State of Michigan

Michigan Voter Roll Maintenance Challenge (PILF)

Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Benson

Lawsuit filed on behalf of the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), a right-wing organization, claiming that Michigan does not maintain accurate voter rolls and therefore thousands of voters must be purged from its lists. PILF alleges that Michigan does not conduct adequate list maintenance in violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and claims that thousands of deceased voters remain registered to vote. The lawsuit asks the court to find that Michigan is violating the NVRA and order it to “allow inspection of records” so that PILF can ascertain the “accuracy and currency” of Michigan’s voters, along with conducting a list maintenance program that PILF deems necessary.

On March 1, 2024, the court denied PILF’s motion for summary judgment and issued a judgment ruling in favor of the Michigan secretary of state and dismissing the case. On March 26, 2024, PILF appealed the decision to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

STATUS: PILF appealed the district court’s dismissal of the case to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Litigation is ongoing in the 6th Circuit, which will consider the appeal without oral argument on Oct. 30.

Case Documents

Case Documents (6th Circuit)

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