The Republican National Committee and Maryland GOP filed a lawsuit against state election officials, alleging “impossibly high” voter registration numbers on Friday after the Department of Justice filed a similar suit earlier this week.
The lawsuit claims Howard County and Montgomery County reported a higher number of registered voters than there were citizens over 18. There are 10 additional counties that report voter registration rates higher than 95% — a mark higher than statewide registration rates, the suit alleges.
The complaint names Jared DeMarinis, the State Administrator of Elections, and four members of the Board of Elections, along with election officials in the two counties.
Maryland election officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The RNC and the lawyers representing them previously sent DeMarinis a letter in July asking for the state’s voter registration list and claiming the state violated federal law.
The suit is filed under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which states there must be a “reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters” from official lists.
The RNC and Maryland GOP claim the inaccurate registration numbers impact “campaign-related activities” and “get-out-the-vote efforts,” ultimately harming the organizations’ ability to elect Republicans, according to the suit.
It also references a 2023 audit which found the State Board of Elections review of voter registration data “remained inadequate,” according to the audit. The suit claims Maryland reported deceased and ineligible voters on the voter roll.
The lawsuit is filed on the heels of Tuesday’s Department of Justice lawsuits against DeMarinis and five other states for failing to provide voter registration rolls upon request.
“Accurate voter rolls are the cornerstone of fair and free elections, and too many states have fallen into a pattern of noncompliance with basic voter roll maintenance,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a release. “The Department of Justice will continue filing proactive election integrity litigation until states comply with basic election safeguards.”
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