LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is running for governor, sent a letter to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers outlining firewall policies she hopes will clear up any potential conflicts of interest in the upcoming election.
Benson said the letter outlines the policies and procedures of the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) and Bureau of Elections (BOE) “to ensure a transparent, fair process that avoids any perceived or potential conflicts of interest arising from her dual role as Secretary and candidate for governor.”
She added, “Michigan secretaries of state have a long history of simultaneously running for office while successfully administering Michigan’s elections in partnership with the Board of State Canvassers,” Benson said.
While that is true, no other candidate has refused legal requests quite like Benson. Her refusal to comply with a Michigan House subpoena over election training materials, along with refusing a Department of Justice request for voter roll information tops the list. In addition, Benson dragged her feet on removing dead people from the voter rolls despite her recent insistence that she is “succeeding” in adding new voters and taking off disqualified ones.
The Michigan Fair Elections Institute (MFEI) pushed back against Benson’s so-called progress, saying, “A press release announcing the first step toward cleanup is a far cry from masking the new rules and fixing the system that caused the problem.”
The MFEI added, “Benson announced 600,000 Michigan voter registrations, including those who haven’t voted for 20 years or more, have been moved to inactive status. What she did not say was that her own new rule drew a 20-year mark as the starting line before any cleanup clock begins–in conflict with federal law, which starts the clock after two federal elections.”
Michigan’s primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 4. Other Democratic candidates running for governor include Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, and Kim Thomas. Republicans vying for the state’s top job include former attorney general Mike Cox, Congressman John James, businessman Perry Johnson, State Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, and Pastor Ralph Rebandt.
Mike Duggan, former Detroit mayor and member of the Democratic party, is running as an independent.
