Trump campaign files lawsuit against Gov. Whitmer over voter registration sites

Former President Donald Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee sued Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) over her initiative to designate federal Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration sites for voter registration efforts.

In the lawsuit, they argue that Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson exceeded their authority by entering into agreements to use VA and SBA offices as “voter registration agencies.”

“Under Michigan law, the authority to make such designations is held solely by the Legislature ,” the filing said.

Michigan, which Trump secured in 2016 but was won by President Joe Biden in 2020, is anticipated to be a crucial swing state this November.

“The federal government should not be using American taxpayers’ dollars to conduct unauthorized voter registration activities,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement .

“This is an illegal attempt by Biden, Whitmer, Benson, and the party in power to manipulate our country’s most important election . We are committed to stopping this election integrity violation and securing our elections," he said.

They said that election integrity is compromised because the VRA designation increases opportunities for ineligible residents to register to vote and creates confusion about whether the designated agencies are following the law in assisting voter registration.

In addition, they argue that “SBA and VA’s continued unlawful operation as VRAs have caused economic, financial, and political injury to the Plaintiffs,” forcing them to allocate additional resources and misallocate limited funds.

The lawsuit aims to obtain a court judgment declaring this action unlawful, along with a “permanent injunction barring the State Defendants from designating any VRAs without express authorization from the Michigan Legislature.”

A few months after taking office, Biden issued an executive order directing federal agencies to explore ways to increase citizens’ access to voter registration.

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In 2023, Whitmer issued an executive order expanding voter registration to additional state offices and securing agreements with three VA locations: the Saginaw and Detroit VA Medical Centers and the Detroit regional office.

The agreement with SBA was formalized last month.