In what Republicans are calling a win for election integrity, the Michigan Court of Claims ruled election clerks cannot initially presume voter signatures are valid. The decision struck down Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s second attempt in 2023 to adjust signature verification requirements, even after the court ruled in 2021 that those changes were invalid. The December 2023 guidance manual issued by Benson to help polling clerks stated “voter signatures are entitled to an initial presumption of validity.”