Michigan’s Election Oversight Sparks Legislative Clash
The Michigan House Oversight Committee, dominated by Republicans, has issued a subpoena to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, igniting tensions over election training materials. This development is the latest in a series of disputes between the state’s GOP lawmakers and the Democratic election official.
Secretary Benson, responsible for administering Michigan’s elections, has faced criticism from House Republicans for allegedly fostering insecurity around the state’s electoral processes. Conversely, legislators argue that Benson’s lack of cooperation in providing requested materials fuels their concerns.
The decision to issue the subpoena followed a missed deadline set by the House Elections Committee for the provision of these materials. Notably, the oversight committee is uniquely vested with subpoena power among House committees.
“The Michigan House of Representatives has the right to know how Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is instructing local election officials to conduct the elections within the state,” asserted Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township).
The vote on the subpoena fell along party lines, with one Democratic member choosing to abstain. Democratic Representative Lori Pohutsky (D-Livonia) expressed uncertainty regarding the subpoena’s objectives and the intended use of the information.
“And I frankly think that the process laid out here, it just makes that very difficult because we’re not seeing any of that ahead of time,” she remarked, “so I don’t know right now what we are potentially going to be issuing in a subpoena.”
Angela Benander, a spokesperson for Benson, stated that the office is currently redacting sensitive details from the training materials before sharing them. These details pertain to secure communication, voting equipment security, and training locations. She emphasized Benson’s readiness to provide the necessary redacted documents.
Benander criticized the committee’s actions, stating, “Unfortunately, the committee has hijacked what was supposed to be a legitimate oversight process. They have made the committee chair — a single individual with no legal background — judge and jury with the power to force state employees to disclose sensitive election security information or face discipline. It’s now clear that the plan all along was to weaponize this process and continue to undermine the public’s faith in the security and legitimacy of our elections.”
Benson’s office has indicated a willingness to contest the subpoena in court if required.
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