Waterford Today

Michigan Sen. Ruth Johnson (R-Holly) requested that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson look into the veracity of mail-in votes, after learning of the possibility that, before the August primary election, nonresidents may have returned absentee ballot applications, which were were sent by Benson.

Johnson says Benson included individuals that the state had identified as likely “no longer qualified” to vote in Michigan when she sent out prefilled absentee ballot applications. The state used the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), which is a voluntary multistate crosscheck system to verify voter eligibility, and some of those who have received absentee ballot applications may live in other states.

“In one community alone, officials received four absentee ballot applications from people the state knew had surrendered their Michigan driver’s license to another state. People changed their license to another state, but they were still sent an invitation to vote in Michigan’s election by the secretary of state. That hurts integrity,” Johnson said, according to MiSenateGOP. “Hundreds of thousands of absentee ballot applications were sent to individuals who are likely not eligible to vote. This mailing was done without legislative approval. It is the local clerks’ job to handle requests for absentee ballot applications to preserve integrity.”

Sen. Ruth Johnson | #MiSenateGOP

Johnson requested that Benson take another look at mail-in votes from individuals who had been flagged by ERIC as surrendering their driver’s licenses to another state before they requested an absentee ballot for the primary election.

“We need to get on this before November. It disenfranchises voters who are following the rules when someone else might be voting for president in two different states. The secretary of state has created a hole in integrity with this mailing, and she needs to fix it,” Johnson told MiSenateGOP. “When you make it easy to cheat, it erodes confidence in our elections. The secretary of state needs to take steps to assure people that results accurately reflect the will of Michigan voters. That’s how we can all move forward together after November.”

In 2012, when Johnson was secretary of state, she and the Legislature worked on a law that allowed the secretary’s office to conduct post-election audits. She gave Benson a deadline of Tuesday, Sept. 1, to explain how the department would address her concerns.