The RNC has been ramping up election integrity wins as we get closer to the November elections, now just five weeks away. Early voting has already started in key swing states and ballots have also been mailed. On Monday, the RNC announced victories from last Friday in Michigan and North Carolina.
As we've been covering, the RNC sued Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson last month over a failure to require verification on absentee ballots. "In response to our lawsuit, Secretary Benson has updated her guidance to require proof that signatures have been verified before ballots are counted," Monday's announcement from the RNC noted.
The RNC also sued the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) last month, for the fourth time. In this instance, an appeals court blocked the use of digital student IDs as a valid form of identification, which the NCSBE had unlawfully allowed for.
"Voter ID and signature verification are important safeguards to prevent cheating and fraud. These critical Election Integrity victories will help voters cast their ballots with confidence. Michigan and North Carolina can decide this election, and we are committed to holding election officials accountable and ensuring the law is followed," RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
Both states are critical for the November election, with Michiganders also voting in a close U.S. Senate race to see who will fill retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
According to RealClearPolling, Vice President Kamala Harris is only up by +1.4 in Michigan, while former and potentially future President Donald Trump only leads by +0.7 in North Carolina. Both states are in the "Toss-Up" category, according to RCP's electoral map.
Michigan's Senate race, between Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers ranges from being considered a "Toss-Up" race to giving Slotkin a slight advantage.
Whatley also celebrated the wins from his X account last Friday, when the court rulings came down.
Great election integrity news out of battleground Michigan.
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) September 27, 2024
Clerks were counting mail ballots without proof of signature verification, opening the door to fraud. The @GOP sued.
Result? Ballots will now only be counted after proof that signatures are verified -- a key win.
TWO battleground state wins for election integrity in one afternoon.
— Michael Whatley (@ChairmanWhatley) September 27, 2024
Following a @GOP lawsuit, a North Carolina court just ruled that digital student ID cannot be used as Voter ID.
This is just common sense. We refuse to give an inch when it comes to protecting Voter ID!