Update 4:39 p.m.
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson is being sued for ordering a citizenship question onto forms handed to voters at their local precincts. It asks people to check a box affirming their U.S. citizenship. But no one can legally be denied a ballot for refusing to check the box.
Jocelyn Benson directs the Michigan Center for Election Law, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. She said Secretary of State Johnson is acting outside the realm of her authority.
"And it's not going to prevent non-citizens from voting, but it is something that will create and has created some confusion in our elections process," said Benson.
The lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Johnson's office would not comment specifically on the lawsuit. But she has said the question is simply meant to remind people that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections.
3:06 p.m.
Some county clerks are suing the state over boxes on voter forms that ask people whether they are citizens.
The lawsuit will say that Secretary of State Ruth Johnson does not have the authority on her own to put the boxes on election forms. A voter cannot be denied a ballot for refusing to check the box.
Earlier this year, Governor Rick Snyder vetoed a bill that would have required voter forms to include a citizenship question.
(we'll update this post - check back)
