Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention on Monday, July 15, 2024, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaking to the NAACP Detroit branch in May (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)
Former President Donald Trump has filed a new lawsuit against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer accusing her of breaking state law when she allowed voter registration at places such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Small Business Administration offices.
The 22-page lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, claims only the state legislature, not the governor, can designate voter registration agencies (VRA’s). Whitmer last year issued an executive directive to designate Saginaw VA Medical Center, the Detroit VA Medical Center and the Department’s Detroit Regional Office as VRAs. She also allowed people to register to vote at the state Department of Health and Human Services and Housing Development Authority, among other agencies.
“Voting is the lifeblood of our democracy,” she said at the time of the directive. “When more Michiganders vote, our government is more accountable to the people. I am fully committed to protecting the fundamental right to vote, making participation in our democracy more accessible, combating misinformation, and empowering all eligible voters to make their voices heard.”
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and elections chief Jonathan Brater are also named in the suit. Attorneys for Trump say Whitmer’s directive “undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for individuals to register to vote even though they are ineligible to do so.” The plaintiffs claim they must “deploy their time and resources to monitor Michigan elections for fraud and abuse.” Trump’s team provides no evidence of any voter fraud.
The lawsuit says no VRAs have been established in Michigan since 1995 when then-Gov. John Engler enacted them in response to the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Whitmer in her directive said, “The operative list of Michigan’s voter registration agencies is nearly 30 years old and in need of an update.”
Trump’s lawsuit also claims that the VA and SBA violated the registration act and are “undermining confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and discouraging participation in the democratic process, which will harm the electoral prospects of Republican candidates.”
Whitmer has become one of the people mentioned to replace President Joe Biden on the ballot should he decide to step aside in November’s presidential election, though Biden insists he’s staying in the race. She has expressed support for Biden. Either way, Michigan is expected to be a key battleground state.
The lawsuit asked a judge to order an injunction to bar the SBA and VA from operating as voter registration agencies without authorization from the state legislature and declare Whitmer’s executive directive as invalid.
A spokesperson for Whitmer said in an email to Law&Crime that her office is reviewing the lawsuit.
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