A post shared on Facebook claims that the state of Michigan has 500,000 more registered voters than citizens eligible to vote.
Verdict: False
The claim does not take into account Michigan’s number of inactive vs. active registered voters.
Fact Check:
Former President Donald Trump held a final rally in Michigan where he shared his belief that the state was the key to winning the election, according to The Detroit News. He also shared thoughts on the legitimacy of the machines used to count votes, implied former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a word that “starts with a ‘b’” and called his former chief of staff “dumb as a rock,” the outlet reported.
A Facebook post claims that Michigan has 500,000 more registered voters compared to its number of citizens eligible to vote. The post shared white text on a black background with some text highlighted in yellow.
The image’s text reads, “Michigan is preparing for a delayed election result this year, similar to what happened in 2020. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has announced they’ll need an extra 24 hours to count all the votes. Meanwhile, Michigan already has 500,000 more registered voters than eligible citizens.”
“So we see here again, Michigan is already trying to cheat. All you have to do is look at that third line,” the caption reads. “How do you have 500,000 more registered voters than eligible citizens why is the DOJ not investigating this for election interference?” (RELATED: No, Voters in Maine Cannot Vote For the Same Candidate Twice)
The claim is inaccurate. Census data shows that out of a total population of 10,037,261, there are 7,646,222 citizens eligible to vote in Michigan. The Michigan Department of State has a webpage showing voter registration statistics. It reveals that although there are 8,453,127 people registered to vote in Michigan, only about 7.2 million of these are considered active registered voters. The page shows that 335,970 voter registrations are set to be cancelled in 2025 due to inactivity.
The Michigan Voting Dashboard says voters are marked as inactive if they have moved and do not respond to a notice for cancellation, or the voter has no activity (such as voting in an election) over a period of six years. Additionally, inactive voters can become ineligible to vote if election officials receive information indicating that the voter has died or moved.
A spokesperson for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson directed Check Your Fact to the “Michigan has 7.2 million active registered voters” tab on the site’s Election Fact Checker page, which provides more information on how Michigan’s list of active registered voters is maintained.
Check Your Fact reached out to spokespeople for the Michigan Bureau of Elections and the Michigan Department of State for comment.