SE Grand Rapids News

State Representative Rachelle Smit has called for a review of election training materials following an admission by a Michigan election official that they violated state law. The official, from Secretary Jocelyn Benson's Department of State, acknowledged during court proceedings this week that clerks were ordered to delete information from the Qualified Voter File.

Smit expressed her concerns about repeated violations of election law. "How many times will Secretary Benson and her cronies admit to violating election law before Democrats and Republicans band together and demand answers?" she questioned. She emphasized that this was not an isolated incident, suggesting other unlawful regulations might have been issued to clerks. "Illegal mandates like this are exactly why we’re going to force Secretary Benson to hand over our clerk’s training materials so we can ensure they were developed according to state law and not her own personal preferences," Smit stated.

She criticized Secretary Benson's management of elections over the past five years, accusing her of obstructing transparency. "Secretary Benson has shown she will say and do whatever it takes to stop the people of Michigan from seeing just how poorly she has managed our elections for the past five years," Smit said. Despite ongoing legal challenges, Smit remains confident that the truth will emerge.

This development comes amid Smit's efforts, spanning nearly a year, to access election training materials from the Department of State. As chair of the House Elections Integrity Committee, Smit underscores the importance of reviewing these materials to ensure compliance with state law and secure electoral processes in light of what she describes as illegal mandates previously imposed on election workers.