balanced party representation in poll worker assignments.

Last updated: October 14, 2024 10:48 am EST