Donald Trump and his legal team worked in conjunction with the Republican National Committee to sue Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to stop the expansion of voter registration for veterans in crucial swing states before the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
The Vet Voice Foundation is a progressive veterans’ organization and previously backed Gov. Whitmer’s attempt to use the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs to expand voter registration.
Gov. Whitmer’s Actions
In 2023, Gov. Whitmer sent out an executive directive that made the Detroit VA Medical Center, Saginaw VA Medical Center, and the Michigan Department of Veterans Affairs Detroit office as voter registration agencies to help increase the number of veterans who can vote.
She issued the designation at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Housing Development Authority/
The Law Was Originally Passed by Biden
The issue surrounding the case comes from Executive Order 14910, passed by President Joe Biden, which states that each federal agency “if requested by a State to be designated as a voter registration agency…shall, to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with applicable law, agree to such designation.”
The Trump campaign and the RNC soon criticized the decision. Voter registration has often been a hot topic for Democratic lawmakers, but it has been contested by Republicans.
Trump Filed a Lawsuit
In an attempt to block the voter registration expansion, the Trump team filed a lawsuit last month.
The suit accuses Gov. Whitmer of illegally allowing voter registration at locations like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Small Business Administration. It also accuses her of using selective voter registration to influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Veterans Back Up Whitmer
The Vet Voice Foundation has joined Whitmer in the case and argued in a nation to intervene on the governor’s behalf. The group says that expanding voter registration locations would make it easier for veterans to vote.
However, they might not be allowed to back up Whitmer in official legal proceedings. Federal Judge Paul L. Maloney says that allowing the Vet Voice Foundation to become a party in the lawsuit would be “unnecessary and burdensome.”
Trump Attempting to Keep the Status Quo Alive
Alongside arguing that the Vet Voice Foundation should not be allowed to file alongside Whitmere in the trial, the Trump legal team says that if they win, they will return things to how they were working previously. Although many veterans say, they are not getting a fair shake at the voting process.
The Trump legal team says, “it would simply return things to the status quo prior to December 18, 2023. Put another way, a judgment in Plaintiffs’ favor would make registering to vote no harder for veterans than it was for the 93 years between the VA’s formation and the Governor’s…Executive Directive.”
Standing up for Veterans
On the Vet Voice Foundation website, the group states that they want to help former service members “stand with their fellow Veterans to help build a larger progressive infrastructure in this country, to address our nation’s social and economic problems.”
One way that veterans can often become disenfranchised in the country is by becoming homeless, losing their personal documents, and not being able to register to vote.
Other Progressive Moves by the Company
Another important cause that the Vet Voice Foundation took up was abortion services.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, the Vet Voice Foundation took a strong stance to support it by providing abortion services to former military members. It said in a statement that the “Pentagon‘s commitment to addressing these issues is very encouraging.”
Progressive Politics Movement
The group backs several other veteran groups that have moved in a more progressive direction to help provide much-needed governmental services to those who require additional support.
Harrison Tarter, the group’s program director, previously worked “in both progressive politics and within the labor movement for an affiliate of the AFL-CIO [American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations],” according to the organization’s website.
Trump Is Falling Behind in Michigan
The current polling projection for the 2024 presidential election shows that Harris is leading by 3.2 points on a federal level and a slightly smaller margin.
Michigan will be watched as one of the most important battleground states. The state has 16 electoral college votes and can often sway a presidential election by allowing one candidate a massive leg up.
Voter Registration Fight
This isn’t the first time that Republicans have tried to fight against voter registration and expansion in important battle ground states.
In Georgia, the Trump team is also backing the Republicans’ voter purge in court. More than 1,000 voters were removed from registration polls, many of which were homeless individuals who lacked necessary identification like birth certificates.
Voting Rights Is a Hot Topic
As Democratic politicians have attempted to expand voter rights around the country and allow citizens an easier path to register, they have been met with pushback by Republicans on every measure.
In Arizona, the RNC asked the Supreme Court to block more than 40 thousand state voters from the presidential election based on documentary proof of their citizenship. It might seem surprising, but many citizens lack the documents needed to prove their birthplaces, such as birth certificates. In this case, residents are allowed to sign a document that pledges their birthplace. However, Republicans have fought this law by stating it could result in illegal aliens voting in presidential elections – so far, no wrongdoing has been found on behalf of voters in Arizona.
