Michigan Secretary of State Prepares Legal Challenge Against Trump’s Executive Order on Mail-In Voting
In a bold move to ensure state autonomy over election processes, Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, is gearing up to contest a recent executive order by President Donald Trump. The order, enacted on March 31, mandates collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compose lists of eligible voters, with mail ballots being distributed solely to individuals on these lists.
Additionally, the order stipulates that ballots must feature unique barcodes for tracking. Trump’s stated aim for this measure was to enhance the security of mail-in voting, citing concerns over potential fraud. “This came up with some great legal minds. They looked at the various documents and everything that was going on because the cheating on mail-in voting is legendary,” Trump remarked. “It’s horrible what’s gone on.”
Despite these assertions, studies, including one from the Brookings Institute, reflect minimal fraud in mail voting. Their research shows that fraud constitutes just 0.000043% of mail ballots, or roughly 4 out of every 10 million, signifying a negligible issue.
In a statement, Benson expressed her opposition, arguing that the executive order addresses a nonexistent problem and oversteps legal boundaries. She emphasized, “States run elections, not the president,” aligning her stance with the U.S. Constitution, which grants states the authority to regulate federal elections’ “Times, Place, and Manner.”
The order emerges amid Republican difficulties in passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, which aims to prevent noncitizen voting in federal elections by introducing new documentation requirements. Although noncitizen voting is already prohibited, the act seeks to fortify these restrictions.
Benson pledged to shield Michigan voters’ rights, stating, “As secretary of state, I will protect the votes and voices of Michiganders. The law is on our side, and I will take swift action to fight this illegal order in court.”
Support for Benson’s position comes from Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Nessel, echoing her readiness for legal confrontation, declared, “This power is not the president’s to give. The constitution is clear: The president cannot direct or control our state voting laws, and no scribble of his sharpie can give him the authority that he so desperately seeks.”
Whitmer, alongside Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, issued a joint statement as part of their roles in the Democratic Governor’s Association, asserting, “Democratic governors will always stand up to protect our states and the fundamental right to vote — especially in the face of these ongoing attacks and dangerous federal overreach.”
—
Read More Michigan News
