The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Maryland election officials of failing to properly maintain the state’s voter-registration rolls. The complaint argues that registration rates in several counties are unrealistically high, with two large counties reporting more registered voters than adult citizens. Ten additional counties allegedly have registration rates above 95%, despite Census data placing Maryland’s statewide rate around 75%. RNC Chair Joe Gruters said the state has neglected its duty to remove ineligible or deceased voters, undermining public confidence in election integrity.
According to the lawsuit, Maryland has not complied with the National Voter Registration Act’s requirements for maintaining accurate voter rolls. An audit by the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits in October 2023 found thousands of potentially deceased individuals and hundreds of possible duplicate registrations still marked as active. The complaint argues that inaccurate voter lists discourage lawful voters by fostering doubts that their legitimate votes may be diluted by unlawful ballots. The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued Maryland for failing to provide requested voter-registration records.
The Maryland case is part of a broader DOJ effort to require states to update voter rolls. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said her division has filed lawsuits against six Democrat-led states and reached agreements with others to correct registration issues. She stated that the department is now on track to compel at least 26 states to clean their voter rolls through litigation, settlements, or voluntary compliance.