Lauren Taylor

THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE HAS FILED LAWSUITS IN MICHIGAN and NORTH CAROLINA TO STOP WHAT IT CALLS “ILLEGAL OVERSEAS VOTING.”

AND REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEN ALSO FILED SUIT IN PENNSYLVANIA THIS WEEK, SEEKING TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS ON US VOTERS WHO CAST BALLOTS OVERSEAS.

ACCORDING TO THE RNC, THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS AND MICHIGAN’S SECRETARY OF STATE ARE “ALLOWING OVERSEAS CITIZENS WHO NEVER LIVED IN EITHER STATE TO ILLEGALLY VOTE.”

STATE CONSTITUTIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA AND MICHIGAN REQUIRE VOTERS TO BE RESIDENTS OF THEIR STATES IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO CAST A BALLOT.

THE LAWSUITS ASSERT BOTH STATES ARE EXTENDING “ELIGIBILITY TO OVERSEAS VOTERS WHO NEVER RESIDED IN THESE STATES—INDEED, MAY NEVER HAVE RESIDED ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.”

THE UNIFORMED AND OVERSEAS CITIZENS ABSENTEE VOTING ACT (UOCAVA) WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS IN 1986 AND ALLOWS CITIZENS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY, THEIR FAMILIES, AND US CITIZENS RESIDING OUTSIDE OF THE US TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.

THE RNC ALLEGES NORTH CAROLINA’S UNIFORM MILITARY AND OVERSEAS ACT IS EXTENDING VOTER RIGHTS TO INDIVIDUALS NOT COVERED BY THE FEDERAL ACT.

ACCORDING TO NORTH CAROLINA LAW, A “COVERED VOTER” HAS MANY DEFINITIONS INCLUDING A MILITARY UNIFORMED MEMBER SERVING OVERSEAS, OR AN OVERSEAS VOTER WHO IS A U-S CITIZEN AND LAST RESIDED IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. A “COVERED VOTER” IS ALSO DEFINED AS A PERSON BORN OUTSIDE OF THE US – AND DOES NOT SATISFY THE  STATE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT BUT BEFORE LEAVING THE U-S HAD A PARENT OR GUARDIAN ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

THE RNC ASSERTS THAT AS A RESULT OF THIS LAW, “CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER RESIDED IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE REGISTERING TO VOTE AND VOTING IN ALL ITS ELECTIONS” INCLUDING LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL.

THE RNC IS ALSO SUING MICHIGAN’S SECRETARY OF STATE BECAUSE ACCORDING TO MICHIGAN’S ELECTION OFFICIALS MANUAL CHAPTER 7: “A UNITED STATES CITIZEN WHO HAS NEVER RESIDED IN THE UNITED STATES BUT WHO HAS A PARENT, LEGAL GUARDIAN, OR SPOUSE WHO WAS LAST DOMICILED IN MICHIGAN IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN MICHIGAN AS LONG AS THE CITIZEN HAS NOT REGISTERED OR VOTED IN ANOTHER STATE.”

THE RNC SAYS THIS GOES AGAINST MICHIGAN’S STATE CONSTITUTION WHICH STATES NO PERSON MAY VOTE IN MICHIGAN UNLESS THEY RESIDE IN MICHIGAN.

AND IN PENNSYLVANIA FIVE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS FILED SUIT ALLEGING THE COMMONWEALTH’S LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO VERIFY THE IDENTITY OR ELIGIBILITY OF OVERSEAS VOTERS, WHICH, THEY CLAIM, COULD RESULT IN THOSE BALLOTS BEING SUSCEPTIBLE TO FRAUD. THEY’RE ASKING THE COURT TO REQUIRE OFFICIALS TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF THE BALLOTS BEFORE THEY’RE COUNTED.

CRITICS SAY REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO UNDERMINE THOUSANDS OF BALLOTS IN THE EVENT THAT VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS RECEIVES MORE VOTES THAN FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IN PENNSYLVANIA.

GOP CHAIRMAN MICHAEL WHATLEY WROTE ON X: “WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT OVERSEAS VOTERS FROM RANDOM STATES DON’T INFLUENCE SWING STATE ELECTIONS.”

ACCORDING TO THE DAILY SIGNAL, A SPOKESPERSON FOR MICHIGAN’S SECRETARY OF STATE RESPONDED TO THE LAWSUIT SAYING “THIS IS NOT A LEGITIMATE LEGAL CONCERN, JUST THE LATEST IN THE RNC’S PR CAMPAIGN TO SPREAD UNFOUNDED DISTRUST IN THE INTEGRITY OF OUR ELECTIONS. WE WILL CONTINUE OUR WORK TO ENSURE THAT EVERY VOTER ELIGIBLE UNDER THE LAW CAN MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD IN THIS ELECTION.”

DEMOCRATS ABROAD ALLEGE IN A VIDEO ON X THAT THERE ARE 6.5 MILLION OVERSEAS VOTERS WHO “SHOULD SEE THEMSELVES AS DEMOCRACY’S SECRET WEAPON.”