By A new report from the Fair Election Fund, a self-described nonpartisan watchdog, gives Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson a “D” grade for her handling of elections, accusing her of undermining voter confidence ahead of the 2024 presidential contest. The 51-page report marks the beginning of a national initiative to evaluate how secretaries of state across the country are managing election systems, according to The Daily Caller.
According to the group, Benson has repeatedly issued guidance that conflicted with Michigan law—most notably a directive that clerks presume the validity of absentee ballot signatures. That policy was struck down in June 2024 by Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates, who ruled it unlawful and noted Benson had unsuccessfully attempted similar measures in previous election cycles.
The watchdog also points to a disclosure by Benson that at least 15 non-citizens voted in Michigan’s general election. While she downplayed the incident as manageable, critics say it highlights a deeper vulnerability in the state’s verification process. One case involved Haoxiang Gao, a 19-year-old Chinese national who used a student ID to register and vote in Ann Arbor before contacting authorities to report the error himself.
The report criticizes Benson’s resistance to the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections. While opponents of the legislation argue it is unnecessary and potentially discriminatory, proponents say it closes loopholes that allow non-citizen voting—loopholes they claim Benson has failed to address.
The Fair Election Fund contends that election integrity is not a partisan issue—and that inconsistent enforcement of election laws, especially by officials like Benson, erodes public trust no matter who benefits politically. The report also raises concerns about Michigan’s voter rolls, noting that Benson previously acknowledged maintenance failures in 2020 but has since been reluctant to admit ongoing problems. Although a lawsuit from the Republican National Committee was dismissed on procedural grounds earlier this year, the group maintains that the state continues to lag behind in transparency and accuracy.
Benson, widely seen as the Democratic front runner for governor in 2026, did not issue a statement in response to the report before its publication. In 2022, she assured Gretchen Whitmer’s reelection by removing the top Republican contenders from the ballot.
This focus on non-citizen participation is unfolding against a backdrop of renewed debate over election integrity. As The Federalist reports, Democrats who previously dismissed conservative concerns about voter fraud are now raising their own alarms about election legitimacy. Figures like Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, and commentators at The Atlantic have accused former President Donald Trump of trying to “undermine the next election,” citing his executive order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Even before Trump’s landslide victory in November, legacy media were planting seeds that he might “steal” the race. MSNBC said in October that then-Vice President Kamala Harris was “prepared if Trump tries to steal the election,” while NBC said Trump could “declare a premature election win.” Vox even speculated that Trump would use the Supreme Court to “steal the election.” And just days before the election, The Rolling Stone published an article on “How Republicans Could Help Steal The Election From Harris.”
After Trump won, many Democrats began wondering how their immensely popular candidate could have lost. After all, she spent millions on celebrity endorsements, and rapper Lizzo promised that if Harris won, the “whole country will be like Detroit.” What could have gone wrong?
Leftist writer Greg Palast claimed Trump used “Jim Crow tricks” to cheat Harris out of more than 3.5 million votes. Various other Democrats online began crafting stories about how Trump might have cheated Harris out of the election. It spiraled so far out of control that even NBC published a story stating, “Election denialism emerges on the left after Trump’s win.”
This was a remarkable turn from the last four years, when leftist outlets constantly claimed rigging the election was impossible. When conservatives expressed concerns about things like noncitizen voting, or government censorship, or Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg giving millions to election administrators through leftist nonprofits to boost Democrat turnout, leftists smeared them as “election deniers.”
The Fair Election Fund says its evaluation of Michigan is just the first in a broader project that will scrutinize how elections have been managed in all 50 states.
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