New MI House Election Integrity Committee Gets Serious about Elections
- Jul 2
- 4 min read
Smit laying the groundwork for reform in 2025 session
By Jeff Schaeper, MFEI Director of Operations
July 2, 2025
The 2025 session of the 103rd Michigan Legislature opened with new Republican legislators heading up every House committee and resetting the House agenda. Nowhere was that shift more prominent than in Representative Rachelle Smit’s Election Integrity Committee.
When Republicans regained the majority in the Michigan House, they re-invigorated proper oversight of what the Michigan Executive Branch has been doing. The prior Elections Committee under Democrat leadership was renamed “Election Integrity” to address the serious concerns many Michigan voters have about the conduct of elections under Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Republican House Speaker Matt Hall appointed Rachelle Smit, a former township clerk, chair of the new Election Integrity Committee (EIC).
Under Smit’s leadership, the EIC launched a systematic review of Michigan’s election processes to highlight known issues, potential improvements and upcoming dangers. With a carefully arranged schedule of expert testimony, and the committee got down to work in earnest.
The first hearing heard testimony in support of House Joint Resolution (HJR) B, changing Michigan’s constitution to require verification of citizenship in order to vote, a measure over 80% of American citizens support. Former clerks and current State Representatives Anne Bollin and Jay DeBoyer spoke eloquently in support of the resolution. Michigan Fair Elections Institute (MFEI) and Pure Integrity Michigan Elections (PIME) also appeared in this hearing to support the resolution.
The Secretary of State’s office plus other progressive organizations vehemently disagreed. Shortly after this hearing, the Secretary of State was forced to issue a press release that at least 15 non-citizens potentially voted in the November 2024 election. To date no announced action or resolution to this matter has been made.
Through multiple hearings, the issues with Michigan election processes, run by Secretary Benson, were highlighted. The most disturbing testimony came when Ramon Jackson, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, and members of Sewell’s congregation spoke of how Detroit added their names back on the voting rolls after they moved and somehow ballots were cast in their name. Witness after witness testified to this and provided sworn affidavits.
The most recent hearing covered the pitfalls of Rank Choice Voting (RCV). Jason Snead of Honest Elections and Trent England from Save Our States provided compelling testimony of the issues with RCV and the manufactured outcomes that it presents.
Many states, of all political persuasions, have banned RCV.
Other hearings featured distinguished speakers such as constitutional law expert Erick Kaardal, physicist John Droz, Influence Watch investigative reporter Parker Thayer, and others, all presenting facts that Michigan elections are not safe and secure.
Testimony from Phani Mantravadi, Tim Vetter and Braden Giacobazzi detailed how Michigan’s voter roll system (QVF) can change individual voters voting history and how many invalid registrations the QVF contains, registrations that the state refuses to remove. The testimony also addressed how the Bureau of Elections resists providing complete and accurate information to FOIA requests.
Lawful requests and subpoenas for information on state-authored, clerk training materials have been stonewalled for months until the Michigan House filed lawsuits. The Michigan House’s frustration with Secretary Benson has ended up with an impeachment resolution.
Secretary Benson recently released her book The Purposeful Warrior, touting transparency and accountability. The Election Integrity Committee has shown that her interpretation of transparency and accountability does not match most people’s interpretations. Recently, her office sent a memo telling clerks not to provide voting records to Freedom of Information Act requests.
MFEI and PIME stand behind the House Election Integrity Committee in its efforts to bring order, security, and transparency to Michigan’s elections.
Statement from Representative Rachelle Smit
The work of the Michigan House's Election Integrity Committee is in tandem with the work being done by the entire Michigan House of Representatives. To that end, the Election Integrity Committee has been establishing a baseline of understanding about the ongoing weaknesses and voter fraud occurring in Michigan. We have brought in powerful testimony from a variety of smart, credible, and evidence-backed individuals who have documented what has and continues to transpire. We have sought records from the Executive Branch to determine what happened in the 2020 election, and also whether these same problems are ongoing.And most importantly, we have educated the elected officials in the Michigan House as we begin the long legal process of obtaining evidence and documents that the Executive Branch refuses to turn over. We began with reasonable requests about the training materials provided to clerks, and the legislative subpoenas we were forced to use are now being challenged in court. When we prevail, I believe it will set in stone a powerful tool by which we can continue to document voter fraud, election vulnerabilities, and assist us with restoring election integrity, and along with it, free and fair elections in Michigan. |
Jeff Schaeper is a member of MFE’s Communication Team, and has years of internal control and strategic planning in the auto industry. He is now retired and has turned his energy and passion to have free and fair elections
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