Trump, RNC go after Michigan and Nevada with lawsuits over ‘election integrity’

GOP targets Democratic election officials less than two months before Election Day

Republicans are not giving up their push to change local election laws and procedures after Donald Trump’s 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.

On Tuesday, the RNC unveiled two lawsuits targeting Democratic secretaries of state in Nevada and Michigan. Both lawsuits seek to alter local election procedures.

In Michigan, Republicans are seeking to force Michigan’s secretary of state to change guidance for officials in charge of verifying absentee ballots, which the state GOP and national party say is insufficient. At issue: the RNC claims that its “election integrity” team found instances where election workers did not verify the signatures of absentee ballot recipients, one of several ways that the state uses to ensure that only eligible voters cast absentee ballots.

The Independent has reached out to the Michigan secretary of state’s office for comment.

"Our Secretary of State is actively interfering in Michigan's elections, disregarding the very laws she's supposed to enforce. The Michigan Republican Party will never stop fighting for the safety and security of our elections, so every single Michigander can feel confident in their vote, no matter how they choose to exercise that right,” claimed state GOP chair Pete Hoekstra.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson attends a hearing called by House Republicans to discuss Americans’ confidence in elections on September 11, 2024 (Getty Images)

Nevada’s lawsuit hinges on a longstanding claim made by the former president: the issue of noncitizen voting. Donald Trump first made the claim that millions of illegal immigrants were voting in state and national elections in 2016, during his first run for the presidency, and repeated his claim after his 2016 victory, 2020 defeat, and into the present.

But as of yet, no proof has emerged to show that noncitizen residents of the United States attempt to vote in large numbers outside of a handful of municipalities around the country — including Washington DC — which have sought to allow noncitizens to participate in local elections. Even in such areas, noncitizens have never been caught trying to vote in federal elections in significant numbers.

In Nevada, however, the Trump campaign and RNC claim to have “evidence of thousands of non-citizens on Nevada's voter rolls who may be able to cast ballots this November” and further insist that nearly 4,000 noncitizens cast ballots in the 2020 election cycle.

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign and requested a spokesperson provide that evidence for review.

“Allowing non-citizens to vote suppresses legal voters, undermines the democratic system, and violates the law. Democrats continue to put non-citizens first and Americans last as they allow non-citizens to vote and interfere in American elections. We have filed suit in Nevada to protect the vote and stop this Democrat election interference scheme,” RNC chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.

An official with the Nevada secretary of state’s office denied this.

“Only United States citizens are eligible to vote in Nevada’s elections. There are already numerous safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens, or anyone ineligible to vote, from casting a ballot. Any claims of a widespread problem are false and only create distrust in our elections. The Secretary of State’s Office is focused on running successful, safe and fair elections on behalf of the voters,” a spokesperson told The Independent on Thursday.

Marc Elias, a lawyer who has worked with numerous Democratic organizations on election-related issues, roundly mocked the Nevada suit in a Twitter post.

“Trump campaign and RNC file new voter suppression lawsuit in Nevada. They keep filing lawsuits and they keep losing them,” he said. “Expect more of the same here.”