Michigan Removes 177,000 Voters From Voter Rolls After Legal Challenge

The Michigan secretary of state removed 177,000 inactive voters from the state’s voter rolls after settling a legal challenge.

The stateremoved the names from the voter rolls in late January because the voters no longer live in the state or did not respond to the state’s inquiries about their addresses, according to a Tuesday district court announcement. The state performed the post-election audit during a legal battle with the Honest Elections Project, an election watchdog.

Jason Snead, head of the Honest Elections Project, which supported the lawsuit, said the state’s decision to remove the voters will help combat any allegations of voter fraud. “The last thing that we want is to create a system in which you could have widespread voter fraud or where it’s impossible to debunk false allegations of widespread voter fraud because you are undermining or failing to act on the necessary measures that help to prevent fraud and bolster confidence in the democratic process,” he said.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D.) called the move a victory for transparency.

“Since November, my administration has continued to work with election officials across our state to review and strengthen all our election processes and protocols, in preparation for 2021’s local elections,” Benson said in a press release. “When carried out transparently, accurately and in accordance with federal law, list maintenance is an important element of ensuring Michigan’s election system remains secure.”

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