LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has doubled down on her refusal to show election coaching supplies over to the Home Oversight Committee, which has subpoenaed her for paperwork she says may hurt the state’s election safety if handed over.
In a letter despatched to the committee on her behalf by the Michigan Division of Lawyer Basic, Benson maintains that the supplies may compromise election safety, as they comprise delicate info that might be used to tamper with ballots and different election gear and even impersonate a clerk on Election Day.
FILE – Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, (AP Picture/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Subpoena for election coaching supplies delivered to Secretary of State
State Rep. Jay Deboyer (R-Clay Twp.), the chair of the Home Oversight Committee, says the Secretary of State has refused to show requested supplies over to him or some other member of the state legislature for 5 months, following a request from Home Election Integrity Committee Chair State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville).
The committee gave Benson a deadline of April 14 to supply the supplies, and when the workplace didn’t comply, the Home Oversight Committee voted to subpoena them.
State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township)
“The department has been unable to provide a compelling reason for why they are unwilling to give us, the people’s elected representatives, access to materials that are available to every single locally elected clerk in the state of Michigan and their respective staffs,” mentioned DeBoyer.
A portion of the letter reads:
The Secretary of State firmly believes transparency within the administration of Michigan elections is vitally necessary. To that finish, [M]DOS’s Elections web site is replete with info regarding all elements of the voting course of—from registering to vote, to tabulating ballots, to post-election audits, and every little thing in between. However simply as necessary is defending the safety and integrity of the voting course of itself. Releasing materials that might reveal safety characteristic info or different delicate info jeopardizes the method. That is true even when these searching for the knowledge are well-intentioned, as a result of every time delicate info is launched, its potential for intentional or unintentional disclosure to those that would misuse it will increase.
Letter from Michigan Lawyer Basic Dana Nessel on behalf of Secretary of State Benson and the Division of State, Might 7, 2025.
The letter additionally says that the subpoenas violate state legislation and the principles of the Michigan Home of Representatives—and that they don’t have any legislative goal. Benson says her workplace has offered greater than 3,000 pages of paperwork to the committee, ones that don’t embody delicate info.
The complete letter and offered attachments might be seen under.
2025.05.07-Home-Oversight-Committee-subpeona-response-AG-letterDownload
2025.05.07-Attachments-Home-Oversight-Committee-subpoena-response-AG-letterDownload
