LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan judge ruled this week that election officials cannot count absent voter ballots when the identification number on the ballot stub doesn't match the number on the return envelope or when the stub is missing entirely.

Court of Claims Judge Brock A. Swartzle sided with the Republican National Committee, Michigan Republican Party and a township clerk in their challenge to guidance issued by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Benson's guidance instructed election workers to process such ballots as "challenged ballots" and count them.

The ruling centers on a 2024 amendment made to Michigan election law ( MCL 168.768 ) that requires ballot stub numbers to match the numbers printed on absent voter return envelopes before votes can be tabulated. The law stat

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