top of page

Election Integrity News Blog

Search

MI SOS Benson Uncooperative in Response to Congressional Questions about Mail-In Ballots.


By Kristine Christlieb, MFE Senior Correspondent | September 30. 2024

 

On behalf of the Committee on House Administration, Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) is asking Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to make the initial phase of mail-in ballot processing more transparent, Her office is ignoring the request.

 

In a September 13 letter to Benson, following up on the House Committee’s hearing of September 11, Steil asked Benson to clarify to “all County Clerks, that challengers are permitted at the initial stage of mail-in ballot processing.”

 

According to Steil, he asked for this clarification because “it is the Committee’s understanding that at least some clerk offices believe challengers have no right to be present during the initial processing of mail ballots and signature verification.”

 

Steil gave a deadline: “[T]he Committee asks that, by September 23, 2024, you confirm and communicate to the various clerk offices that challengers are permitted to observe initial processing of mail ballots and signature verification.”

 

Benson’s office responded by September 23; but in an email statement, Steil said, “I was disappointed by the lack of information provided by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office in response to my letter. Americans deserve secure and fair elections. I will be following up to ensure we receive a fulsome response.”

 

The Point of Contention


In his letter, Steil tried to make sure he was clear about the point of concern. He offered his understanding of Michigan’s two-step process for mail ballots which was not contested. “In the first step [the initial stage], city and township clerk offices receive and process the mail ballots.”

 

In this initial phase, city and township clerks examine the ballot on three levels:

·       Is the elector [the person voting] properly registered to vote?

·       When was the ballot received?

·       Can the signature on the ballot be verified?

 

The second step in mail ballot processing is tabulating the ballot by an absent voter counting board.


There’s no dispute about having Michigan challengers in the second step of the process. The Committee’s concern is the initial phase, the validation of the ballot by reviewing the voter’s registration, documenting the date and time the ballot was received and verifying the voter’s signature.

 

The Committee on House Administration has the Constitutional authority to oversee elections to the U.S. House of Representatives. Steil argues in his letter that challengers are essential observers. “[I]n the event there is a contested House election in Michigan, it will assist us in assessing the reliability of the results.”

 

Steil concludes by saying it would be “absurd to permit challengers to observe[r] in-person voting, but then to prohibit challengers from observing mail voting.”

 

In Michigan Chief Legal Director Michael Bradys September 23 response to Steil’s September 13 communication, he acknowledges the Committee’s concern was “observing the initial processing of mail ballots and signature verification,” thus making clear he understands what is at stake.

 

For the record, Brady quotes Benson’s testimony from the September 11 hearing in which she testifies Michigan is ready to welcome the Committee’s bipartisan observers. But then comes Brady’s obfuscation.

 

Brady first argues questions about Michigan challengers were not raised in the hearing. He then tells Steil Michigan observers are called poll watchers and that challengers have an entirely separate role.

 

Brady then details what challengers are allowed to do in the first step, the initial stage of the process.

 

He tells Steil: “Each challenger-credentialing organization may assign one challenger to observe the issuance and receipt of absent voter ballots at a clerk’s office or a satellite location maintained by the clerk, including an Election Day Vote Center. A challenger may be present at the clerk’s office only when the office is open for business and during the period prior to an election when voters may request or return an absent voter ballot at the office.”

 

Michigan Fair Elections Founder Patrice Johnson explains how this system works in reality. “What people don’t realize is clerks aren’t always conducting the initial phase of the mail-in ballot processing in their offices during regular office hours. We have clerk sources here in Michigan telling us they take ballots home where they check the voter registration, document date and time of receipt and verify the signature. All that is happening with no challengers present.”

 

Johnson explains why this happens. “Mail-in ballots require more scrutiny and only the clerks are allowed to do it. And now our clerks are inundated with mail-in ballots. Many clerks are serving in a part-time capacity, and so they are working sometimes from home just to keep up. It’s understandable, but it does create chain-of-custody questions and transparency problems. And obviously, it is a situation bad actors could exploit. How can we be sure registrations are checked? How do we know ballot signatures are actually verified? The truth is, we don’t.”

 

In 36 states, voters are sent mail-in ballots automatically or a mail-in ballot can be requested without justification. As Steil notes in his letter to Benson, “Transparency is especially important for mail voting, which the U.S. Supreme Court has found to be more vulnerable to fraud than in-person voting. Allowing observers to watch the processing of mail ballots guards against potential fraud and promotes public confidence.”


 

Kristine Christlieb serves as senior correspondent on MFE's communications team. She publishes Trust but Verify on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/trustbutverifyreport/p/voter-registration-blitzkrieg?r=2haa2x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web


 

Learn how We The People can win back and secure OUR Future.



Join us Thursday, October 3, at 12 PM for

the weekly Coalition Task Force Meeting


To attend this meeting, use the Registration link below . It changes weekly.


After registering, you will receive an email with details on how to join the meeting.



Note: Representatives of the media are allowed in our meetings only with prior permission.

 

Important Notes and Disclaimers for Election Integrity Network National Working Groups and coalition calls


  • We operate under strict 501 (c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan guidelines. Please do not make any comments during the call or in the chat that are directly related to any campaign or candidate running for office or could be considered an endorsement or opposition of that candidate.


  • All calls are “off the record.” This means that no members of the media are allowed on our calls without permission and this rule also applies to participants. No comment or presentation can be shared outside of the call without the express permission of the speaker. This includes the call "Notes" available to our participants. 


  • We always welcome new participants but ask that all newcomers register with their own registration link. Please do not forward your personal link to another participant.


  • For the security of the call, if you join by phone, you may be asked to unmute and provide your name. 


  • This meeting is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or instruction to lobby on behalf of any issue or organization.


 

Please donate to Michigan Fair Elections 


MFE is a fiercely independent, tax-exempt 501(c)3 charity. We rely on voluntary contributions to fund our important, and sometimes costly, work. Legal claims are sometimes essential to improve the government and protect citizen rights, and they can be expensive. MFE accepts no government funding.



Please support MFE's investigative research, honest journalism, and litigative actions to defend We the People's inalienable rights as protected in the U.S. Constitution. Donate today to assist our educational efforts to protect the principles of individual liberty in America.



 

Mark your calendars to attend Election Integrity Network's outstanding National Working Groups. Consider also serving as liaison to report to the Task Force Coalition on our Thursday News@Noon meetings.


Join a National Working Group HERE  (All meetings are noted in Eastern time.)

 

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Michigan Fair Elections. Every article written by an MFE author is generated by the author or editor alone. However, links or images embedded within the article, may have been generated by artificial intelligence.


Comments


bottom of page