Republican Party sues Lansing over partisan imbalance in poll worker appointments

The Michigan Republican Party, Ingham County Republican Party, and the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against the city of Lansing, accusing officials of illegally packing poll worker positions with Democrats, shutting Republicans out, and hiding election records from the public during the August 2026 primary election.

The lawsuit names the Election Commission of Lansing, Clerk Chris Swope, City Assessor Stacey Bassi, and City Attorney Gregory Venker. The RNC alleges that the city appointed 140 Democratic poll workers compared to 71 Republicans, nearly twice as many, violating Michigan’s partisan balance requirement.

A spokesperson for Lansing said the city will answer the complaint in court soon and that elections in Lansing have always been safe and fair, giving voters confidence that the election will run in the same professional manner as always.

Read the full story at WILX.