An Update on Michigan Voter Roll Maintenance
A recent rule change by the state Bureau of Elections in Michigan will empower Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to streamline the process of removing inactive voter registrations from the state’s voter rolls.
Under this new rule, individuals who have not voted in the past 20 years will be targeted for removal from the voter rolls. They will receive notifications and will have two federal election cycles to either confirm their status or participate in an election before facing removal.
In a video message, Secretary of State Benson emphasized the significance of this rule change, stating, “Many people who are registered choose not to vote, sometimes for several election cycles. In every election, a few thousand of these inactive voters do show up to vote for the first time in years. But others have moved away or passed away, and despite our repeated attempts to change Michigan law, we just didn’t have the legal tools to cancel those dormant, inactive records.”
Since 2019, Secretary Benson’s office has identified over 2.1 million inactive registrations, with 1.5 million already canceled and 600,000 moved to inactive status. This proactive approach aims to maintain accurate voter rolls and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
Secretary Benson highlighted the importance of balancing high voter turnout with well-maintained voter rolls, stating, “Canceling old registrations isn’t the only success story here. Since I took office, over 2.4 million eligible Michiganders have registered to vote. That means we’re succeeding on both fronts, consistently adding new registered voters in accordance with the law, while taking outdated registrations off the books with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.”
