Tenure
In 2018,Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing Election Day voter registration and unrestricted absentee ballots. Benson's office oversaw the implementation of these changes. [20] In 2019,the Election Modernization Advisory Committee was established. [21] The same year,Benson established an Election Security Commission [22] and a Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force. [23]
In October 2019,Benson was named in a lawsuit filed by Priorities USA Action,a Democratic group,over the elimination of absentee votes due to disparities between a voter's signature and other filed documents with election officials. In November,the group targeted her in a lawsuit challenging the state's automatic registration law and alleging undue burdens on young voters' constitutional rights. [24] In March 2021,Michigan's Court of Claims ruled against Benson,saying that although the instructions' content did not breach election law,she had not followed the appropriate procedural measures while providing guidance to clerks on verifying signatures on absentee ballots. [25]
In 2020,Benson's office mailed absentee voter applications to all 7.7 million Michigan registered voters for the August primary and November general election. Benson's effort was funded by $4.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funding from the CARES Act. [26] Some Republican lawmakers criticized the move,saying it could endanger election security by leaving more room for voter fraud. [27] Benson's predecessor,Ruth Johnson,criticized her for using COVID-19 relief funds to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters. [28] [29]
As President Trump voiced concerns about potential election fraud associated with absentee voting,his criticism particularly targeted Benson's mailing effort. He called Benson a "rogue Secretary of State" [30] and initially threatened to withhold federal funds for coronavirus relief,but later retracted his threat. [31] [20] Court rulings affirmed Benson's legal authority to mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in Michigan in 2020,while the state auditor discredited Republican claims of fraudulent ballots from deceased voters. [32] On December 7,2020,reportedly armed pro-Trump demonstrators gathered outside Benson's home,echoing Trump's election fraud claims. The demonstrators chanted and made threatening demands to overturn Michigan's election results,linking the incident to broader efforts by Trump and his legal team to challenge the election outcome. No arrests were made and police confirmed that there were no breaches of criminal law throughout the demonstration. [33] [34]
In January 2020,a 72-year-old man was arrested after evidence was found in his home related to violent threats he directed at Benson. [35] In December 2022,Benson said that threats from election deniers that started in 2020 had not ceased. [36] In May 2023,she claimed in an interview that after the election,Trump suggested she be tried for treason and possibly executed,an accusation he denied. [37]
In June 2020,Benson initiated a platform enabling registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot online,using their state ID and last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Voters were also allowed to submit a scanned,signed copy of their absentee ballot application via email. [38] Benson also played a role in developing an online ballot-tracking tool for absentee ballots. [39] Benson said that the attempts to delegitimize the 2020 election ultimately resulted in the January 6 United States Capitol attack. [40] In March 2021,State Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled that Benson's guidance issued to Michigan clerks prior to the 2020 election,instructing them to presume the accuracy of absentee ballot signatures,was invalid because it had not gone through the proper rule-making process. [41] [42]
Referencing Michigan's 2015 ranking as the lowest in the U.S. for ethics and transparency,Benson has advocated for ethics reforms and called for increased transparency in the state's government in the wake of various scandals. [43] In March 2021,Benson introduced a legislative agenda called "From Worst to First" which included proposed measures such as expanding the Freedom of Information Act to cover the governor and legislature,requiring personal financial disclosures from elected officials,demanding more frequent campaign disclosures,and tightening campaign finance regulations. [44] In 2023,she criticized inaction from legislators,describing the state's lobbying and campaign finance laws as "far,far behind" other states. [45]
In April 2021,Benson announced that Michigan residents who visit secretary of state offices would always need an appointment. [46] That same year,she said 60% of transactions were being done virtually. [47] Despite criticisms calling for the reintroduction of walk-in services,Benson defended retaining the system even after the COVID-19 pandemic,saying the appointment only system is "not perfect" but is better than residents having to potentially wait hours in line. [48] [49] In 2022,Benson was named as one of five recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. [50] In September 2022,the Election Integrity Force and others sued Benson and Michigan's governor,Gretchen Whitmer,in a bid to decertify the 2020 election. [51] On January 6,2023,Benson was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden. [52]
In July 2023,she confirmed that federal prosecutors interviewed her for "several hours" in March as part of the ongoing criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. While not divulging specific details,Benson highlighted the investigators' focus on the impact on election workers' lives of misinformation about their work and threats of violence against them. [53] In October 2023,a 60-year-old man from Detroit was sentenced to 15 months of probation after threatening to kill Benson and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. [54]
In a 2023 opinion piece for The Washington Post ,Benson argued that secretaries of state,including herself,shouldn't unilaterally decide Trump's eligibility to serve as President under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,and emphasized that the courts,particularly the Supreme Court,are the appropriate forums for such determinations. [55] [56] In November 2023,Trump's legal team sued to prevent Benson from excluding him in Michigan's 2024 elections. The lawsuit sought an injunction against barring him from the ballot. The dispute traces back to a Free Speech for People lawsuit,asserting that Trump's Capitol riot involvement violates Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. [57]
In advance of the 2024 presidential election,Benson,along with other Democrats,participated in the Democracy Playbook,a set of recommendations by the NewDEAL Forum to improve the election system. [58] Benson supports stricter penalties against those who harass election workers and increased funding for election administration. [59] Benson was viewed as a potential contender for the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Michigan to succeed retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow. [60] In March 2023,Benson announced that she would not enter the race. [61]
