Fact Check: Does Michigan voter data prove fraud in Gretchen Whitmer's 2022 reelection victory?
LANSING, MICHIGAN: A rumor has been going viral on social media platforms claiming that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's 2022 reelection victory was possibly fraudulent. The post claims that available data shows more registered voters than the state's voting-age population, sparking criticisms and speculations. Let us analyze the viral rumor and fact-check its authenticity.
Claim: Gretchen Whitmer's 2022 reelection victory was a result of fraud
According to the viral claim, statistics proved fraud in Michigan's 2022 gubernatorial election by showing more registered voters than the state's voting-age population.
The claim emerged after Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won a second four-year term in November 2022, attributing her victory to fraud.
Social media users are sharing election statistics from the Great Lakes State on Facebook, Threads, X, and Instagram. One viral Instagram post included a photo of Whitmer overlaid with the words, "Possible Michigan voter fraud comes to light!"
The post was accompanied by a caption stating, “BREAKING: Gretchen Whitmer won Michigan by 469,870 votes in 2022. Michigan had 586,231 more voters than eligible voting-age citizens. Michigan reported 8,226,745 registered voters in 2022. Michigan's citizen voting-age population was 7,640,514.”
Fact Check: Michigan voter rolls contradict fraud claims
The rumor is false, as the post failed to account for how the Great Lakes State maintains voter rolls, using two metrics: total registered voters and active registered voters.
Michigan reports slightly more registered voters than voting-age residents because state and federal laws require election officials to wait before removing inactive voters, including those who may have moved, died, or failed to respond to official notices.
According to a report by Politico, Whitmer won reelection in 2022 by a margin of nearly 470,000 votes, with around 4.5 million people voting.
According to the state’s government website, that year the state had 7,297,900 active registered voters and 8,226,745 total registered voters, with a voting-age population of 7,924,418. Michigan’s total population is more than 10 million, according to the US Census.
The Michigan government’s website explains that inactive voters must remain on the voter rolls for several years before they can be removed.
The National Conference of State Legislatures noted that voters who do not respond to address-confirmation notices may be marked as inactive.
Still, they can only be removed after remaining inactive through two general elections, a process that takes about four years. In April, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the state had removed more than 2.1 million outdated voter registrations since 2019.
