Michigan judge denies GOP’s request to block ballots from some overseas military voters
Michigan Judge Denies Republican Effort to Disqualify Overseas Ballots
A Michigan judge recently made a crucial decision rejecting a Republican attempt to invalidate ballots from some overseas voters in the contested Midwestern state. Judge Sima Patel ruled against the Republican effort, referring to it as a last-minute tactic to disenfranchise voters, particularly families of individuals serving in the armed forces and diplomatic corps.
Patel emphasized that the federal government mandates states to allow absent uniformed services and overseas voters, along with their spouses and dependents, to participate in the voting process. This decision came following a hurried hearing convened just nine days after the Michigan Republican Party and Republican National Committee initiated a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The lawsuit disputed the guidelines permitting spouses and adult children of overseas Michigan residents to vote in the state as long as they are not registered elsewhere.
An attorney representing the state dismissed the lawsuit last week, asserting its lack of legal basis and highlighting the impracticality of implementing changes so close to the election. With Michigan wielding 15 electoral votes, the state stands as a pivotal battleground that could sway the outcome of the presidential race, intensifying the legal clash over overseas voters.
The focal point of the court deliberations centered on the eligibility of children and spouses of military, diplomatic, and other service personnel residing overseas. Lawyers representing the Republican Party contended that the existing rules allow individuals to cast votes in Michigan even if they have never resided there, prompting skepticism from Judge Patel during the hearing.
When GOP attorney Jonathan Koch asserted that their interpretation of the law does not penalize service personnel relocating overseas, Patel interjected questioning the impact on spouses and dependent children born and raised abroad. The lawsuit called for segregating overseas ballots from voters who have never lived in Michigan to assess any constitutional violations that might influence the election outcome, a request that Patel did not grant.
Furthermore, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office sought sanctions against the lawyers behind the lawsuit, which they deemed as frivolous. Despite this plea, Patel dismissed the request, marking this case as one among several Republican-filed lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of overseas ballots in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.
This legal campaign prompted a group of congressional Democrats to implore Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to safeguard the rights of overseas military personnel and Americans residing abroad to actively engage in U.S. elections. The ongoing battle over overseas ballots underscores the significance of protecting every citizen’s right to vote, especially those serving the nation overseas.
