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Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson today announced her offices are adding appointments to serve 350,000 more Michiganders, greeters at office doors to assist in scheduling visits, and priority service for residents needing a disability placard.

"We were able to do this after discussions with our frontline workers who, concerned about the chatter here in Lansing to revert back to a broken 'take a number and wait' system, suggested ways they could work harder and faster to be able to handle more transactions efficiently and quickly," said Benson. "It's an extraordinary testament not just to their dedication  . . .

"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."

Today, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson joined state Reps. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township) and Stephanie Young (D-Detroit) to announce legislation they introduced to increase the Department of State's capacity to serve customers at its branch offices.

The bills would address a severe reduction of staff in previous decades and a backlog of transactions that need to be done following extensions of credential expirations throughout the pandemic  . . .

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel denounced bills before the state Senate Elections Committee based on falsehoods about the 2020 election.

Senate Bills 303 and 304 would force anyone who arrives at their polling place without ID to vote a provisional ballot, which would only be counted if the voter is later able to provide proof of ID to their local clerk. However, more than 99 percent of citizens who vote at their polling place present an ID. The handful who don't must identify themselves by signing an affidavit under penalty of perjury, which is stored   . . .

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson submitted testimony to the state Senate Elections Committee today, denouncing legislation based on the Big Lie that would stop ballot tabulation before all votes have been counted.

"It is appalling that any elected official in this state would seriously consider changing the law to cease the counting of legally cast ballots in an election before a full count of every valid vote is completed," said Benson. "And it's another example of politicians choosing to codify the 'Big Lie' rather than tell their constituents the truth  . . .

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:

"The dismissal of the last of the lawsuits attempting to undermine democracy in furtherance of the Big Lie affirms that despite intense scrutiny, and an unprecedented misinformation campaign, the 2020 election was fair and secure, and the results accurately reflect the will of the voters."

Antrim County initially released incorrect unofficial election results, which were quickly caught and corrected. . . 

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Aneta Kiersnowski 
KiersnowskiA@Michigan.gov