The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), an outside organization that has reviewed multiple states’ voter registration lists, called for more transparency in Michigan’s voter rolls.
When analyzing the data, the group claimed that the state has a discrepancy between the number of voters listed as having voted in the 2020 general election and the number of ballots reported being cast according to states’ official canvass and turnout reports.
“Michigan is a state that gained a lot of attention in 2020,” VRF Executive Director Gina Swoboda said. “We have a large discrepancy there. This is troubling and something we need to further examine to determine the cause.”
“We’re honored to be the first comprehensive database in this space because it’s an important step forward for confidence in our elections. But we shouldn’t be the provider of this information. States like Michigan should ultimately publish, maintain, clean, and present the voter files in real time rendering independent efforts obsolete.”
According to the group, the numerical differences could point to an issue with record keeping and the need to be more transparent and proactive when maintaining voter rolls.
To this point, the organization has examined nine states, finding discrepancies in each:
- Michigan | 74,135
- Wisconsin | (3,033)
- Georgia | 3,787
- Nevada | 8,952
- New Jersey | (37,944)
- North Carolina | (42)
- Ohio | 22,425
- Pennsylvania | 41,524
- Virginia | 63,984
Previously, a lawsuit, initiated by the Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), contended that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has continuously failed to maintain accurate and current voter rolls, as required by federal law.
The group alleges that there are thousands of deceased individuals who remain on voter lists.
“For over a year, we’ve shared specific data with the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office about the alarming problem of deceased registrants on Michigan’s voter rolls. Secretary Benson has done nothing to resolve the problem and is even refusing to hand over public documents related to these failures. The failure to remove deceased registrants creates an opportunity for fraud and makes Michigan’s elections less secure,” said PILF President J. Christian Adams.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “People Voting” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
