DNC Moves To Intervene in RNC vs. DeMarinis To Ensure Eligible Maryland Voters Aren’t Illegally Purged from the Voter Rolls Arrow

RNC attempting to force the purging of lawful Maryland voters from the rolls in violation of the National Voter Registration Act

Case has national implications and is part of Republicans' systematic efforts to kick eligible Americans, including students, renters, and other frequent movers, off of the rolls

Today, in response to the Republican National Committee's and Maryland Republican Party's suit to kick eligible Maryland voters off of the voter rolls, the DNC moved to intervene to defend the rights of Marylanders who have moved within the State and to stop Republicans' nationwide crusade to disenfranchise eligible voters.

The RNC is targeting Maryland's standard list maintenance procedure, which allows the transfer of a voter's registration after they have moved from one Maryland county to another, and has asked the Court to order the State to instead place these voters on the path to removal from the rolls. Make no mistake: the RNC has no basis to demand that Marylanders who move between counties risk their voter registration. Under Maryland law, these "movers" are still eligible to vote.

If the RNC is successful in this case, it could try forcing other states to remove from the rolls any voter who, for example, moves to a neighboring town to find a new job or goes to college a few counties from home.

DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

"Republicans continue to wage a relentless campaign to disenfranchise voters. If a Maryland voter moves to a different county in the state, they still have the right to vote, period. The DNC won't stand quietly - that's why we've moved to intervene in this case, to stand up for voters across Maryland and across the country. We will not back down when voters across this country are under attack."

To view the full motion, click here and here.

Summary of Republicans' attempts to kick lawful Marylanders off of the voter rolls:

• The Republican National Committee and the Maryland Republican Party have sued Maryland election officials and officials in Montgomery County and Howard County, alleging that the State isn't conducting voter registration list maintenance required by the National Voter Registration Act.
• The Constitution puts states in charge of their election procedures unless Congress sets a clear national standard. The National Voter Registration Act requires a "reasonable effort" to remove deceased registrants and registrants who are ineligible based on a change of address. That is all.
• The RNC has demanded that a federal court force Maryland officials to put in place procedures that "ensure that ineligible registrants are not on the rolls." This standard would almost certainly lead to eligible voters being mistakenly removed from the rolls and has no basis in the law.
• Maryland law establishes that voters who move between counties remain eligible to vote, and election officials must transfer their registration between counties. The GOP is targeting this procedure because students, renters, and other frequent movers are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans.
• The RNC makes outlandish claims about voter registration rates, but the allegations fall apart with just a quick look at the data. The RNC compares November 2024 voter registration, including 16- and 17-year-old pre-registrants, against 2023 population estimates of citizens aged 18 and up. Once you look at 2024 population estimates and add in 16- and 17-year-olds, the "impossible" registration figures disappear.

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