Johnson, Benson vie for Secretary of State

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After conventions for the Michigan Republican and Michigan Democratic Parties Saturday and Sunday, the Secretary of State field was narrowed to one candidate from each party that will appear on November’s general ballot.

Jocelyn Benson, a professor at Wayne State University Law School, will represent the Democrats. Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds Ruth Johnson is campaigning to keep the office of the Secretary of State in Republican hands after eight years under Terri Lynn Land.

Voters did not get to winnow the Secretary of State field in the August primary election because of state electoral laws. Instead, each party’s Secretary of State candidates were decided by delegates at the party conventions. Benson ran unopposed at the Democratic convention, but the Republican convention required two votes to narrow the field to one candidate, and after Johnson survived the first round alongside state Sen. Cameron Brown, R-Sturgis, she won the final election.

The Secretary of State is head of the Department of State and is responsible, among other duties, for administering elections and licensing drivers and vehicles.

Before working as the first female Oakland County Clerk and Register of Deeds, Johnson previously was the Oakland County Commissioner and a three-term legislator in the Michigan House of Representatives.

As clerk, Johnson is responsible for overseeing elections in her county. She said this experience prepared her for the statewide job.

“I’ve administered elections and I know what needs to be done to increase ballot security to make sure one citizen equals one vote,” Johnson said. “We need to make sure that whoever is voting is actually a U.S. citizen.”

Johnson also said she wanted to create random election results audits to fight fraud and require a representative for the Democratic and Republican parties to be present when voter-assisted ballots are cast to ensure citizens can vote free from political pressure.

A relative political outsider, Benson is a graduate of Harvard Law School and is a professor of election law at Wayne State University Law School. She also has worked on election protection initiatives during several election cycles, both for the Democratic Party and in nonpartisan efforts.

“The Secretary of State is the guardian of the Democratic process and my whole career has been devoted to doing what I can do to ensure that Democratic process and ensure that everyone’s right to vote is protected,” Benson said.

Simplifying the election process for students and other absentee voters is important, Benson said. She also said she wants to examine the potential of mobile Secretary of State offices on campuses such as MSU to create easier access for students.

From one of the largest counties in the state, Johnson has a large base of support behind her and strong experience as a clerk, said Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of newsletter Inside Michigan Politics.

“She’s got hands on job experience as a clerk which is really kind of a local version of Secretary of State,” Ballenger said.

Benson’s personality might help win her voters, he said.

“Her main attribute is she’s young — maybe some might say she’s too young — but she’s attractive, she’s articulate (and) she’s a law school graduate,” Ballenger said.

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