The House Oversight Committee has initiated an investigation into claims that individuals without U.S. citizenship may have been included on voter rolls and jury selection pools in Michigan, a crucial battleground state.
Committee Chair James Comer and Michigan Representative John James are requesting information from Attorney General Pam Bondi about potential violations of federal voting laws. The Republicans are asking whether Macomb County, located in the Detroit metro area, improperly granted voting rights reserved exclusively for American citizens to noncitizens.
According to their inquiry, Michigan's jury selection process draws from individuals with driver's licenses and state identification cards. Under state procedures, people applying for these documents are automatically registered to vote unless they specifically opt out.
During a four-month audit, Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini reported finding 239 noncitizens in the jury pool. Among these individuals, 14 appeared to have been registered voters at some point, with at least one showing a record of casting multiple ballots.
Forlini characterized the findings as deeply troubling and said some individuals could face felony charges. The county clerk had announced these discoveries in January.
The Department of Justice previously filed suit against Michigan regarding voter information practices late last year.
Comer and James are pressing Bondi to investigate whether similar issues exist in other states and to examine how states have responded to federal oversight efforts on election integrity matters.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson disputed the severity of Forlini's claims, calling them reckless and stating that her office's investigation identified only four confirmed noncitizens who were registered to vote. Those cases are being actively investigated.
House Republicans have introduced several bills in recent weeks aimed at strengthening voter verification requirements, including the SAVE America Act scheduled for a vote this week.