SE Grand Rapids News

Legal counsel for the Michigan House of Representatives has invited the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) to meet in person and explain why they cannot disclose all unredacted election training materials requested by the Legislature. This invitation comes after MDOS refused to release these materials, citing the need to protect confidential information.

State Representatives Jay DeBoyer and Rachelle Smit have expressed their concerns about transparency. They stated, "The Secretary of State’s office should look at our invitation as us giving them the benefit of the doubt for their frankly appalling lack of transparency. We are handing them the opportunity to come and demonstrate to us that their claims of confidentiality are truthful."

The representatives questioned whether Jocelyn Benson's refusal is due to them being legislators rather than clerks, as they had access to these materials when they were clerks three years ago. "Her department will have the chance to prove to us that it’s the former and not the latter by sitting down with us in private," they added.

Earlier this week, MDOS defied a subpoena issued by DeBoyer for undisclosed election training materials. Despite a deadline set for Tuesday, only partly redacted information was released. In response, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she "upheld her obligation to protect sensitive information related to election security."

A letter sent to the Michigan Department of Attorney General sets a deadline for May 22 at 11:00 am for a response. It suggests a confidential joint redaction process but emphasizes MDOS's legal responsibility to comply with DeBoyer’s subpoena fully.