The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee sued Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others Monday for allowing federal Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration sites to be used for voter registration efforts.
In papers filed in federal court in Michigan, the campaign and the RNC contend Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson exceeded their authority when they struck agreements to use the VA and SBA offices as "voter registration agencies," or VRAs.
“Under Michigan law, the authority to make such designations is held solely by the Legislature,” the filing said.
Michigan is a state that Trump won in 2016 and then flipped to back Joe Biden in 2020. It is expected to be a pivotal battleground state in this year's election.
Trump has long sought to sow the seeds of doubt about elections before they occur, and he leveled unfounded accusations at several states in the lead-up to the 2020 election, which he then repeated as part of baseless claims to overturn the outcome when he lost.
Trump's campaign echoed complaints that voter integrity was at risk in the suit filed Monday.
"The RNC and its members are concerned that Defendants’ 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 ineligible to do so, and by sowing confusion regarding whether the agencies purporting to offer assistance in registering voters are doing so in accordance with applicable law," says the suit, which was first reported by MLive.com.
It also contends that the "SBA and VA’s continued unlawful operation as VRAs have caused economic, financial, and political injury to the Plaintiffs, including by forcing them to allocate additional resources and misallocate their scarce resources in ways they otherwise would not have."
The suit seeks a judgment declaring the move unlawful, as well as a "permanent injunction barring the State Defendants from designating any VRAs without express authorization from the Michigan Legislature."
Whitmer's and Benson's offices for comment did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
