WASHINGTON, D.C. – Republican National
Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters released the following statement after a
Michigan court ruled that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson illegally instructed
officials to count ineligible absentee ballots:
“The law is simple: ballot stubs must match, and incomplete ballots cannot
be counted,” said Chairman Gruters. “This ruling is a major win for
election integrity and for voters who deserve confidence that every lawful vote
is protected.”
Background:
- Michigan
law requires absentee ballots to be counted only if the number on the
ballot stub matches the number on the ballot envelope.
- This
requirement ensures that the person who was issued the ballot is the same
person who actually voted the ballot.
- Secretary
Benson instructed election officials to count ballots even when numbers
didn’t match or the stub was missing entirely.
- The
RNC, Michigan GOP, and a local clerk sued in 2024 to
block this unlawful guidance.
- The
Michigan Court of Claims previously ruled that
ballots with missing or mismatched numbers cannot be counted because
election inspectors have no legal authority to count them.
- The
RNC secured another victory today with the Michigan Court of Claims
reinforcing its prior ruling that these ballots cannot be tabulated.
- The
RNC is fighting on
multiple fronts for secure elections in Michigan and recently filed a
separate lawsuit stopping Secretary Benson from permitting non-residents
to vote in the state’s elections.
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