Jocelyn Benson

Purchase Jocelyn Benson’s book State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process HERE. Samuel Robinson at Mlive.com: Michigan Senate passes controversial election bills that put emphasis on ID requirements. Heritage Action for America: Heritage Action Launches Election Integrity Campaign, Commits Over $10 Million. Jordan Zakarin on Twitter: @JordanZakarin. Learn...

Jocelyn Benson says thousands more appointments are being freed up starting now. One new feature, residents will be able to book appointments in person. They have a pilot program in place that has greeters at the door waiting to help.

LANSING (AP) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said Tuesday her office is adding 350,000 appointments over nearly four months to address a pandemic-related backlog as Michigan residents try to renew driver's licenses, transfer vehicle titles and conduct other business in person. Branch offices will be able to serve 25%...

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will be holding an in-person press conference in Lansing Tuesday to announce service advances for Secretary of State branch operations. Northern Michigan’s news leader will be livestreaming the press conference for you. You can view the conference on the 9&10 News Plus Channel on the...

Proposed legislation would increase number of employees and allocate money for overtime. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants the Legislature to add employees and allow overtime payments at branch offices. Benson says the pandemic created a huge backlog of drivers needing to renew their licenses and take care of...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is defending her decision to stick with appointment-only visits to branch offices after the coronavirus pandemic, amid pushback from lawmakers who say people should again be able to go without an appointment. Half of all appointments are next-day appointments - an...

Statement from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on voter suppression bills passing out of the Michigan Senate Elections Committee. "State lawmakers continue legislating on lies instead of telling their constituents the truth - the 2020 election was the most secure election in Michigan history. The bills passed today will do nothing to bolster the extremely strong voter ID laws Michigan already has, and the politicians pushing the bills through are fine with that, because their real goal is reducing voter turnout. By suggesting voters include a photocopy of their ID with their absentee ballot request form, lawmakers are exposing voters to identity theft. And prohibiting the use of a signed and sworn affidavit to confirm a voter's identity will only increase the number of votes that never get counted."

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson testified Thursday before a legislative committee about long wait times at branch offices and some possible remedies. Benson told the House Oversight Committee the COVID-19 crisis helped put in sharp relief some long-standing problems. Benson said her office is experimenting with staggered hours, pop-up offices, and moving more services online. But she also said, with limited staff and resources, her office can’t meet all the demands when and where people want them.

Everyone wants to get in and out of their local Secretary of State branch faster, but Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson told lawmakers Thursday her office's online appointment system is the right way to ensure that happens both now and in the future. But she acknowledged her office needs to...

LANSING—Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Thursday defended her decision to move the department’s branch offices to an appointment-only system, saying it has helped with the agency’s capacity issues. Testifying before the state’s House Oversight Committee, Benson said the new system allows “customer transactions to go smoothly,” and reduces in-office...

Statement from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on the dismissal of the last case contesting the results of the November 2020 presidential election. In response to the dismissal by 13th Circuit Court Chief Judge Kevin Elsenheimer, a former Republican state legislator, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued the following statement:

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson calls for passage of the For the People Act to protect democracy, freedom to vote. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration calling for passage of the For the People Act (S.1) to provide a clear baseline of voting protections in the face of national, coordinated, partisan attacks on every citizen's voting rights by state legislatures.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - As the Governor of Florida signs a controversial election bill that makes ballot drop boxes available only when voting sites are open, Michigan's top election official is joing other states to push for Washington lawmakers in a push for a voting rights bill in Congress. Florida...

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recognizes May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Motorcyclists are Hard to See. Look Twice. Save a Life. In recognition of May as national Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is encouraging drivers to exercise extra caution when driving as motorcyclists take to the road during warm weather months.