There has been controversy over mailing absentee ballot requests to every registered voter in Michigan. | stock photo
There has been controversy over mailing absentee ballot requests to every registered voter in Michigan. | stock photo
Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly) is standing behind election clerks in Michigan who are frustrated by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s unsolicited mass mailing of absentee ballot applications across the state.
“There are indeed serious concerns among local clerks who conduct our elections about the recent actions of the secretary of state as they relate to the integrity of our elections,” Johnson said on MiSenateGOP. “I am equally concerned about voters being disenfranchised; that’s why I think it is important we take steps to prevent dead people -- and others who are not eligible to vote or live in other states -- from voting. Every fraudulent vote disenfranchises another legitimate voter.”
Johnson said that local clerks have always been tasked with sending absentee ballot applications.
Sen. Ruth Johnson
| #MiSenateGOP
“We truly have some of the best clerks in the entire country, and they are the ones who best know and understand the needs of their communities,” Johnson said, according to MiSenateGOP. “Our system is decentralized by design and offers direct accountability between voters and the local clerks who are on the front lines conducting our elections. Clerks are the voters’ advocates, and I want to be their advocate.”
Many clerks recently expressed their frustration over the statewide mass mailing of the ballot applications during a hearing held by the Senate Elections Committee, which is chaired by Johnson. Clerks cited a number of issues, including Benson’s lack of communication and misleading voters by telling them that clerks have been provided with signature-verification software, according to MiSenateGOP.
“The secretary of state said on the Frank Beckmann Show that ‘we’ve actually invested in signature-matching software for the first time to verify and ensure everyone’s using the same technology to verify the accuracy of these signatures,’” Oxford Township Deputy Clerk Susan McCullough said in written testimony.
“Listeners were led to believe that we are currently using this software. When I requested a copy of not only the above-referenced software, but a copy of the law allowing the use of such software, I was told by the State Director of Elections Jonathan Brater that ‘Michigan does not currently have access to signature-matching software'," McCullough concluded.
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