by Fred Lucas
Two main ones battlefield states allow foreign citizens who don’t live – and in some cases have never lived – in their home states to vote, the Republican National Committee says.
Meanwhile, the Democrats Abroad group sees what it calls international voting as a “secret weapon” to winning elections.
The RNC has joined state Republican parties in Michigan and North Carolina in separate lawsuits to stop overseas voting, which the plaintiffs say is illegal.
Former President Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, both states are deadlocked in the race for the White House, with the polls differing by one percentage point. everyone country.
Michigan has 15 electoral votes and North Carolina has 16.
The Republican National Committee’s lawsuit names the North Carolina Board of Elections and controversial Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as defendants, respectively. Spokespeople for both offices did not immediately respond to The Daily Signal’s inquiries for this story.
“First of all, North Carolinians and Michiganders should not have their votes invalidated by those who have never lived in the state – plain and simple,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a public statement announcement statement the hearing took place tardy on Tuesday evening.
“It’s illegal and we’re going to put an end to it,” Whatley said. “While Democrats want an election system that disregards the law, we care about election integrity across the country.”
The RNC just filed two recent UOCAVA lawsuits against:
-MI Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
-NC National Electoral CommissionWe must ensure that foreign voters in random states do not influence elections in swing states. We will not allow Democrats to abuse UOCAVA.
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) October 8, 2024
A spokesman for Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, criticized the proceedings.
“This time, their goal is the voting rights of U.S. citizens and their families living abroad, including the children of active-duty military members who sacrifice for our freedoms,” Angela Benander told The Daily Signal in an email. “It’s disappointing when a national political party tries to disenfranchise our military families, but unfortunately it’s not surprising at this point.”
“This is not a legitimate legal concern, but merely the latest element of the RNC’s PR campaign to spread baseless distrust of the integrity of our elections,” Benander said. “We will continue our work to ensure that every legally eligible voter can have their say in this election.”
Democrats Abroad notes that 6.5 million U.S. citizens living abroad are eligible to vote but often do not do so.
“We could change every election in this country based solely on foreign and expatriate voters,” says a pinned post at the top of Democrats Abroad’s X page, which includes the video.
The post added: “People may no longer live in America, but they have the power to fix America. International voters don’t just have numbers, they also have the element of surprise. International Americans should see themselves as democracy’s secret weapon.”
“People may no longer live in America, but they have the power to fix America.”@IAmPoliticsGirl knows the Democrats’ secret weapon… our USA #VoteFromAbroad! Some state races are won by a few votes, and that’s where our overseas votes make a difference.
Help us not to be so mysterious!… pic.twitter.com/XDUrh4FZKf— Democrats Abroad (@DemsAbroad) September 27, 2024
North Carolina is ranked 18th in the nation with a score of 70 by The Heritage Foundation Election Integrity Scorecard state ranking. Michigan ranks 27th with 57.
The lawsuit states that both state constitutions require that individuals be residents of those states and be able to vote.
The Uniformed and Foreign Nationals Absentee Voting Act of 1986 allows U.S. citizens abroad to vote by mail in their state of residence. The law does not extend voting eligibility to people who have never been a state resident, the RNC lawsuits claim.
The plaintiffs allege that Benson gave local election officials in Michigan directions on how to expand eligibility to overseas voters who do not live in the state and likely have never lived there. The lawsuit also alleges that some of them may have never lived in the United States.
North Carolina’s lawsuit argues that the state law – the Uniformed Military Overseas Voters Act, or UMOVA – is unconstitutional and extends voting eligibility to overseas residents who are not or were not state residents.
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Fred Lucas is chief news correspondent and investigative reporting project manager for The Daily Signal. He is the author of “The Myth of Voter Suppression: The Left’s Attack on Clean Elections.”
