Donald Trump sues Gretchen Whitmer over Michigan voter registration efforts

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has moved to allow other government agencies to help register voters. GOP lawyers contend that illegal
• Republicans are asking a federal judge to block voter registration efforts at those state and federal agency offices
• The lawsuit comes as part of a broader “election integrity” push by former President Donald Trump and his campaign

LANSING — Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and other Republicans are suing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, state election officials and two federal agencies, accusing them of breaking state and federal law by allowing some agency offices to register voters.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Michigan’s western district, argues that allowing citizens to register to vote in offices such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the state’s Bureau of Services for Blind Persons is against the law and will lower confidence in elections and make them less secure.

A spokesperson for Whitmer said her office is reviewing the lawsuit.

Related:

• Federal court rejects GOP challenge to Michigan election laws
• Michigan judge strikes down Benson voter signature match guidance — again
• Michigan elections FAQ: More registered voters than eligible voters?

The Republican National Committee, Michigan Republican Party and Ryan Kidd, the clerk of Georgetown Township in Kent County, are also named as plaintiffs in the suit. Kidd needs the court to tell him what to do with voter registration applications filled out at other government offices, according to the filing.

Under federal law, “voter registration agencies” can provide registration literature, help individuals fill out applications and send completed applications to election officials to be processed.

In the lawsuit, GOP attorneys assert — without citing any evidence — that having more 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.”

Trump has made “election integrity” efforts a major pillar of his reelection campaign. The Atlantic magazine reported in July that Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, at the former president’s insistence, have diverted voter contact campaign resources to a “colossal new election-integrity program” that includes “a legion of lawyers on retainer.”

In a 2021 executive order, President Joe Biden told federal agencies to explore how they can expand voter participation in elections. In late 2023 and early 2024, Whitmer signed agreements with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration to help register voters.

The Saginaw VA Medical Center, the Detroit VA Medical Center and the Detroit Regional Office — where veterans regularly visit — were designated voter registration agencies.

Whitmer also signed an executive order designating offices covering veterans affairs, disability services, housing and employment as voter registration agencies. The attorneys in the suit argue that action violated state law because it was taken without legislative approval.

They also assert the alleged violations of state law are “undermining confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and discouraging participation” in elections “which will harm the electoral prospects of Republican candidates.”

The Republican National Committee and others have repeatedly sued the state over election administration disputes, from signature-matching standards to Michigan’s bloated voter rolls.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has faced some defeats in court after judges ruled her department failed to properly follow Michigan’s rulemaking process when issuing some of the guidance on election procedures.