FLINT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that state and national Republican organizations can proceed with a lawsuit against the Flint City Election Commission over alleged bias in the appointment of election inspectors. The high court’s decision, released July 14, reverses lower court rulings that dismissed the case for lack of standing.

The case centers around a 2022 complaint by the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP) and the Republican National Committee (RNC), who claim the board of election commissioners violated Michigan election law by appointing a disproportionate number of Democratic election inspectors and refusing to accept qualified Republican nominees.

Claims of political imbalance in Flint precincts.

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Michigan law mandates that city election officials strive to maintain a partisan balance among precinct workers by appointing “an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party.”

However, Republicans claim the Flint Election Commission heavily favored Democrats in its appointments for both the August and November 2022 elections – despite having access to a list of numerous qualified GOP nominees.

In the end, the city had appointed 442 Democratic election inspectors for the August 2022 primary and only 49 Republicans. Then, ahead of the November 22 election, only 57 Republican election inspectors were appointed compared to 505 Democratic ones.

The original Genesee County Circuit Court ruling dismissed the lawsuit for lack of standing. That decision was affirmed by the appellate court – but in a 5-1 ruling, the Michigan Supreme Court disagreed. The majority opinion stated that political parties do have a stake in ensuring fair and lawful election administration.

Next stop: Genesee County Circuit Court.

Now that the case can move forward, it returns to the Genesee County Circuit Court for a hearing on the actual claims. The decision could have broader implications for how cities across Michigan handle partisan balance in election staffing.