The Fair Election Fund, an election integrity watchdog, has launched a new initiative aimed at holding secretaries of state in battleground states accountable for how they oversee elections, beginning with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
In a 51-page report released Monday, the group gave Benson a “D” grade, claiming she has repeatedly failed to enforce election laws and undermined voter confidence ahead of the 2024 election.
The organization points to multiple court rulings that found Benson’s actions unlawful, including a recent decision striking down her order for clerks to presume the validity of absentee ballot signatures—a move the RNC successfully challenged. The watchdog also criticized Benson for opposing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House last week and would require voters to present proof of citizenship at the polls.
The report highlights several incidents under Benson’s leadership, including her acknowledgment that 15 non-citizens likely voted in the 2024 election and the case of a Chinese national charged with casting a ballot in that race. It also revisits Benson’s earlier admission that Michigan’s voter rolls lacked proper maintenance efforts in 2020, despite her previous denials. Although a lawsuit filed by the RNC over the state’s voter rolls was dismissed, the Fair Election Fund argues the ruling was based on procedural grounds and maintains Michigan’s voter list remains bloated.
Benson recently announced a campaign for governor of Michigan.
Read the Fair Election Fund report.
