Detroit Faces GOP Lawsuit Over Poll Worker Imbalance
J.P. Isbell /
DETROIT (Michigan News Source)—The Republican National Committee is raising alarms, accusing Detroit of failing to ensure a balanced hiring of Republican election inspectors. The RNC’s lawsuit claims that during the August primaries, Detroit’s Election Commission appointed a whopping 2,337 Democratic inspectors, while only assigning 310 Republicans.
Election inspectors—also known as poll workers—are hired, trained, and paid to greet voters, check them in, assist them when needed and manage ballot counting, as well as identify and report issues that come up during the election process. They can also assist with absentee ballots.
The RNC claims the disparity in Detroit flies in the face of Michigan’s election laws, which require nearly equal representation from both major political parties. Michigan election law states that the board of election commissioners “shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party” to help ensure election fairness and transparency.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump said in a statement, “Detroit’s failure to hire Republican poll workers is the kind of bad-faith Democrat interference that drives down faith in elections. The RNC is bringing suit to remedy this completely unacceptable breach of public trust, and our unprecedented election integrity campaign will continue to fight in Michigan and nationwide to protect the rights of every voter to have fair, accurate, secure, and transparent elections.”
Lara Trump added in an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, “We are fighting tooth and nail to make sure Donald Trump wins in Michigan. We believe if it’s a free, fair, and transparent election, he will.”
Detroit’s Election Commission Under Fire
The lawsuit against the city of Detroit’s Election Commission highlights that out of 675 Republican nominees, only 52 were selected as inspectors, leaving 200 precincts without a single Republican on duty, according to Fox News Digital. The RNC, along with Michigan GOP leaders, insists that Detroit’s actions erode public trust in election integrity and demand that the commission appoint an equal number of inspectors by Oct. 15.
The RNC is demanding compliance with state law to ensure fair representation—and say officials have a duty to appoint an equal number of GOP and Democratic poll workers for the upcoming November election.
A Recurring Battle
This isn’t the RNC’s first rodeo. It previously filed a similar lawsuit against Flint, Michigan, which was dismissed by a judge. However, the stakes are higher this time, with the presidential election looming.
The RNC argues that Detroit’s decision to hire significantly more Democratic inspectors is a deliberate attempt to sway the election outcome, leading to what they describe as “bad-faith Democrat interference.”
As of now, Detroit’s officials, including City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Council President Mary Sheffield, have remained tight-lipped about the lawsuit, with the mayor’s office declining to comment on the pending litigation.
The RNC, however, is far from silent, with Whatley and Lara Trump vowing to continue their “unprecedented election integrity campaign” to safeguard what they believe is every voter’s right to a fair and transparent election.
With the November election on the horizon, and Michigan on the front lines of deciding the presidency, this legal battle is just one of many that could shape how the votes are counted—and who does the counting.
Originally published by Michigan News Source