Jocelyn Benson
Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American activist, politician, and former academic administrator. She is the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan. Benson is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Military Spouses of Michigan, and a board member of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. She is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process (2010).
Jocelyn Benson | |
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![]() Benson in 2022 | |
43rd Secretary of State of Michigan | |
Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
Governor | Gretchen Whitmer |
Preceded by | Ruth Johnson |
Dean of the Wayne State University Law School | |
In office December 2012 – September 2016 | |
Preceded by | Robert Ackerman |
Succeeded by | Richard Bierschbach |
Personal details | |
Born | October 22, 1977 |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | Wellesley College (BA) Magdalen College, Oxford (MA) Harvard University (JD) |
Website | Government website |
In 2018, Benson was elected Secretary of State by an 8.9 percentage point margin, defeating Republican Mary Treder Lang and becoming the first Democrat to hold the office since Richard H. Austin left office in 1995. She was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican Kristina Karamo by 14 percentage points, the largest margin and vote share of any statewide candidate that year.
Education and career
Benson graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College in 1999, where she founded the now-annual Women in American Political Activism conference and was the first student to be elected to serve in the governing body for the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. She subsequently earned her master's in sociology as a Marshall Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, conducting research into the sociological implications of white supremacy and neo-Nazism.
Prior to attending law school, Benson also lived in Montgomery, Alabama, where she worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center as an investigative journalist, researching white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations. Benson has also worked as a summer associate for voting rights and election law for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and as a legal assistant to Nina Totenberg at National Public Radio.[1][2][3]
Benson received her JD from Harvard Law School, where she was a general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.[4][5] From 2002 to 2004, she served as the Voting Rights Policy Coordinator of the Harvard Civil Rights Project, a non-profit organization that sought to link academic research to civil rights advocacy efforts,[5] where she worked on the passage of the federal Help America Vote Act.
Upon graduation from Harvard Law, Benson moved to Detroit to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.[6][7]
Wayne Law
Benson was appointed dean of Wayne State Law School in December 2012 at the age of 35, becoming the youngest woman to lead a top 100 law school in United States history.[8]
As dean she established two "marquee" programs: the Levin Center at Wayne Law,[9] chaired by former United States Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), and the Program on Entrepreneurship and Business Law,[10] which helps aspiring business professionals in underserved communities participate in the economic revival of Detroit.
Prior to being appointed Dean in 2012, Benson was the associate director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, where she started the Michigan Allies Project, an effort designed to track hate incidents throughout Michigan and provide legal support for victims.[11]
The Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality
From 2016 to 2018 Benson served as CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE),[12]
Military Spouses of Michigan
In 2012, Benson joined with three military spouses and family members in Michigan to create Military Spouses of Michigan, a network dedicated to providing support and services to military family members and veterans in Michigan. In January 2013, the group was selected to represent the state of Michigan in the Presidential Inaugural Parade, the only group of military spouses to receive that honor.[13]
Civics education and election law
In 2011, Benson was selected to serve with retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the national board of directors of iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit created by Justice O'Connor to improve civics education throughout the country.[14] In addition to serving as an appointed member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Election Law,[5] she is also the founder and current director of the Michigan Center for Election Law, which hosts projects that support transparency and integrity in elections. In 2011, the center hosted Michigan's first "Citizens' Redistricting Competition",[15] providing an opportunity for Michigan citizens to access software and draw their own redistricting maps for the state.[16]
Benson developed and supervised three statewide nonpartisan election protection efforts in Michigan in 2007, 2008 and 2012.[5] During the 2008 election, she was called to testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee,[17] where she called on Secretary Terri Lynn Land to ban the use of foreclosure lists to challenge voters' eligibility on Election Day.[18] She is a frequent commentator on voting rights and election law on local news and radio broadcasts.[19][20][21]
In 2007, Benson worked with several groups to successfully keep a Secretary of State branch office open in Buena Vista Township, Michigan. The U.S. Department of Justice, under then-President George W. Bush, concluded that the closure of the office would violate the Voting Rights Act.[22]
Secretary of State
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In March 2010, Benson published her first book, State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. The book highlights best practices of secretaries of state from throughout the country and seeks to inform voters about how secretaries of state across the political spectrum can work to advance democracy and election reform.[23] After working with secretaries of state from around the country while researching the book, she was inspired to run for the office in her resident state of Michigan.[24] She lost to Republican candidate Ruth Johnson by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent.[25]
On October 27, 2017, Benson announced her second candidacy for Michigan Secretary of State. She was elected on November 6, 2018, defeating Republican Mary Treder Lang, becoming the first Democrat to serve since Richard Austin left office in 1995.[26] In 2022, Benson secured her party's nomination uncontested and went on to win the general election with 56% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate candidate Kristina Karamo.[27][28]
Benson has gained national prominence, making frequent appearances on cable news shows, appearing on the cover of Time magazine alongside fellow election officials, and testifying before Congress about the challenges election workers have encountered in recent years.[27]
During Benson's administration, some controversies occurred over the Michigan Bureau of Elections' guidance to clerks regarding signature matching on absentee ballots in advance of the 2020 presidential election, which stated – as in previous elections – that signature review should begin with the presumption that the signature is the voter's valid signature, and should be rejected if it differs in clear and obvious respects to the signature on file. (Michigan law requires clerks to match required signatures on absentee ballot applications and absentee ballot envelopes with the voter signature on file to ensure the person submitting the ballot is the same one registered to vote in Michigan.)[29]
In March 2021, State Court of Claims Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled that in order to be binding on clerks, the Bureau of Elections should issue signature-matching instructions as an administrative rule (which the Bureau is now in the process of doing). Judge Murray stated "the mandatory presumption goes well beyond the realm of mere advice and direction." The court found the content of Bureau's instructions violated the state administrative procedures act. The Bureau subsequently completed the APA process and the rules are now in effect.[30]
Customer service reforms
Throughout her tenure, Benson has implemented reforms in the Secretary of State's office, including filling vacancies, expanding online services, installing over 150 new self-service stations, and seeking state funding for additional mobile offices.[31] She significantly increased the proportion of services conducted outside of branches, reaching about 60% of transactions online, by mail, or at self-service stations as of May 2021, up from about 25% in 2018. In April 2021, Benson announced that appointment-only visits to secretary of state offices would become permanent.[32] Despite criticisms calling for the reintroduction of walk-in services, Benson defended retaining the system even after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the benefits of next-day appointments for urgent matters and the overall reduction in wait times, providing a more efficient process.[33][34]
Election initiatives
In the year of her election, Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing Election Day voter registration and unrestricted absentee ballots. Benson's office oversaw the implementation of these changes.[35] During Benson's tenure, in 2019, the Election Modernization Advisory Committee was established. Comprising 27 local and national experts, the committee played a pivotal role in shaping election reform and was considered a key component of Michigan's preparation for the 2020 elections.[36][37] She also established an Election Security Commission consisting of 18 experts in cybersecurity and election security. The commission, funded by a federal election security grant and facilitated by state employees, aimed to enhance election integrity.[38]
Since 2020, Benson has emerged as one of the prominent state-level advocates defending American elections.[39] Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Benson identified precincts across the state with the lowest participation rates and visited them to understand how she could assist residents in exercising their right to vote.[40] She has advocated for and enacted initiatives to streamline the registration process, maintain accurate voter identification, and increase the number of eligible voters. Benson facilitated voter registration by allowing online registration in advance with approved identification and in-person registration on Election Day. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she initiated the distribution of absentee ballots well in advance of the election and spearheaded the state's inaugural campaign to enlist and train a new generation of poll workers.[40] Benson mailed absentee voter applications to all 7.7 million Michigan registered voters for the August primary and November general election, citing the need for equal access and health protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.[41][42] The effort was funded by $4.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funding from the CARES Act.[43] In June, she initiated a platform enabling registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot online, using their state ID and last four digits of their Social Security numbers. Voters were also allowed to submit a scanned, signed copy of their absentee ballot application via email.[44] Benson also played a role in developing an online ballot-tracking tool for absentee ballots.[45]
Ethics reforms
Aiming to address the state's 2015 ranking as the lowest in the U.S. for ethics and transparency, Benson has advocated for ethics reforms and emphasized the need for transparency in the state's government in the wake of various scandals.[46] She has aimed to enhance citizens' understanding of influence in Lansing, with financial disclosures as a starting point and the possibility of addressing dark money accounts.[47] In March 2021, Benson introduced a legislative agenda called "From Worst to First" to enhance government transparency, coinciding with Sunshine Week. The proposed measures included expanding the Freedom of Information Act to cover the governor and Legislature, requiring personal financial disclosures from elected officials, demanding more frequent campaign disclosures, and tightening regulations to prevent secret and foreign money in Michigan elections.[48] In 2023, she criticized inaction from legislators, describing the state's lobbying and campaign finance laws as "far, far behind" other states.[49]
Personal life
A long-distance runner, Benson averages two full marathons per year. She has completed twenty-three full marathons since 2005,[50] including races in New York City, Honolulu, San Francisco, Washington DC, Florence, Venice, Chicago and Philadelphia. She completed her 18th marathon representing Team Red White and Blue in Rome, Italy. In 2016 she completed her second Boston Marathon and became one of a handful of women in history to complete the Boston Marathon while more than eight months pregnant.[51] She is married to SGT Ryan Friedrichs, retired army airborne infantry and former Chief Development Officer for the City of Detroit, and has one son.[52]
Political career
Benson was among several high-profile Democratic officials viewed as potential contenders for the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Michigan to take the seat of retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow. [53] Benson announced that she would not enter the race in a March 2023 Twitter video and said she would instead be focused on protecting democracy and elections in Michigan in her role as Secretary of State. She is considering a run for the open Michigan Governor's seat in 2026 according to reporting. [54]
Awards
Crain's Detroit Business named her one of Michigan's "Most Influential Women" in 2016[55] and in October 2015, she became one of the youngest women in the state's history to be inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, second only to Serena Williams.[56] In 2022, Benson was named as one of five recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her efforts to protect democracy.[57] On January 6, 2023, Benson was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden, for her "undaunted and unflinching" work in performing "exemplary public service to advance free and fair elections."[58]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Ruth Johnson | 1,608,270 | 50.68% | -5.55% | |
Democratic | Jocelyn Benson | 1,434,796 | 45.22% | +3.26% | |
Libertarian | Scotty Boman | 58,044 | 1.83% | N/A | |
Constitution | Robert Gale | 41,727 | 1.17% | N/A | |
Green | John A. La Pietra | 30,411 | 0.96% | -0.93% | |
Total votes | 3,173,248 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
Republican hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jocelyn Benson | 2,203,611 | 52.87% | +9.93% | |
Republican | Mary Treder Lang | 1,833,609 | 44.00% | -9.53% | |
Libertarian | Gregory Stempfle | 81,697 | 1.96% | -0.02% | |
Constitution | Robert Gale | 48,724 | 1.17% | +0.05% | |
Total votes | 4,162,389 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Jocelyn Benson (incumbent) | 2,467,859 | 55.86% | +13.93% | |
Republican | Kristina Karamo | 1,852,510 | 41.93% | −13.93% | |
Libertarian | Gregory Scott Stempfle | 52,982 | 1.20% | −0.76% | |
Constitution | Christine Schwartz | 27,937 | 0.63% | −0.54% | |
Green | Larry James Hutchinson Jr. | 16,615 | 0.38% | N/A | |
Total votes | 4,417,903 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
Democratic hold | |||||
References
- "Jocelyn Benson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- Wayne State University (June 12, 2014). "Jocelyn Benson appointed Wayne Law's 11th dean - Law School - Wayne State University". Law.wayne.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- "Wayne State Names New Dean of Law School - DBusiness Magazine". Dbusiness.com. June 12, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- "Archive". Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021.
- "Wayne State University Law School Bio for Jocelyn F. Benson". Law.wayne.edu. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- Wayne State University (July 23, 2019). "Wayne Law remembers Judge Damon J. Keith - Law School - Wayne State University". Law.wayne.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- "Jocelyn Benson - Michigan Women Forward". Miwf.org. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- Vassallo, Jim (June 13, 2014). "Wayne State Law School Names Jocelyn Benson Dean". JDJournal. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- "Levin Center at Wayne Law". Levin Center. March 6, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- Wayne Law PEBL Program Archived October 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "Contributor Biography". www.icle.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- "Benson drew salary from RISE while seeking office". Crain's Detroit Business. March 17, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- "Military spouses march in today's inaugural parade", michiganradio.org. Accessed November 6, 2022.
- "About". iCivics. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- About the 2011 Michigan Citizen's Redistricting Competition at michiganredistricting.org
- Gregory Korte. Technology allows citizens to be part of redistricting process. USA Today. March 21, 2011
- Wayne Law Professor Benson Invited to Testify Before U.S. Congress Wayne State University - News and Announcements Archive
- Shawn Wright, Law professor announces bid for state office The South End, March 3, 2009
- Pennsylvania Inside Out: Voting Rights WPSU TV, originally aired on March 16, 2008
- Weekly Edition #3839 Archived June 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Off the Record, WKAR Public Broadcasting, originally aired March 27, 2009
- Jocelyn F. Benson Never turn away a voter Detroit Free Press February 23, 2009
- U.S. Department of Justice rules with NAACP to prevent closure of local Secretary of State office Michigan Chronicle Online, January 2, 2008
- Benson, Ms Jocelyn F. (February 28, 2013). State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4094-9699-1.
- Posted on Fri, Sep 17, 2010 : 6:04 a.m. (September 17, 2010). "Secretary of state candidate Jocelyn Benson calls on help from University of Michigan students". Annarbor.com. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Wisely, John. "Jocelyn Benson wins race for Michigan Secretary of State". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018". mielections.us. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Jocelyn Benson faces Kristina Karamo in Michigan secretary of state race: What to know". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "Jocelyn Benson beats Kristina Karamo in Michigan's Secretary of State race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "Judge rules Secretary of State Benson's Ballot signature verification invalid - 03/15/2021". thedetroitnews.com. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
- "Fact Checks". michigan.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
- Rahal, Sarah. "Benson says 60% of SOS transactions are done without visiting branch offices". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- "Appointment-only visits to secretary of state here to stay". AP News. April 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Eggert, David (May 30, 2021). "Benson defends appointment system amid legislative scrutiny". WWMT. The Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- "Benson defends appointment system amid legislative scrutiny". AP News. May 30, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- "Jocelyn Benson beats Kristina Karamo in Michigan's Secretary of State race". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Dunaj, Mikhayla (December 25, 2020). "No-reason absentee voting in Michigan: How it worked, how it can be improved". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Coleman, Ken (February 22, 2019). "SOS forms panel to enact Proposal 3, update election procedures ⋆ Michigan Advance". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- Manes, Nick (March 21, 2019). "Benson forms election security commission ⋆ Michigan Advance". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- Parks, Miles (November 9, 2022). "Democrat Jocelyn Benson is reelected as Michigan secretary of state". NPR.
- Kurz, Ellen (June 16, 2020). "Opinion | Want Better Elections? Choose Better Elections Officials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Burke, Beth LeBlanc and Melissa Nann. "All state registered voters to be mailed Aug., Nov. absentee ballot applications". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- "Michigan mails absentee ballot applications to all voters". AP News. May 19, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Beggin, Riley. "Jocelyn Benson orders Michigan to mail absentee applications to all voters | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Beggin, Riley. "Michigan GOP lawmakers claim Jocelyn Benson's absentee ballot mailings illegal | Bridge Michigan". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Rich, Samantha (November 9, 2022). "Jocelyn Benson wins re-election bid as Michigan Secretary of State". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- Nichols, Anna Liz (June 22, 2023). "Benson asks Legislature to make Michigan 'worst to first' for government transparency ⋆ Michigan Advance". Michigan Advance. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- Schuster, Simon (May 2, 2023). "Jocelyn Benson: lift Michigan lawmakers' 'cloak of secrecy'". Michigan Live. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- Hendrickson, Clara. "Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson unveils plan to improve government transparency". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- Robinson, Samuel (May 5, 2023). "Benson calls for transparency reforms — will Democrats listen?". Axios.
- "Meet Jocelyn". Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- "Wayne Law Dean Completes Boston Marathon While Pregnant". Detroit News. April 18, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
- "Youth Policy Lab - University of Michigan". youthpolicylab.umich.edu. University of Michigan. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Manchester, Julia. "Stabenow retirement scrambles calculus for Michigan Democrats". The Hill. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- Burke, Melissa. "Jocelyn Benson won't run for U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2024". Detroit News. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- "Most Influential Women 2016," http://www.crainsdetroit.com/awards/mostinfluentialwomen/2016 Archived August 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- "Wayne Law Dean inducted into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame," http://law.wayne.edu/news.php?id=17695 Archived June 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- Egan, Paul. ""Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson honored with JFK Profile in Courage award"". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- "'A true leader,' Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson receives presidential medal". January 6, 2023.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "2018 Michigan Official General Election Results - 11/06/2018".
- "2022 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Election Results.
External links
