The Michigan AG is bound by duty to arrest Whitmer. Doesn’t matter what she thinks or why.
“Before the 2020 election, Benson directed local clerks to presume the signatures on absentee ballot applications and ballots were valid and to further accept the signatures as valid if they contained “any redeeming qualities.”
”The Center for Election Confidence fought this attempt to change, last-minute, Michigan’s election law. The Michigan courts agreed later that the guidance was invalid. Despite this, the Benson issued the same direction again to local clerks for the 2024 election, contrary to previous court rulings and in violation of state law. The RNC has brought suit, seeking to enforce the law and previous court rulings. “”
“Mich. judge axes ‘presumption of validity’ rule for absentee ballot signature verification”
“Lansing — A Court of Claims judge on Wednesday ruled absentee ballot signature verification guidelines issued to Michigan clerks cannot contain language instructing them to presume the validity of a signature.
But Judge Christopher Yates, in the same opinion, upheld other parts of the rules issued by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson that address potential explanations for why a signature might not match, such as age, disability or the quality of a digitized signature.
The litigation filed by the Republican National Committee and Michigan Republican Party against Benson centered around guidance Benson issued to clerks in December regarding how they are to check the signature on absentee ballot applications and ballot envelopes against the signature of the voter in the state’s qualified voter file.
Part of Benson’s guidance issued in December instructed clerks to start the review with a presumption of the validity of the signature, followed by several other measures that should be used to match the signature to a registered voter.
Yates, an appointee of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, agreed with the RNC that the presumption language should be excised from the rules since the state constitution requires an absentee ballot envelope signature to be compared against the one in state records.
“Our constitution calls for a signature comparison without making a presumption for or against validity,” Yates wrote. “Similarly, the language in Michigan statutes precludes the application of a presumption of validity.”
Yates’ decision marks the second time a Michigan court has struck down guidance related to the presumed validity of signatures; in 2021, the Court of Claims ruled such guidance had not gone through the proper rulemaking process.
Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra, in a statement Thursday, said Benson “cannot pick and choose which election laws to enforce and which to ignore.””
MI signature verification requirements court challenge to Whitmer, documents:
www.democracydocket.com/cases/michigan-absentee-ballot-signature-verification-challenge-rnc/
Rural City in Maryland becomes largest Municipality in State to Allow Illegal Votes
h/t guyfawkes4532
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