Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Archives

Swing State Election Boards Engaged in Legal Battles over Election Certification Ahead of November

June 20, 2024June 19, 2024 Just the News

County election boards in swing states across the country are engaged in legal battles over election certification ahead of the November elections, while others were threatened with legal action if they didn’t certify election results.

With the presidential election less than five months away, county election board members are either initiating or find themselves the subject of legal actions over the certification of elections. That process occurs before the state can certify election results.

RNC Declares ‘Victory’ in Judge Ruling on Michigan Secretary of State’s Signature Verification Rule

June 14, 2024June 13, 2024 Just the News

A Michigan judge partially ruled against Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s lenient guidance on signature verification, following a lawsuit brought by the Republican National Committee.

On Wednesday, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates ruled “that the ‘initial presumption’ of validity in signature verification of absentee-ballot applications and envelopes mandated by the December 2023 guidance manual” issued by Benson “is incompatible with the Constitution and laws of the State of Michigan.”

Secretaries of State from Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia Claim AI ‘Disinformation’ Top Threat in 2024

May 27, 2024 TPappert

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on Sunday joined a number of his counterparts from other states for a Meet the Press panel discussion, and the top state election official claimed that artificial intelligence (AI) will pose new “mis- and disinformation” threats during the 2024 elections.

Fontes told Meet the Press host Kristen Walker, “AI is not a new weapon. It’s an amplifier and a magnifier of mis- and disinformation,” and revealed that his office held a “tabletop exercise” that apparently involved both election officials and members of the media.

Michigan Lawmakers Sue to Overturn Election Changes

October 3, 2023 The Center Square

Eleven Michigan Republican lawmakers filed a federal lawsuit challenging election changes voters approved in 2018 and 2022.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the plaintiffs say election officials violated state legislators’ rights because the U.S. Constitution and the Michigan Constitution require state legislatures to regulate the times, places, and manner of federal elections.

Michigan Supreme Court Approves New Election Challenger Rules

November 6, 2022November 6, 2022 The Center Square

Less than a week before the election, the Michigan Supreme Court approved allowing local clerks to follow Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s election challenger rules enacted this year.

Last month, a Court of Claims ruling struck the election challenger rules, saying they violated state election law because they didn’t go through the rulemaking process.

Michigan AG Nessel Seeks Special Prosecutor in 2020 Election Probe

August 9, 2022August 8, 2022 The Center Square

Attorney General Dana Nessel is seeking a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against nine people who engaged in a “conspiracy” to gain access to voting machines while disputing the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The nine people include some high-profile names, including Trump-endorsed, GOP attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, and Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf. The letter says the group convinced local clerks to give access to tabulators that the group took to rented areas in Oakland County, where they printed fake ballots and did other tests.

Newly Released Drop Box Videos in Detroit Reveal Multiple Issues During November 2020 Election

April 23, 2022April 23, 2022 Laura Baigert

Three video clips from drop box locations in Detroit released this week reveal multiple issues that occurred with absentee ballots during the November 2020 election.

The absentee ballot drop box video evidence was shared Thursday in a series of three tweets by 45th President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman, Liz Harrington.

Nonpartisan Audit Reveals Michigan Campaign Irregularities

March 6, 2022March 5, 2022 The Center Square

Michigan voting rolls were not properly updated prior to the November 2020 election, according to an audit released Friday by the Michigan Office of the Auditor General.

The audit of the Bureau of Elections concludes Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office did not adhere to state election law by properly updating and reconciling Michigan’s qualified voter roll. This oversight, according to the audit, increased the risk of ineligible voters casting ballots. Additionally, the audit identified discrepancies and inconsistencies in Benson’s statements in defense of her department’s internal post-election audits.

Michigan Senator Jim Runestad Questions Whitmer’s Donation to Democrat Causes with Excess Campaign Funds

February 5, 2022February 4, 2022 Cooper Moran

Michigan Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) questioned Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s gift to the Michigan Democratic Party.

The money was funded by excessive campaign donations from individuals collected by Whitmer through a campaign finance loophole, which allowed the governor to cite the threat of a recall to raise unlimited funds.

Michigan Conservative Group Files for Declaratory Ruling on Gov. Whitmer Recall Fundraising

January 30, 2022January 29, 2022 The Center Square

The Michigan Freedom Fund is seeking answers from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson related to her decision to allow Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to disburse questionable campaign donations to other Democratic candidates.

The conservative MFF filed a formal request Friday for a declaratory judgment from Benson – who, like Whitmer, is a Democrat – over $3.4 million collected from 119 large donors. Michigan Campaign Finance law limits individual donations to $7,150, but allows an exemption to accept unlimited contributions if a governor is facing a recall attempt.

At the time Whitmer accepted the contributions, there was no active recall effort.

Michigan Secretary of State Rules Whitmer Did Not Violate Law with Excessive Campaign Contributions

December 24, 2021December 23, 2021 Cooper Moran

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Tuesday resolved a campaign finance complaint against Governor Gretchen Whitmer, ruling the governor did not violate campaign finance laws.

The original complaint, filed by the Michigan Freedom Fund, alleged that Whitmer used threat of a recall to collect campaign donations beyond the established individual limits. However, no recall attempt materialized into a credible challenge, making the donations illegal.

Michigan Governor Whitmer Calls for Special Elections to Fill Legislative Vacancies

December 15, 2021December 14, 2021 Cooper Moran

Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, requesting special elections to fill multiple legislative vacancies.

According to Whitmer, the elections are needed to ensure that all residents of the states are equally represented in government.

Outside Organization Finds Discrepancies After Examining Michigan Voter Registration Lists, Calls for More Transparency

December 7, 2021December 6, 2021 Cooper Moran

The Voter Reference Foundation (VRF), an outside organization that has reviewed multiple states’ voter registration lists, called for more transparency in Michigan’s voter rolls.

When analyzing the data, the group claimed that the state has a discrepancy between the number of voters listed as having voted in the 2020 general election and the number of ballots reported being cast according to states’ official canvass and turnout reports.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Lifts Driver’s License Suspensions for 150,000

November 26, 2021November 25, 2021 The Center Square

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that her department has lifted suspensions on the driver’s licenses of more than 150,000 Michiganders after implementing new laws last month.

The department lifted the suspensions of 12,000 Michiganders in October. Michiganders who are now eligible for a driver’s license may still need to pay a reinstatement fee or renew or reapply for a license, depending on how long the license was suspended.

Former President Trump Urges Forensic Audit in Michigan

October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 Cooper Moran

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday highlighted a recent rally at the Michigan State Capitol, calling for a forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election.

The rally, hosted by the Election Integrity Fund and Force and endorsed by Trump, called on state lawmakers to authorize an independent ballot examination

Michigan Secretary of State Says Backlog Should Clear by September

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 The Center Square

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the 15-month backlog for processing transactions through her office should be cleared by Labor Day or the end of September.

Outside a Mason branch office, Benson touted her efforts to slash down part of the backlog after all 131 branch officers were shuttered to walk-in service in response to COVID-19 by opening 350,000 additional appointments by optimizing appointment times, extending hours, and offering more services online.

From July 19 to Sept 30, all offices will stay open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and open at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Previous office hours were 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

Michigan Secretary of State Claims Election Integrity Measures are ‘War on Democracy’

May 22, 2021May 21, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

In an interview with Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC, Michigan’s Secretary of State expressed her displeasure with ongoing efforts nationwide to audit the 2020 election, and with the implementation of various voter integrity measures.

“I think we’re seeing an escalation in the war on democracy on three fronts,” Jocelyn Benson (D) said. “One, this continued spreading of the ‘Big Lie.’ It is growing, it is not ceding, and it’s been fed by instances like what’s happening in Arizona. And then secondly, we have this lie being codified in nearly every state in this country – as you mentioned – Georgia, Texas, Florida, even here in Michigan – we’ve got 39 bills that ultimately try to undo the policies that led to such high turnout and such a secure election in 2020.”

Whitmer Wants Lawyers Who Challenged Election Results Disbarred

February 3, 2021February 2, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Michigan’s Democrat governor is once again tip-toeing towards authoritarianism, this time seeking the disbarment of attorneys who happen to be political opponents.

“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, three Democrats who are lawyers themselves, filed complaints Monday with the Attorney Grievance Commission in Michigan and the State Bar of Texas,” according to The Detroit News. “Their filings ask that Michigan attorneys Greg Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Junttila and Texas attorney Sidney Powell be disbarred and lose the ability to practice law in their states.”

Amistad Project Asks Michigan Supreme Court to Preserve Evidence of Election Irregularities

November 28, 2020November 27, 2020 Jason M. Reynolds

The Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society said it filed a lawsuit on Thanksgiving asking the Michigan Supreme Court to physically secure all evidence of irregularities in the 2020 election and declare the results invalid on the basis of alleged unlawful conduct by state and local officials.

“In numerous instances, state and local officials brazenly violated election laws in order to advance a partisan political agenda,” said Phill Kline, Director of The Amistad Project. “The pattern of lawlessness was so pervasive and widespread that it deprived the people of Michigan of a free and fair election, throwing the integrity of the entire process into question.”

Michigan Board Approves Circulation of Recall Petition Against State Attorney General

October 21, 2020October 20, 2020 The Center Square

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers on Oct. 15 approved the petition language for a recall against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D). The board previously rejected five recall petitions against Nessel in 2020. Supporters of the recall effort need to submit 1,046,006 signatures within a 60-day period to require a recall election. The 60 days begin on the first day that signatures are collected. The recall petition must be submitted to the office of the Michigan Secretary of State no later than 180 days after it was approved by the board.

Michigan Court Blocks Two-Week Absentee Ballot Extension

October 19, 2020October 18, 2020 The Associated Press

Absentee ballots must arrive by Election Day to be counted, the Michigan Court of Appeals said Friday, blocking a 14-day extension that had been ordered by a lower court and embraced by key Democratic officials in a battleground state.

Any changes must rest with the Legislature, not the judiciary, the Republican-appointed appeals court judges said in a 3-0 opinion.