Lastamender
Diamond Member
- Dec 28, 2011
- 61,115
- 54,460
The SOS does not have the authority to change election laws.
Benson has been at the center of a firestorm over election integrity in Michigan for years. In 2021, she first instructed election officials to presume, rather than verify, signatures on absentee ballots for the 2022 elections — a move that sparked immediate legal pushback from the Michigan Republican Party. Their challenge succeeded, and the courts deemed Benson's directive illegal, ruling that election officials did have to verify ballot signatures. She didn't learn her lesson, though, because Benson was at it again in December 2023, quietly reinstating the controversial policy behind closed doors.
Her directive swiftly drew legal action from the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates subsequently ruled that such an "initial presumption" of validity in signature verification of absentee ballot applications and envelopes violated the Constitution and Michigan state laws.
Benson has been at the center of a firestorm over election integrity in Michigan for years. In 2021, she first instructed election officials to presume, rather than verify, signatures on absentee ballots for the 2022 elections — a move that sparked immediate legal pushback from the Michigan Republican Party. Their challenge succeeded, and the courts deemed Benson's directive illegal, ruling that election officials did have to verify ballot signatures. She didn't learn her lesson, though, because Benson was at it again in December 2023, quietly reinstating the controversial policy behind closed doors.
Her directive swiftly drew legal action from the Republican National Committee, the Michigan Republican Party, and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates subsequently ruled that such an "initial presumption" of validity in signature verification of absentee ballot applications and envelopes violated the Constitution and Michigan state laws.
