Republicans sue Michigan governor over voter registration locations

July 15 (UPI) -- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been sued by Donald Trump 's presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee for allowing federal Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration locations to be used for voter registration.

The Republicans allege Whitmer and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, both Democrats, exceeded their authority when they struck agreements to use the VA and SBA offices as "voter registration agencies," or VRAs, according to a suit filed Monday in federal court in Michigan .

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

Additional defendants are Michigan Director of Elections Jonathan Brater, the SBA, VA and their directors.

Michigan is a battleground state for the presidential election. Trump won in 2016 and President Joe Biden won in 2020.

"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," the suit reads.

The suit 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."

According to the lawsuit, the National Voter Registration Act assigns power to designate voter registration agencies to the legislature, not the governor's office.

Whitmer hadn't responded to media outlets for comment.

Angela Benander, director of communications for Benson's secretary of state office, said in a statement to the Detroit Press : "It is unfortunate that this divisive, partisan lawsuit was filed today. Making it easier for veterans and small business owners in Michigan to register to vote should not be controversial.

"We will review this and any other litigation that comes our way but remain committed to ensuring that every Michigan voter has the tools and resources they need to participate in every election."

Last year, her office announced three VA offices would be pilot locations for a new voter registration partnership. Her office also announced a voter registration agreement with the SBA in March.

"I'm proud today to announce this historic partnership between the state of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure we expand opportunities for all veterans and their families to play an active role in our democracy," Benson said in September. "This partnership will break down many barriers that keep veterans from participating in our democratic process and will provide the information and tools they need to fully exercise their voting rights in every election."

In March , the RNC sued Benson in federal court in an attempt to force election officials to trim down the state's voter rolls.

"At least 53 Michigan counties have more active registered voters than they have adult citizens who are over the age of 18. That number of voters is impossibly high," the lawsuit said. "An additional 23 counties have active-voter registration rates that exceed 90 percent of adult citizens over the age of 18. That figure far eclipses the national and statewide voter registration rate in recent elections."

Benson said more than 700,000 voters were been removed from the voter rolls since she took office in 2019, and another half million will be removed if they do not vote in this year's general election.