The Michigan Court of Claims has dismissed a second lawsuit filed by Republican Party officials that sought to invalidate absentee ballot voting rights for a small group of people.
The lawsuit, filed in late 2025, claimed Michigan's law allowing the spouses and voting-age children of Michigan service members and civilians working overseas is unconstitutional, by violating the state's residency requirements for voting.
State law allows spouses and children of Michigan civilians and military members serving overseas to vote absentee — even if those family members never lived in the state themselves.
The Court of Claims said the lawsuit was an effort to disenfranchise the group of voters, and Michigan's law is valid.
"The subject group members do not currently live in Michigan and therefore cannot vote in person, nor can they easily drop by their local clerk’s office to vote in person or to remedy alleged deficiencies with their AVBs (absentee voter ballots) before an election. Given this reality, both federal and state law protect the right of the subject group to vote by AVB."
In a statement, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called the decision "a victory for military service members, their families, and the rule of law; it's a defeat for this disgraceful, coordinated attack against eligible Michigan voters and our secure election process."
Republican officials who filed the lawsuit did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its dismissal.
