REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FILE OVER 100 LAWSUITS IN RUN-UP TO MIDTERMS

In the run-up to Tuesday’s midterms, Republicans and Democrats have filed dozens of lawsuits in battleground states that hold the key to control of the U.S. Congress.

The lawsuits challenge various rules governing the elections. 

The bulk of them are focused on the casting and counting of mail-in ballots that have grown in popularity in recent years.

As of Monday, a total of 128 election and voting-related lawsuits have been filed so far in 2022, according to Democracy Docket, a left-leaning voting rights organization that tracks election litigation. 

Of the total, 71 seek to restrict access to voting, while the rest aim to expand or protect voting, Democracy Docket says.

A September analysis by Democracy Docket showed that Republicans accounted for slightly more than half of the lawsuits filed this year.

Sylvia Albert is Director of Voting and Elections at Common Cause, a nonpartisan watchdog and advocacy organization. 

She said the extraordinary amount of litigation will likely make this midterm the most litigious election in recent memory, after only the 2020 presidential race.

“It is routine for there to be a small amount of lawsuits filed on both sides to get an edge,” Albert said. “What’s different this time around is the sheer amount of lawsuits, and the obvious attempt to disenfranchise voters and undermine people’s faith in elections.”

In 2020, Democracy Docket tracked 68 lawsuits filed before Election Day.

Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the election law reform initiative at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the Republican lawsuits merely seek compliance with the law.

Democracy Docket says Republicans have filed a record number of election-related lawsuits this year, with the majority seeking to limit mail-in voting.