by: WOOD TV
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — NEWS 8 has learned that Michigan court of claims judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the secretary of state’s mailing of absentee ballot applications to millions of voters who did not request one, ruling Wednesday that Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson had “clear and broad” authority to do so.
Court documents show that State Court of Claim Judge Cynthia Stephens’ decision was indicated after she rejected a request for a preliminary injunction in June.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, began sending the applications in May to all Michigan voters who were not already on permanent absentee ballot lists for the August primary and November general elections, as a way to encourage absentee voting and dissuade in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic
In the ruling, judge Stephens said Benson’s actions are not contrary to election law and noted that voters in 2018 approved a constitutional amendment letting people vote absentee for any reason.
More: WOODTV.COM