A federal court affirmed that Michigan’s process for removing voter registrations of people who have died is “more than reasonable.”
On Tuesday, May 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the federal district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit in 2024, according to a release from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The lawsuit, filed by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, alleged that Michigan wasn’t doing enough to remove dead residents from voter registration records.
The federal court upheld this decision and ruled that “Michigan’s multi-layered efforts are more than reasonable.”
The court also ruled that the state goes beyond the legal standard for removing dead voters from registration rolls.
“A state that actively makes efforts to remove dead registrants based on state and federal death records is engaging in an inherently rational, sensible attempt at maintaining accurate voter registration lists. Michigan not only undertakes the kind of effort described . . . but it also adopts additional standards as well,” according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Michigan also uses the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonpartisan tool that compares voter files across states.
“Michigan goes further by also actively employing a third party, ERIC, to assist in identifying deceased registrants,” the court ruled. “This additional effort only further enhances the reasonableness of Michigan’s efforts to maintain accurate voter rolls.”
Federal data also shows that Michigan is one of the most active states in removing dead voters from registrations, ranking fifth in 2020 and 2022, according to the release.
“Michigan has done more in the last six years to improve the accuracy of our voter rolls than was done in the previous two decades,” said Benson. “I’m very grateful that a federal court has once again recognized our strong work keeping our voter file up to date. Since 2020, our department has fought a record number of lawsuits based on false and meritless claims meant to undermine people’s faith in Michigan’s elections. Today’s ruling is yet another victory for evidence, facts, and the law.”
To read more on the court’s ruling, visit here. For more information about voting in Michigan, visit here.