RNC Voluntarily Dismisses Challenge to Michigan’s Expanded Voter Registration Sites
The Republican National Committee and Trump campaign voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit challenging Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) 2023 directive that designated certain state and federal agencies as voter registration sites.
In a complaint filed this summer, the Republican plaintiffs alleged that Whitmer and other state officials exceeded their authority by “unilaterally” authorizing voter registration to take place at various agencies, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
While the RNC and Trump Campaign argued that Michigan law prohibits state officials from designating voter registration sites without express approval from the state Legislature, Whitmer maintained that her actions were consistent with state and federal law. Whitmer and other state officials who were sued also cited a 2021 executive order from President Joe Biden that directed federal departments and agencies to partner with the states to facilitate voter registration.
In addition to naming Michigan’s governor and secretary of state as defendants, the GOP legal challenge implicated top federal officials from the VA and SBA, alleging they violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by entering into agreements with state officials that designated their respective agencies as voter registration sites.
But the federal defendants countered that the NVRA specifically authorizes — and even encourages — federal agencies like the VA to be designated by states as voter registration locations.
The Republican suit claimed without evidence that expanding voter registration sites “undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for individuals to register to vote even though they are ineligible to do so” and suggested it would “harm the electoral prospects of Republican candidates.”
In contrast, Vet Voice — an advocacy organization that seeks to empower veterans — said the case aimed “to make it harder for veterans to register to vote just months before a presidential election.”