The Foundation’s lawsuit alleges Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is violating federal law by failing to remove deceased registrants from the voter roll.   

(Lansing MI) – February 12, 2024: The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) released a video highlighting some of the graves and obituaries of deceased registrants on Michigan’s voter roll. Some of these individuals passed away over two decades ago.

In November of 2021, the Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson for violating the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by failing to make a reasonable effort to remove deceased registrants from the voter rolls. Both parties have submitted motions for summary judgment. The Foundation expects this case to go to trial this year.

The complaint alleges that the Foundation uncovered more than 26,000 deceased registrants on Michigan’s voter rolls. Of these, 17,479 registrants had been dead for at least a decade and 3,956 registrants had been dead for at least two decades. Many of these registrants remained on the active voter roll for decades following his or her death.

“Secretary Benson is vigorously opposing our efforts to investigate the tens of thousands of deceased registrants we found on the voter roll,” said PILF President, J. Christian Adams. “Federal law requires state election officials to have a reasonable program to remove the dead. Keeping dead voters on the rolls for two decades isn’t reasonable.”

This case marks the latest in a long line of successful cases brought by PILF under the NVRA. PILF has brought more voter roll clean-up and inspection cases under the NVRA than any organization in the United States. It has obtained judgment in many of these and will bring more cases this important election year. 

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.

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