Michigan Secretary Of State Repeats Threats To Election Officials

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson doubled down on threats of legal action against election officials who hesitate to certify election results as reported during an interview with Democrat lawyer and Trump-Russia collusion hoaxer Marc Elias.

Benson appeared in an interview for Elias’ leftist group Democracy Docket on Aug. 30. Elias was instrumental in orchestrating the infamous Christopher Steele dossier, accusing then-candidate Donald Trump of working with Russian agents. 

Just weeks after threatening counties that hesitate to certify election results, Benson reiterated the point in the interview with Elias, threatening state legal action unless canvassers certify the reported results with no questions asked. 

“I think it’s going to be much harder legally, practically, realistically for anyone to not certify and get away with it,” Benson said. “If they don’t like the election results, we’ll be there the minute, the second it happens.”

She apparently referenced Proposal 2, passed in 2022, which according to Ballotpedia gutted boards of canvassers’ ability to decide whether to certify election results, making it a “ministerial, clerical, nondiscretionary duty.” As The Federalist previously reported, the left-wing litigation firm Campaign Legal Center has been pushing similar provisions in other states.

“You have a responsibility to certify the election results if you’re in those positions,” Benson said. “If you abdicate that responsibility, we will seek consequences.”

She dismissed potential objections to election results, boiling them down to “political pressure.” Benson reiterated her threat to steamroll those with election concerns.

“You’re not going to be successful. We’ll get the results certified,” Benson said. “What will happen, also, is there will be legal consequences.”

Benson claimed those with election integrity concerns are acting in bad faith to suppress voting.

“The depths to which people will go to try to create this sense of illegitimacy, this sense that laws are being violated, and really just intimidate agencies,” Benson said. “What they’re really doing is trying to create controversy over what is actually a nonpartisan, well-designed effort to engage more people in the political process regardless of how they’re going to vote.”

But Benson took input on loosening state absentee ballot rules ahead of the 2020 election from left-wing “get out the vote” group National Vote at Home Institute. During that election, the group sent a Democrat operative to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he gained access to absentee ballots and guided the ballot curing process.

An Authoritarian Trend

Benson has previously threatened counties that hesitate to certify election results with legal action, emphasizing canvassers are only allowed to do their job as a “ministerial” task.

“If someone were to violate the law and not certify the election at the local level, we will come for you,” Benson said in a YouTube video. “Don’t even think about it, because we’ll get you.”

Benson asked Michiganders to report others for spreading election “misinformation,” as The Federalist first reported Aug. 2. 

Soon after this news broke, a resident came forward saying Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel threatened to prosecute her in criminal court for “misinformation” unless she removed Facebook posts with concerns about a local polling place. 

Benson also launched a “Democracy Ambassador” program in July, which recruits residents to echo government talking points about elections to silence “misinformation.” 

“When the misinformation hits, you can be a voice for truth: a ‘democracy ambassador,’” Benson said. “Any citizen can sign up to get weekly newsletters about the intricacies of voting and elections in our state, so you can be that knowledgeable expert.”

Russia Hoaxer A “Champion For Democracy”

Benson said during the interview that Elias is a “champion for democracy.” But the Democrat lawyer and activist was instrumental in engineering the false claims that Trump was working with Russian agents in 2016.

While working for a law firm hired by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, Elias commissioned the infamous Christopher Steele dossier that accused former President Donald Trump of working with Russian interests. He then peddled the dossier to bureaucrats and legacy media, which amplified the message to voters.

The FBI used this supposed evidence to illegally spy on the Trump campaign, as The Federalist previously reported. But later investigations from Special Counsels Robert Mueller and John Durham found no evidence Trump conspired with Russian agents.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sanctioned Elias in 2021 for a “lack of candor” and making a “duplicative motion.”

Elias recently joined Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign as legal counsel.

Benson said Elias has a “unique ability to see and predict, and be there in the fight when it happens.”

At the end of the interview, Elias called Benson a “hero.”

“You’re a hero as well,” Benson said. 

Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.