LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Democratic group is challenging a Michigan law that requires election officials to reject absentee ballots with signatures that don't match what's on file.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Detroit by Priorities USA, a political action committee. It says Michigan's signature-matching law is "arbitrary and standardless" and has disenfranchised hundreds of voters in recent elections.
The suit says Michigan law does not require election officials to be trained in signature or handwriting analysis, yet they have "unfettered discretion" to toss absentee ballots and applications. The suit says the law provides no mechanism by which voters whose ballots are wrongfully discarded can appeal.
