A Republican National Committee lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson resulted in new guidance on signature verification following issues in Warren during the August primary.
“The clerk must verify that the signature on a returned absent voter ballot envelope matches the voter’s signature on file,” according to the updated guidance cited by The Federalist. “Approval can be expressed by completing and initialing the portion of the ‘clerk section’ indicating that the signature was verified.”
The RNC sued Benson in September after incomplete guidance from her office resulted in thousands of absent voter ballots tabulated in Warren during the 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 as expressly required” under Michigan law, the lawsuit read.
Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
Guidance issued by Benson in February 2024 did not inform clerks of the requirement to include “a statement by the city or township clerk that the absent voter ballot is approved for verification” once the voter’s signature is verified, as required by law.
Without that verification, the law states “the clerk shall reject the absent voter ballot and provide the elector with notice of the opportunity to cure the deficiency.”
“In response to our lawsuit, Secretary Benson has updated her guidance to require proof that signatures have been verified before ballots are counted,” according to a RNC statement.
The decision in Michigan came the same day a North Carolina court sided with the RNC is a different lawsuit against the State Board of Elections there allowing digital student IDs as a valid form of voter identification.
Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
“Voter ID and signature verification are important safeguard to prevent cheating and fraud. These critical Election Integrity victories will help voters cast their ballots with confidence,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. “Michigan and North Carolina can decide this election, and we are committed to holding election officials accountable and ensuring the law is followed.”
Whatley also touted the “key win” in Michigan on X.
“Great election integrity news out of battleground Michigan. Clerks were counting mail ballots without proof of signature verification, opening the door to fraud. The @GOP sued,” Whatley posted. “Result? Ballots will now only be counted after proof that signatures are verified – a key win.”
About 1.8 million absentee ballots were cast in the 2022 midterms, while that figure was over 3 million in 2020.
The Michigan lawsuit is one of several the RNC has filed against Benson during the 2024 election cycle.
Others focused on the state’s bloated voter rolls, which are currently at 105% of the voting age population, as well as “presumption of validity” guidance for absentee ballots, Democrat poll workers outnumbering Republicans in Detroit 7-to-1, and Benson’s arrangement with the Biden-Harris administration to utilize Small Business Administration and Veterans Affairs sites in Democratic areas for voter registration efforts.
Still other RNC legal efforts in Michigan question Benson’s efforts to implement a ban on local officials investigating fraud during recounts for 2024, despite the new law’s effective date in 2025.
Another lawsuit from 130 Michigan voters claims Benson’s “unlawful guidance for elections” and how the Secretary of State implemented Proposal 2 reforms approved by voters in 2022, has made it “impossible for the State of Michigan to guarantee all legally eligible Michigan voters a free, fair, lawful, secure, and transparent election process in the 2024 elections.”
Claire Zunk, an election integrity spokeswoman for the RNC, told The Federalist the absent voter ballot lawsuit is part of a broader trend that involves Benson, who is pining to replace Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2026, working to dismantle voting protections ahead of the 2024 election.
“This is a pattern on Benson’s part, time after time really trying to get rid of election safeguards,” Zunk said. “We have had multiple lawsuits against her, and it’s a result of her guidance that the law is not being followed properly.