Trump’s call for federal oversight intensifies clash over Michigan elections

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

As the 2026 election season ramps up, tensions are rising over oversight of Michigan’s elections as state and federal leaders clash over election integrity.

President Donald Trump this week floated the idea of federalizing elections, prompting swift pushback from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who called the proposal unconstitutional.

“Let me be very clear: elections will continue to be run at the state level in Michigan,” Witmer said in a video posted to social media on Wednesday. “Any attempt by the federal government to take over Michigan elections should be seen for what it is – an attempt to take away your constitutional right to vote. Now, it’s not going to happen on my watch.”

Michigan Republicans, however, say Trump is right to call for increased federal oversight.

“President Trump is 100% right because Michigan voters cannot trust Jocelyn Benson,” said Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township. “She continues to fight against transparency and accountability, refuses to remove dead people from our state’s voter rolls and is happy to let noncitizens vote in our elections. She’s the worst secretary of state in America and shouldn’t be running our elections without checks and balances.”

In November, Nesbitt was among 22 Republican state lawmakers who sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting the Department of Justice deploy election monitors and provide “comprehensive oversight” of Michigan’s 2026 elections.

The lawmakers cited what they described as an “inherent and unavoidable conflict of interest,” noting that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will serve as the state’s chief elections official while also running for governor.

That pressure escalated this week when seven members of Michigan’s Republican U.S. congressional delegation sent a letter directly to Benson, urging her to address what they called ongoing “election integrity concerns.”

“A U.S. citizen’s right to vote in elections is a cornerstone of our Republic and one which all elected officials should vigorously defend,” the letter stated. “It is crucial that the public’s confidence in the security of Michigan elections remains strong and any case of a non-citizen voting in an election or being registered to vote erodes the public’s confidence and subverts their will.”

The lawmakers said even a single case is unacceptable and asked Benson to respond to a series of questions by Feb. 27.

The renewed scrutiny follows a January report from Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican candidate for secretary of state, who said his office identified 14 noncitizens registered to vote in the county.

Benson just recently pushed back on those claims, calling them “reckless” and saying some of the individuals identified were U.S. citizens or had already been removed from the voter rolls.

“Michigan knows how to run safe, secure, transparent elections,” she said. “We don’t need federal agents in our cities, and we don’t need politicians – who know better—accusing eligible voters of fraud to score political points.”

Michigan is also one of 24 states – most led by Democrats – currently suing the U.S. Department of Justice over its request to audit state voter rolls. The states argue the request violates voter privacy, while federal officials say the audits are necessary to protect election integrity.

Trump’s remarks Tuesday marked an escalation in rhetoric. During an Oval Office bill-signing ceremony, he pointed to what he described as “horrible corruption” in Detroit and other major cities.

“A state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway,” he said. “But when you see some of these states about how horribly they run their elections, what a disgrace it is.”

Whitmer rejected that argument, defending the nation’s decentralized election system.

“Our nation has a long, proud history of running decentralized federal elections,” she said. “This November, Michiganders will once again run another safe, secure election. We’ll do our constitutional duty without interference, and we will honor the results.”