LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s Voting Dashboard is up and running for the Aug. 4 primary election, and 8.9% of registered voters have already cast their ballots.

The office of Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is running for governor and maintains she will not oversee her own election, announced the return of the interactive tool this week. According to the website, dashboard data is updated daily and is pulled from the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF). Absentee ballots have already gone out, and early voting starts on Saturday, July 25.

Where there’s smoke there’s a firewall.

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In May, Benson announced a firewall “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.” However, the end of her announcement states “The Secretary will maintain her role as the state’s chief elections officer and final decision-maker on election policy.”

Critics argue that this arrangement creates a conflict of interest. Michigan News Source reached out to Benson’s gubernatorial opponent Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and asked if his campaign is concerned about the obvious conflict of interest. Swanson replied, “I have confidence in the professionals at the Bureau of Elections who are administering the components of this race. I also believe in the hard-working clerks and volunteers throughout the state of Michigan who take their responsibility serious. The primary election results will be accurate and final.”

Federal oversight.

However, the firewall announced by Benson has not resolved concerns raised by federal officials. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) warned all 50 states that criminal charges could be brought against their secretaries of state if they knowingly leave noncitizens on voter rolls. Despite repeated comments that Michigan’s elections are safe and secure, Benson’s office admitted in 2025 that noncitizens had appeared on Michigan’s voter rolls.

In addition, Michigan House Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) also testified that dead voters kept appearing on her local voting rolls when she was clerk, and accused Benson of adding them back to the voter rolls.

Federal election monitors will be present at polling places in Detroit, Lansing, and East Lansing during the primary election. The announcement came just before recent comments by President Donald Trump linking alleged 2020 election fraud to Muskegon County.