Why Trump campaign is against certain voter registration efforts in Michigan

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced a lawsuit against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D, on Monday, July 15, to block some of her voter registration efforts in the state. The lawsuit claims that the state of Michigan violated the National Voter Registration Act by using the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Small Business Administration (SBA) sites for voter registration efforts.

The Trump campaign and RNC argue that Whitmer and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson did not have the authority to strike agreements with the institutions as “voter registration agencies” (VRAs) because state law only allows the Legislature to make those designations.

The suit also cites concerns over election integrity.

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“The RNC and its members are concerned that [Whitmer’s] failure to comply with Michigan statutes governing VRA designation undermines the integrity of elections by increasing the opportunity for individuals to register to vote even though they are not eligible to do so, and by sowing confusion regarding whether agencies purporting to offer assistance in registering voters are doing so in accordance with applicable law,” the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs claim the governor’s efforts have hurt them financially and politically by forcing them to use already scarce resources in way they otherwise would not have to.

Trump’s campaign and the RNC’s lawsuit seeks for the VRAs to be ruled unlawful in Michigan. They also want a permanent injunction barring the governor from designating any VRAs without authorization from the state Legislature be issued.

A spokesperson for Whitmer said that her office is reviewing the suit.

Mark Brewer, an attorney and former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, contended that the filing was part of larger effort of “voter suppression.”

“They’re looking for every opportunity they can to discourage people from registering and voting,” Brewer said.

Michigan is a key battle state in the 2024 presidential election. Trump won the state in 2016 but lost it in 2020 to President Joe Biden. Currently, polling from The Hill shows Trump and Biden neck-and-neck in the state.