FIRST ON FOX: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing the Election Commission of the City of Detroit over allegations they violated state law by hiring more than seven times more Democratic poll workers than Republicans for the 2024 election.
Michigan requires 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,” according to Section 168.74 of the state’s election law.
However, the city of Detroit hired about 2,300 Democratic poll workers and only about 300 Republican election inspectors for the state’s 2024 primary election, according to the Detroit Election Commission Report cited in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed by the RNC, Michigan GOP, and chairs of Wayne County Republican committees late Thursday, charged that the City of Detroit’s Election Commission violated state law and, moreover, has a legal duty to appoint an equal number of GOP and Democratic poll workers before the November election.
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Poll workers help voters at an early voting site on February 17, 2024. in Battle Creek, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson)
“Detroit’s failure to hire Republican poll workers is the kind of bad-faith Democrat interference that drives down faith in elections,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
Section 674(2) of the Election Law also requires the commission to “appoint at least 1 election inspector from each major political party,” but according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, 200 of the 335 precincts did not have a single Republican election inspector.
A booth for registering poll workers stands near where people line up to see Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speak on July 31, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Stephanie Keith)
“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,” Whatley and Trump said in a joint statement.
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The lawsuit asked that the commission use “appropriate practices and procedures to ensure the appointment of an equal number, as nearly as possible, of Republican and Democrat election inspectors,” and comply with state law by Oct. 15.
The Detroit Election Commission did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
