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Michigan: Ruling on Voting Rights
October 14, 2008
National Briefing | Midwest
A judge has ordered state election officials to stop automatically canceling a voter’s registration if the card is returned as undeliverable.
Judge Stephen Murphy of Federal District Court in Detroit ruled in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and a group representing college students. More than 1,400 voters in that category have been disqualified so far in 2008. The judge said that it was unclear how many cancellations were actually wrong but that it was a violation of federal law. Judge Murphy said those people should not be prevented from voting if they can produce more proof of residency at the polls.