The Republican National Committee (RNC) is waging a multi-front battle in the courts to shape the electoral landscape ahead of the 2024 elections. With tens of thousands of volunteers, including a large team of attorneys, the RNC is engaged in over 100 lawsuits across the country, focusing on issues such as voter rolls, poll worker parity, and election security.
The RNC’s election integrity program, launched after a consent decree was lifted in 2018, aims to “protect the vote” and prevent what the committee sees as Democratic attempts to manipulate the electoral system. However, Democrats and voting rights advocates argue that the RNC’s efforts are designed to restrict voting rights and disenfranchise certain groups.
In Arizona, the RNC scored a partial victory in the Supreme Court, which allowed the state to require proof of citizenship from voters registering with a state form. However, the court also ruled that voters who registered using a federal form could still vote in federal elections without providing documentation.
In Michigan, the RNC filed a lawsuit in Wayne County, alleging that the county’s election commission had appointed a disproportionate number of Democratic poll workers. The RNC is seeking a court order to require the county to achieve parity in poll worker assignments.
In North Carolina, the RNC brought a lawsuit against the state’s election board, arguing that over 225,000 voters on the rolls had registered without providing required identification. The RNC claims that this could lead to ineligible voters casting ballots, although there is no evidence to support this claim.
The RNC has also intervened in a lawsuit in Georgia, where the state’s election board has implemented new certification rules. The committee is pushing for “accurate voter-registration lists” and seeking to halt the enforcement of provisions that allow officials to purge voter rolls.
Marc Elias, a prominent Democratic attorney, dismissed the RNC’s lawsuits as an attempt to manipulate the electoral system and restrict voting rights. “While we’re in court fighting to expand voting rights and protect drop boxes, they’re in court trying to allow their henchmen and vigilantes to intimidate voters and harass election officials,” Elias said.
The RNC’s efforts are part of a broader strategy to shape the electoral landscape and ensure what the committee sees as the integrity of the voting process. However, the lawsuits have sparked intense debate and criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates, who argue that the RNC’s efforts are designed to restrict voting rights and disenfranchise certain groups.
