LANSING, Mich. — Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt on Thursday celebrated reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is on track to compel voter roll clean ups in over half of U.S. states.

“President Trump and Attorney General Bondi are fighting to protect U.S. citizens and ensure that our elections are secure,” said Nesbitt, R-Porter Township. “We are blessed to have their leadership in a state where illegal immigrants have obtained driver’s licenses and a Chinese national was among at least 16 noncitizens who were confirmed to have cast ballots in our last general election.”

Last month, Nesbitt and 21 Republican legislators sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting the Justice Department oversee the state’s 2026 primary and general elections, citing an “inherent and unavoidable conflict of interest” as Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the state’s chief elections official, is also on the ballot for governor.

The letter outlined a series of serious concerns about Benson’s poor job performance, including her troubling refusal to cooperate with federal authorities and a recent DOJ lawsuit against her and the state for failing to provide unredacted voter registration records, in violation of the Civil Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

It also cited Benson’s persistent failure to maintain accurate voter rolls, including her refusal to remove deceased registrants as required by federal law. Audits and investigations have revealed more than 25,000 deceased individuals remaining on Michigan’s voter rolls, prompting ongoing litigation that has escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Jocelyn Benson proves over and over again that she is the worst secretary of state in America and cannot be trusted with our voter rolls,” Nesbitt said.