LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Secretary of State’s office is spending time on college campuses this fall looking to sign up new voters.

The visits, held on National Voter Registration Day, were part of the department’s 2026 fall college tour. Staff visited Michigan Technological University, Grand Valley State University, two Macomb Community College campuses, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Western Michigan University. Other visits are slated from now through the end of October.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the Democratic nominee for governor. However, the department’s announcement described the event as nonpartisan with the campus visits tied to voter education and poll-worker recruitment.

To the left.

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However, Benson’s political affiliation and the latest statistics cannot be ignored.

An August 27 analysis from Tufts University’s CIRCLE found that 62% of college students surveyed nationwide identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party, while 26% identified with or leaned Republican. Thirty-five percent said they had become more liberal or progressive, 14% said they had become more conservative and 31% reported no change.

The survey covered Americans ages 18 to 29 nationwide and was not limited to Michigan students.

Follow the money.

Separately, the Capital Research Center alleged that 83 tax-exempt voter-registration and turnout organizations spent approximately $638 million during the 2024 election cycle. As Michigan News Source previously reported, this report raised enough red flags to trigger U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to examine whether these nonprofits crossed any legal lines.

Benson has announced that she will recuse herself from election procedures that could affect the gubernatorial race and delegate those duties to Michigan’s director of elections. However, critics have argued that is meaningless since she still will remain the state’s chief elections officer and final decision-maker on election policy. Michigan law tasks the Board of State Canvassers to certify statewide election results.

Benson will face Republican nominee John James in the November 3 general election.