Michigan Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Michigan GOP and the RNC in Election Integrity Case
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Yesterday, the Michigan Supreme Court gave a victory to the Michigan State Republican Party and the Republican National Committee (RNC) in a legal battle over election integrity. The court ruled in MIGOP v. Donahue, that Michigan’s State GOP had standing to file a lawsuit against the board of election commissioners for not hiring enough Republican poll workers in the 2022 elections. The state Supreme Court ruling reversed a decision by a lower court.
The matter stems from the 2022 elections, in which the Board of Election Commissioners in Flint, MI, failed to hire an adequate number of GOP poll worker inspectors. Michigan’s GOP claimed this violated Michigan’s state election laws, specifically citing Michigan Election Law Act 116 of 1954.
“The board of election commissioners shall designate one appointed election inspector as chairperson,” reads the law. “The board of election commissioners shall appoint at least one election inspector from each major political party and shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party.”
Justices of Michigan’s high court ruled that there was ample support for standing in the case, and that the Republican organizations had a special injury or right, or at least a substantial interest, that directly and potentially detrimentally affected the citizenry at large.
The significant role played by the major political parties in this area of election law supports the conclusion that they have a unique interest, distinct from the general public, in asserting a challenge if a board of election commissioners did not ‘appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors … from each major political party,’ since [the] plaintiffs, through their county chair, can submit a list of individuals for appointment, the order said.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley described the court ruling as a "major win for election integrity in Michigan" in a press release.
"The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the RNC has standing to hold Flint’s Board of Election Commissioners accountable for violating state law,” he said. “Every voter deserves transparency and fairness — and that starts with equal representation among poll workers. The RNC will keep fighting and winning to secure honest elections across the country," Whatley added.
This ruling follows a similar case in Detroit, where a settlement was reached in October 2024 after the RNC and the Michigan State GOP sued the Detroit Election Commission for appointing 2,337 Democratic inspectors versus 310 Republicans for the August 2024 primary, in violation of the same state law.
The settlement required Detroit to revise its processes to ensure balanced representation of poll workers for future elections. Both cases highlight ongoing Republican efforts to enforce parity in election inspector appointments, arguing that imbalances undermine public trust in elections.
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, WSRP Executive Board Member, 5-Term Skagit County GOP Chairman, Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 and 2024 RNC National Convention Delegate.