LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When it comes to transparency, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson failed to get a vote of confidence from a member of her own party.
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, who is running for Secretary of State as a Democrat, said the $9 million campaign finance disclosure system that Benson’s office rolled out needs “focus” and is not “user friendly.”
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Even @BarbByrum knows that @JocelynBenson isn’t transparent or efficient.
Benson spent $9 million on a transparency website that doesn’t work. pic.twitter.com/OCbfkfzzBl
— Michigan Forward (@MIForward_Net) April 1, 2026
Benson, who is running for governor, rolled out The Michigan Transparency Network (MiTN) in 2024. According to the state, MiTN “is a cloud-based platform launched in 2024 to replace several older systems for campaign finance reporting, lobby expense reporting, personal financial disclosures, legal defense fund disclosures and casino financial interest reports.”
Last June, Benson faced frustrated lawmakers in a Michigan House committee who told her the system regularly kicked them out when they tried to enter their campaign information.
