Former President Donald Trump's campaign is suing Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, arguing that their plan to let certain state agency workers register more voters is illegal.
According to the lawsuit filed on Monday and flagged by 12News, Whitmer and Benson do not have authority, under a 1995 law passed by the Michigan legislature, to designate the Michigan Department of Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration to register voters, as these were not agencies included on that law as available for the governor to designate.
Whitmer issued an executive order last year that allows more state agencies to register voters, and Benson implemented the arrangement. The Trump campaign wants a federal judge to declare this unlawful and force state officials to seek approval from the legislature to give voter registration duties to these agencies.
This lawsuit is the latest in a years-long campaign by Trump and his Republican allies to try to block various policies designed to make it easier to vote.
READ: Behind Trump and the GOP's plan to use this opportunity to shut up Democrats
In another such case, Stephen Miller, a former Trump adviser and the head of the far-right group America First Legal, filed a lawsuit alleging that the state of Arizona set up too many voting centers in Black and Hispanic precincts, creating a voting disadvantage for white and indigenous voters. This lawsuit was dismissed in February.
Earlier this month, anti-voting elements in Wisconsin suffered a defeat after the recently-elected liberal Supreme Court majority restored ballot drop boxes for mail ballots throughout the state, reversing a previous court decision that had abolished their use. "Wisconsin voters should have more options, and drop boxes are a secure and easy way to increase civic participation and ensure voters have another safe, secure, and accessible way to cast their ballot," stated Sam Liebert, the head of a local voting rights group.
