Michigan and North Carolina courts have taken a stand, upholding the rights of overseas voters against Republican challenges aiming to invalidate their ballots.
At a Glance
- Courts in Michigan and North Carolina rejected Republican attempts to disqualify ballots of certain overseas voters.
- The Michigan case was dismissed due to its late filing.
- The Republican National Committee and state GOPs were plaintiffs in both cases.
- A judge in North Carolina denied a preliminary injunction against the state Board of Elections.
Michigan’s Ruling
The Michigan Court of Claims dismissed a Republican motion aimed at invalidating overseas ballots due to its timing, filed less than a month before the election. The court found that the overseas voting provisions comply with state and federal law, effectively dismissing the challenge on procedural grounds.
Judge Sima G. Patel noted, “A challenge could have been raised at any time after 2017, and should have at least been brought earlier in the year leading up to the general election, not 28 days before,” confirming the legal framework’s consistency since 2017.
The Republican National Committee, alongside state GOP bodies as plaintiffs, sought to question the validity of such ballots in battleground states like Michigan. The Democrats, conversely, viewed this legal confrontation as an attempt to dismantle trust in overseas voting, potentially crucial in tightly contested regions.
North Carolina’s Judicial Decision
In North Carolina, a judge equally dismissed a Republican-led challenge that targeted the rights of “Never Residents” — overseas voters without prior residency in the state. The court denied a preliminary injunction against the state’s Board of Elections, allowing the voters in question to participate in the upcoming election.
The Democratic National Committee argued that such assertions aimed primarily at sowing doubt before election day, reflecting historical trends seen in previous election cycles. Yeah, like the Democrats care even slightly about election integrity…
Overseas voting has become the latest battlefront in Republicans’ legal challenges leading up to the election. https://t.co/3mPuSgMLPc
— abc27 News (@abc27News) October 21, 2024
Battleground Implications
The ongoing legal challenges reflect a broader Republican strategy concerning overseas ballots, with projections that these voters could sway elections in decisive states such as Pennsylvania. Republicans have expressed concerns, accusing officials of leniency by improperly accepting large quantities of these ballots, advocating for greater scrutiny to prevent potential fraud.
