Jocelyn Benson
2019 - Present
2023
2
Jocelyn Benson (Democratic Party) is the Michigan Secretary of State. She assumed office on January 1, 2019. Her current term ends on January 1, 2023.
Benson (Democratic Party) ran for election for Michigan Secretary of State. She won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
On October 5, 2009, Benson announced her candidacy for the statewide office of secretary of state, a seat vacated by Republican Terri Lynn Land, who was barred by state term-limit laws from running for a third term.[1] Nearly a year later, however, Benson lost in the general election on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010, to Republican Ruth Johnson after receiving a little over forty-five percent of the vote.
Despite speculation that she would run in 2014 for the U.S. House in Michigan's 11th District, Benson announced in December 2013 that she would not be seeking the seat.[2]
Contents
Education
- Bachelor's degree, Wellesley College (magna cum laude)
- Master's degree in sociology, Magdalen College in Oxford
- Juris Doctorate degree, Harvard University Law School
Professional experience
In the midst of studying for her bachelor's degree at Wellesley College, Benson founded the 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 worked as a summer associate for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund as well as serving as a legal assistant to American legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg at National Public Radio (NPR). Prior to graduating from law school, Benson worked as general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, a legal scholarship publication. Prior to entering law school, Benson lived in Montgomery, Alabama, and worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center.[3][4][5]
Benson served as a law clerk to the Honorable Damon J. Keith, a justice for the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She was hired by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2004 to develop its first nationwide Election Protection program, which gave the authority to select, recruit, and train its Voter Protection coordinators in twenty-one states, and to deploy over 17,000 trained election law attorneys in the midst of the 2004 presidential election. Benson developed similar efforts on behalf of the Michigan Democratic Party from 2006 to 2008. In her testimony before the United States House Judiciary Committee in after the 2008 presidential election, she advocated for a ban on the use of foreclosure lists as a means to challenge a voter's eligibility on election days.
She was named as an Associate Law Professor at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan where she has taught the following courses: Election Law, Sports and Inequality, Race and the Law, Education Law, and Civil Procedure. She was also appointed as a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Election Law.
Noteworthy events
Secretary of State Project
- See also: Secretary of State Project
Benson has received the endorsement and financial assistance of the Secretary of State Project (SOS Project), a 527 political organization whose purpose, according to its website, was to "wrestling control of the country from the Republican Party" through the process of "removing their political operatives from deciding who can vote and whose votes will count," namely the office of Secretary of State in many cases.[6][7] The SOS Project received its funding from the George Soros-backed Democracy Alliance.[8]
Political career
Michigan Secretary of State (2019-present)
Benson was elected as Michigan secretary of state on November 6, 2018. She assumed office on January 1, 2019.
Elections
2018
General election for Michigan Secretary of State
Jocelyn Benson defeated Mary Treder Lang, Gregory Scott Stemple, and Robert Gale in the general election for Michigan Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Jocelyn Benson (D) |
52.9
|
2,213,243 |
|
|
Mary Treder Lang (R) |
44.0
|
1,840,118 | |
|
|
Gregory Scott Stemple (L) |
2.0
|
81,849 | |
|
|
Robert Gale (U.S. Taxpayers Party) |
1.2
|
48,816 | |
|
Total votes: 4,184,026 | |||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
||||
2010
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party |  Ruth Johnson
|
50.7% | |
| Democratic Party | Jocelyn Benson | 45.2% | |
| Libertarian Party | Scotty Boman | 1.8% | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Robert Gale | 1.3% | |
| Green Party | John A. La Pietra | 1.0% | |
| Total Votes | 3,173,248 | ||
Campaign themes
2018
Campaign website
Benson's campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Benson’s Plan For Secretary Of State “The people of Michigan deserve a Secretary of State who works as hard as they do. No one should have to spend more than 30 minutes to renew their drivers license, register their vehicle or cast a ballot. We need to show the hardworking people of Michigan that their time matters. They have the right to demand results and we are prepared to deliver them.” THE “30-MINUTE GUARANTEE” Benson will work to establish a 30-Minute Guarantee: an expectation that no one, no matter where they live, should have to wait more than 30 minutes to renew their driver’s license, register their vehicle or cast a ballot. BAN FEE INCREASES Benson will be an advocate against fee increases that have hit Michigan families hard in recent years. When it comes to pocketbook issues, she has a proven track record. As dean of the Wayne State University Law School, she froze tuition and significantly increased scholarship funding to make law school more affordable and accessible to all students. ELECTION SECURITY Benson’s vision is to make Michigan a national model in election security. She will ensure that voting remains a sacred right and that every legitimate vote is counted. Benson, who has developed and supervised three election protection efforts in Michigan, will toughen penalties for those who commit election fraud and voter intimidation. And she will lead an effort to protect our elections from the threat of computer hacking, tampering, and manipulation. PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS Benson will work to ensure the voting rights of every citizen are protected. Voters should be able to vote early or by absentee ballot without having to give a reason, just as they do in dozens of other states. As Secretary of State, Benson will ensure voters who want to cast a ballot can do so with ease, and without intimidation. ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY Among the 50 states, Michigan is dead last in government transparency and accountability. Benson will champion reforms that will make Michigan one of the best states in the nation, shining a light on the secret money flowing into our election process by requiring instant disclosure of all political and lobbying money. “For too long, our voices have been overshadowed by special interests. People deserve a state government that is transparent and accountable, a secure democracy that is based upon fair and honest elections, and efficient customer service from government. As Michigan’s Secretary of State, I will work on behalf of all our citizens every day to ensure they come first.”[10] |
” |
| —Benson for Secretary of State[11] | ||
Campaign contributions
2010
According to Follow the Money, Benson has raised $250,241 in 2010 for her secretary of state campaign as of September 29, 2010.[12]
Listed below are the top five contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Jocelyn F. Benson | $6,387 |
| Alida Messinger | $3,400 |
| Secretary of State Project | $3,250 |
| Bob McKay | $3,000 |
| Herbert Kurz | $3,000 |
See also
- Michigan Secretary of State
- Michigan Secretary of State election, 2010
- Michigan Secretary of State election, 2018
External links
|
Candidate Michigan Secretary of State |
Officeholder Michigan Secretary of State |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Detroit News, "WSU professor to run for Secretary of State" 5 Oct. 2009
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "WSU law school dean Jocelyn Benson will not run for Congress in 2014," accessed December 4, 2013
- ↑ National Review Online, "Spreading the Smear" 22 April, 2010
- ↑ Hate Watch, "Hate Groups and Nativist Extremists Crashing ‘Tea Parties’" 14 April, 2009
- ↑ American Thinker, "Southern Poverty Law Center is less diverse than the tea parties" 8 Aug. 2010
- ↑ Secretary of State Project - 2010 Races
- ↑ American Spectator, "SOS in Minnesota" 7 Nov. 2008
- ↑ Discover the Networks - Democracy Alliance
- ↑ Michigan Department of State - 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Vote Benson, "Issues," accessed October 2, 2018
- ↑ Follow the Money - Campaign Contributions for Jocelyn Benson, 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ruth Johnson (R) |
Michigan Secretary of State 2019–present |
Succeeded by NA |
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State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
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