“We need leaders who are transparent and accountable,” Benson said in her announcement. Considering her history, these words do not align with her record.
Michigan’s Democrat Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, announced her bid for governor on Wednesday morning. However, her actions suggest she is unfit to govern the state.
The governor of Michigan must take an oath to “support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this state.” Given Benson’s record—including alleged collusion with “Zuckbucks” groups, election interference, and authoritarian behavior—she cannot genuinely uphold this oath.
Woman who allows Chinese nationals to vote in our elections and silences her constituents on social media, and refuses to clean Michigan voter rolls says she “protects every vote” and is “transparent” pic.twitter.com/ybbgI0nzrc
— Anna Hoffman (@shoesonplease) January 22, 2025
Election Controversies
Benson has a history of working with organizations tied to “Zuckbucks,” a scheme that funneled millions into left-leaning nonprofits to boost Democratic turnout in 2020. The Center for Election Innovation and Research (CEIR), which received nearly $70 million from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2020, funneled funds to local election offices, primarily in Democratic strongholds. Similarly, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) played a role, with total election funding reaching $400 million.
The National Vote at Home Institute, often working with CTCL, collaborated with Benson to alter voting protocols. As reported by The Federalist, Amber McReynolds, then-CEO of the institute, advised Benson in 2019 to use her “rule-making authority” to enable permanent or election-specific absentee ballot requests without legislative approval. Benson later mailed absentee ballot applications statewide in 2020.
In the same year, CEIR sent $12 million to the Michigan Center for Election Law and Administration, which Benson had previously led until February. InfluenceWatch revealed that Benson’s former organization sent $11 million in “consulting fees” to Democratic firms for alleged “nonpartisan voter education.”
In 2024, Benson continued working with CEIR, hosting its founder David Becker, whom critics describe as a “hard-core leftist,” to discuss election “security and safety.”
Election Integrity Lawsuits
Benson has faced numerous lawsuits related to election integrity, including challenges over bloated voter rolls, last-minute poll worker restrictions, improperly processed ballots, and insufficient signature verification. In September 2024, she refused to confirm to Congress whether Michigan’s voter rolls still included deceased registrants.
When Elon Musk questioned whether Michigan had more registered voters than eligible citizens, Benson tried to refute him but misrepresented the data. She cited “voting age population” as “citizens of voting age,” downplaying the disparity. While claiming 1.2 million registrations were slated for removal, only half were scheduled for removal by 2027.
Authoritarian Actions and Rhetoric
Benson has been accused of silencing dissent and stifling free speech. Before the 2024 election, she encouraged residents to report supposed “misinformation” to a government email address. Shortly afterward, Attorney General Dana Nessel threatened to prosecute a woman for allegedly sharing false election information online.
Benson also warned local election officials of “legal consequences” if they hesitated to certify election results. In one instance, when a canvasser from Kalamazoo stated he would certify results only if they were accurate, leftist groups initiated legal action against him.
In her gubernatorial campaign announcement video, Benson boasted about investigating “radical extremist groups,” potentially targeting conservative and religious organizations based on the standards of her former employer, the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Despite Benson’s claims of protecting voter rights and ensuring election transparency, her actions tell a different story. As critics have pointed out, her tenure reflects partisanship, authoritarian rhetoric, and questionable practices that undermine public trust in Michigan’s election integrity.
“We need leaders who are transparent and accountable,” Benson said in her announcement. Critics argue her record contradicts this sentiment.
