Michigan judge strikes down Benson voter signature match guidance — again | Bridge Michigan

(6/13/24) Michigan Judge Christopher Yates just ruled that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s Election Manual sent to election officials across the state is unconstitutional and against state law. Regarding signature verification for mail-in ballots, Judge Yates declared that the “initial presumption” of validity in signature verification of absentee-ballot applications and envelopes mandated by the Benson’s Dec. 2023 guidance manual issued is incompatible with the Constitution and laws of the State of Michigan.

Republicans argued that relaxed signature match rules amounted to a Democratic attempt to subvert elections and increases opportunities for mischief while attorneys for SOS Benson maintained that the state’s 2023 election guidance only instructed clerks to presume validity initially – not throughout the signature review process.

But Yates didn’t buy it. “…A presumption is a presumption is a presumption,” the Judge wrote in the order. “Whether the guidance includes a gentle nudge instead of a hip check, it’s still a foul under Michigan law.”