A Republican National Committee lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson resulted in new guidance on signature verification following issues in Warren during the August primary. The RNC sued Benson in September after incomplete guidance from her office resulted in thousands of absent voter ballots tabulated in Warren during the Aug. 6 primary “despite the complete absence of a statement by the clerk on the corresponding return envelope that the absent voter ballot is approved for tabulation as expressly required” under Michigan law, the lawsuit read.
“The clerk must verify that the signature on a returned absent voter ballot envelope matches the voter’s signature on file,” according to the updated guidance cited by The Federalist. “Approval can be expressed by completing and initialing the portion of the ‘clerk section’ indicating that the signature was verified.”
Guidance issued by Benson in February 2024 did not inform clerks of the requirement to include “a statement by the city or township clerk that the absent voter ballot is approved for verification” once the voter’s signature is verified, as required by law. Without that verification, the law states “the clerk shall reject the absent voter ballot and provide the elector with notice of the opportunity to cure the deficiency.”
“In response to our lawsuit, Secretary Benson has updated her guidance to require proof that signatures have been verified before ballots are counted,” according to a RNC statement.
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