Michigan’s failure to send absentee ballots to hundreds of military and overseas voters has sparked a federal lawsuit. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) requires states to send ballots to eligible voters at least 45 days prior to federal elections.
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the state of Michigan and its chief elections officials to ensure that military service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in Michigan’s Aug. 7, 2012, federal primary election and Sept. 5, 2012, federal special primary election.
“Our armed forces, their families and overseas citizens deserve a meaningful opportunity to fully participate in our nation’s elections,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This suit seeks relief to ensure that Michigan’s military and overseas voters will be provided the opportunity guaranteed by UOCAVA to receive, mark and return their ballots in the upcoming August and September elections.”
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Patrick Miles said, “This office will vigorously enforce federal laws that protect the rights of eligible Michigan voters to participate in federal elections. Americans have fought and died for the right to vote. We must ensure eligible voters have the opportunity to cast their vote and for it to count.”
The lawsuit seeks an order requiring Michigan to ensure that military and overseas voters will have sufficient opportunity to receive, cast and return their ballots in time to be counted by extending the deadline for the receipt of ballots from affected UOCAVA voters. For the Aug. 7, 2012, federal primary election, the suit also requests an order requiring Michigan to provide affected voters who have not received their ballots alternative options for expedited delivery of their ballots.
The lawsuit also seeks relief requiring Michigan to closely monitor and certify its cities’ and townships’ transmission of UOCAVA ballots and to provide reports to the United States about its UOCAVA compliance, including the transmission of ballots for the upcoming Nov. 6, 2012, federal general election.
More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Civil Rights Division website at www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/misc/activ_uoc.php.
Please report any complaints to the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
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