Defending Democracy
The Fight to Protect the 2024 Election with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson
As a critical swing state, Michigan is on the front lines in the fight to protect democracy. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson joins Marc Elias to discuss how Michigan has worked to protect elections this fall, the growing threat of election deniers and what citizens can do to help safeguard voting rights.
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This episode was produced by Allie Rothenberg, Gabrielle Corporal and Paige Moskowitz. It was edited by Gabrielle Corporal.
- Duration:
- 39m
- Broadcast on:
- 30 Aug 2024
- Audio Format:
- aac
Michigan is a critical swing state on the front lines in the fight for democracy. I'm joined by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to discuss how Michigan is working to protect voting rights and elections this fall. Welcome back to Defending Democracy. I'm Mark Elias. Let's get started. Secretary Benson, welcome to Defending Democracy. Thank you for having me. Okay, so I have been so looking forward to talking to you. As you know, you are very busy, but I've been really looking forward to talk to you because you are sitting literally at ground zero in the battleground of all battleground states there. It's not just a presidential election that you have to oversee. There is a very close US Senate election that you have to oversee. There are congressional elections that you have to oversee. You're probably going to tell me there are state and local elections also on the ballot that you that you have to oversee. So, as a critical like, and I hate to use the word swing state because like I said, it conveys only one election, but as a critical state right now, what is your sort of top line message to people about like where we stand in the election administration cycle in the in the fight for protecting democracy? Well, really excited to be here with you. I think, you know, where we stand in this moment is we're incredibly prepared and more aligned as a community of democracy defenders. Then we were at any point prior, I mean, at this stage in 2020, we had some inkling of how far, you know, the former president might go when his, you know, team to undermine elections or delegitimize democracy. But it really on the the depths to which they would go really unfolded in a in a shocking way leading up to, of course, the tragedy at our US Capitol on January 6. And so now at this stage of the of the subsequent presidential cycle in 24, we have we're very clear eyed about what we're up against. It is far more sophisticated effort than perhaps in 20. But at the same time, we are far more for lack of better word sophisticated as well we're much more wise and then seasoned and coordinated. And we've got great people in place, not just in Michigan, but, but in several other key states like Arizona and Nevada, Pennsylvania, even in Georgia. So I feel like we are, we're fully aware of the battle that we're heading into. And I think voters too are more aware. So I think the story of these last several years and my hope is the story that's yet to be written about the months ahead will be one of all of us. And the vast majority of citizens and election officials who care about democracy and want to see it survive, really banding together and protecting that basic promise of one person, one vote and that are the electors choose the president, not the other way around. All of that is going to continue to rule the day because people in this moment stood up and ensured that it did. Well, so I want to get into all of that. But I have to start with a question I usually ask guests, but your background is really extraordinary. How did you decide to get into this like how did you decide. I, you know, what I want to do is become a lawyer and, you know, do this stuff and then become a law school dean and then run for Secretary of State like what, how do you tell people like how did you wind up being at the middle of ground zero in administering elections in a key swing state. Yeah, I, you know, my parents were special education teachers and so I was raised in sort of an understanding that we all have a responsibility to play to make sure everyone has opportunity in our country. And that led me to want to do civil rights work. And in particular in Alabama where I moved after college to investigate extremist organizations for the Southern Poverty Law Center. I was so close to Selma and spending time in Selma where I was really instilled with this, both inspiration and also recognition that the heart of the civil rights movement for all the work and dismantling segregation and all the rest. It really lied with the Voting Rights Act that preserving the Voting Rights Act would be how we could preserve all of the other freedoms and opportunities promised and gained in that movement and throughout history. So I wanted to become a lawyer, just because the Voting Rights Act, even at that point in the late 90s had been so weakened, I wanted to make it strong and be a part of reauthorizing section five and do that, you know, in the early 2000s and all of that. And then the 2000 election happened. And that really underscored to me how even though it was 24 years ago, a Secretary of State named Catherine Harris in Florida did not allow a full recount I know you remember this quite well. It would allow a full recount to happen and I realized that that attorneys were just one piece of the puzzle that election administrators as well have a key role to play to make sure we're proactively setting up systems to make democracy work for everyone. And then I even saw the Voting Rights Act was really about correcting for election officials who did the wrong thing and compelling them to do the right thing. So I guess if I could just be an election official and do all the right things. And, and then I was really inspired by the fact that voters we choose these folks, particularly in Michigan and in Nevada and Arizona. So I wanted to, and this is why I wrote a book on Secretary of State to communicate to voters like you get to choose who these people are in most scenarios and these are really critical positions. And I also inspired writing that book that I, after I interviewed Jennifer Brunner my last interview for the book really just said to her I think I want to do this job as well. And that began the process of, of planning to run for it. And I was very fortunate to be able to run in 2018 with a team of women in Michigan like data nestle are amazing a G and, and of course Governor Whitmer to really be part of an effort of women to lead our state and be ready when the storm came our way in that Donald Trump presidency that you know we were on guard and prepared for that moment in different ways throughout our careers. And Jennifer Brunner was the Secretary of State of Ohio correct. Yes, yeah Jennifer Brunner was I think the last Democrat to serve as Secretary of State in Ohio. And correct, I was going to say, and you were the first Democrat serve as Secretary of State in Michigan since since 1995. And so I want to talk a little bit and then we'll get back to election administration but you had quite a meteoric rise and success in politics and have been a key player. You know, electrically, as you say, as part of a three women statewide who won together, Democrats have both U.S. Senate seats, one of the Senate seats is up for election this cycle, and Democrats control the both branches of the legislature for the first time in some time. And so I'm just curious, you know, what do you know, what do you know about the secret to Michigan political success that others can learn from. Yeah, it all starts with just empowering voters, because really what happened in Michigan after 2016, where voter turnout was lower than it has been since, was voters citizens said we're not going to take it anymore. And they started among other things like the initiative process through voters not politicians to eliminate gerrymandering in our state and put citizens in charge of drawing congressional districts and legislative districts. That then led to a coupled initiative that same year in 2018 to expand voting in our state when I took office, you had to register to vote 30 days ahead of time. You had to request and have an excuse or reason to vote from home, or in any other way other than on election day itself. And so voters through citizens initiative transformed our democracy. I was just fortunate enough to be able to be elected as the state's chief election administrator in that same election, where all of the policies I would have wanted to push for at that moment. I was elected and took office getting ready to implement, and it was really incredible that to me was, you know, a moment that was transformative for our democracy. I spent the years after implementing all those changes, and we saw after we did that. No reason absentee voting election day registration automatic voter registration citizen led redistricting, then lo and behold you see the highest turnout in our state's history. Just two years later in 2020 in no small part due to those election laws that made it easier for everyone on both sides of the aisle to participate. This is another expansion in 22, but with the citizens drawn districts in 22, we saw what fair, fair districts actually generate, which are people who represent the demographics and the political balance in the state. And that is really how you saw a more people driven policy structure in our state. And all of us as administrators as elected officials, our job is simply to make their will real. Yeah, I think you're selling yourself short, you know, I always have this image of, you know, and you hear this like really good mayors. They like drive up and down the streets looking for potholes. The reason why I wanted to talk to you is that, you know, I just have this image of you every day, like sort of doing the equivalent of driving up and down the street looking for bottles except for voters right like trying to figure out like what are the friction points that voters fake what are the, what are the things that maybe, you know we're well intentioned but just like they are, they are just tripping people up or the election officials are just having to go through an extra step. Just like creating a little bit more turbulence. And so, there's like I said, there's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you, you know, what is that, what is that motivation about because, you know, frankly, there are a lot of Democrats who are like, you know, we won, we're in charge. We don't really have to do a lot more. Yeah, I think it's just a real belief that that in the power of the people in a real respect for their voices and a real desire to hear them heard and also recognition that all the other issues, whether it's good education or potholes being fixed or access to quality health care everything else that I believe in comes to fruition when voters are engaged in demanding it and that that's sort of that's what history teaches us has led the way for some of the best policies we've seen throughout our country and our state's history. So it's really just a real love of, of ensuring that people feel their own power that they're promised in a democracy, and that they can exercise it, and a respect for the promise that if we do that, then a lot of the other challenges and promises that we have can can come to fruition. But anyways I never really made this connection before but in thinking about it now, you know my parents as teachers I heard stories about how hard it was for them to get their bosses their leaders the principles to listen to them. And that they kind of knew what was best for their students but the principles would always like override their decisions or not listen to them. So I think it's sort of a very deep sense of growing up seeing how much teachers knew what was best for their students and now really believe in that voters know what's best for their communities, and that leaders are best when they listen to them and work with them to, you know, make data driven policy decisions and all the rest. But at the same time you can't a leader, whether it's a principal to school or a governor of a state can't really make the best informed policy decisions without having your ear to the ground and seeing what that experience is really like what what the needs really are for the people you serve. Okay, so we, you mentioned at the outset that you know you feel like there were a lot of lessons learned from 2020. Just to remind everyone. You were attacked by then President Trump now candidate Trump for advocating expanded mail and voting. You had to deal with a fake elector scheme in in Michigan. There, you know, the Republican Party of Michigan is now, you know, seemingly controlled by a lot of election and I ours, but even in 2020 you had to deal with really the first certification. You know, challenge everyone now is very focused on this question of like election and I is refusing to serve by election results. It was in your state, first in Wayne County, where Donald Trump, and the then RNC chair called the two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of canvassers to try to prevent them from certifying the outcome of the election results in that county for people who don't know Wayne County includes Detroit. And then at the state level, there was in a renewed effort when that failed to get Republican, the two Republican members the state board, state board of canvassers to refuse to certify the election results. So there was a lot that you dealt with in 2020 that was, let's say, unusual, a historic historic. And I'm just curious like, what do you take away from what did you take away from all that. Yeah, it's actually was the darkest moment of that post 2020 election era for me. It wasn't when people showed up outside my home with guns it wasn't when, you know, Trump was pressuring others to attack me, or Giuliani pressuring folks. It was really that night of the Wayne County Board of canvassers meeting because we had been up to that point, doing everything we can to protect those election results. And we knew about the pressure that those local certifiers were under. We knew two of them were probably not going to vote to certify. And there was nothing I could do in that moment to get them to do their job to get their to get them to do the right thing to follow the law. We had a plan to go to court to compel certification, you know, the law provides for bad actors in that regard and it does even more so now so we knew that we would win the day because the votes as recorded on paper ballots were quite clear, but I remember coming home that night and thinking they won this round because, and it was a critical round for them because you said it was the first challenge real challenge to a certification. The goal and the scheme at the time, which has now been made quite clear was to block certification at Wayne County use that to block certification at the state level in Michigan. And though court cases would play out to ultimately compel certification it would create this air of uncertainty that they could take to other states like Pennsylvania which was going next, and a talking point to leverage and push other states by thereby opening up enough confusion and chaos to allow off the alternate slate of electors to be potentially accepted by Mike Pence on January six so that whole plan to overturn the election began with trying to block certification and Wayne County which is why you saw the then president pressuring these, you know, unknown civil servants. So we knew all that. And I was really eating me up that that we hadn't won that round. And at night was that hundreds of citizens showed up virtually and in person to sort of cogently clearly state what the law was what their legal duty was as canvassers and certifiers, and to say, count my vote, my voice matters, do your job. And so that was actually what preserved that certification that's what compelled those individuals who had been pressured by a president not to certify the people showed up, and and compelled them to certify to do their jobs on the strength of the citizens, these voters who simply said my voice matters and I need you to make sure the vote is certified. So it's a beautiful story of the 2020 election about how it was really, you know, we as officials did what we could but had those citizens not showed up in that moment. The other side the bad guys trying to undo election results would have had a much stronger case going into what was to follow, and citizens really stood guard and, and ensured that certification did happen in Wayne County. Did the same thing to compel certification at the state level as well, again with the law and the facts and the truth all on our side. So when the people stepped up to remind people in power of their jobs that their jobs were done and the election ultimately was certified in Michigan and then in every other state, we'll be back with more of my discussion with Secretary Benson in a moment, but I want to say thank you for helping us reach over 150,000 subscribers on YouTube. As a sign of our appreciation, we're offering a discount on all Democracy Doc and merchandise, use code DDYT 10 for 10% off all of our merch on the site, the link is in the description below. So I'm curious because I, I, I recall the obviously what happened Wayne County and then at the state board level it sounds like you were less concerned about them succeeding at the state level than you were at the Wayne County level and I'm just. Yeah, I was most, yeah, I was most concerned about Wayne County. We didn't know yet what would, I mean, it was just a bunch of unknowns ahead of us at that time we didn't know how it would play out. We just knew what, you know, what we had what the tools that we had in our toolbox most importantly the law and the facts of the election and so we're trying to figure out how to leverage them. What we didn't account for was just how powerful it would be for citizens to on their own decide to show up and say, that's not okay you have to certify our voice on our, our votes. When we got to the state that day up until the votes were taken we did not know if Aaron Van Langerfeld would do his job or not. He was just yes, he was there were four members of the state board of canvases at the time, two Republicans and two Democrats, one Republican did not vote to certify the two Democrats did and it came down to one vote. That was Aaron Van Langerfeld who was the then counsel to the speaker, the Republican speaker in the state house legal counsel he's a lawyer. So, you know, he also knew the consequences he knew the law. And he listened to the facts and what we did not know and he did not reveal what his vote was going to be until he cast it and then he of course cast to certify the election. Just like everyone else to see whether or not the facts in the rule of law would rule the day and thankfully they did, but it really emphasized just how much democracy and, and protecting and preserving democracy depends on people of integrity in all positions doing the right thing and following the law and respecting the will of the people. And of course, after Michigan in 2020 we saw efforts by election deniers to refuse to certify in other states, there was an effort in Cochise County, Arizona that my law firm sued over there was a effort there were efforts in Pennsylvania and handful of counties. I think there was actually a further effort in Michigan, as I, as I recall in in a county. Yes, even just recently in northern Michigan there was a county in after a local election that hemmed and hot over certifying, and myself and the Attorney General quickly reminded them what the law requires which will do again I mean that that's sort of what what is amazing to me about all this and what 2020 showed is that you know the law is very clear, you have a responsibility to certify the election results if you're in those positions if you if you advocate that responsibility, we will seek consequences we will enforce the law, and we've tried to be very clear about that there's really no benefit to, you know, succumbing to perhaps political pressure and, and not doing your job and certifying you're not going to be successful we'll get the election results certified, and what will happen also is that you know there will be legal consequences for the individuals who who violated their, their, their oath and their responsibility. So, obviously, this is very much in the news, because of not just the states we talked about and what happened in 2022 but obviously there's a bit of drama around this going on in Georgia but not only in Georgia I mean most prominently in Georgia but not only in Georgia. But you know there have been a number of articles that suggest that there are more election deniers that have whether you say infiltrated or been inspired whatever but have gotten into local election administration, either in the counting of votes or the running of elections or the certification of elections, and I'm just curious obviously you can't speak to, you know, other states and all that but like how much should people worry, because people seem very worried. Like how much are people worried that election deniers are going to be able to influence the elections through these various schemes. There are a few things, one for anyone feeling worried about this so we have a saying in Michigan we don't worry we go to work. And I say that first just to emphasize that that that that whatever you might be worried about with regards to the election this fall. But for the moment use that worry to compel you to be a part of the solution, meaning in this certification piece, you know, make sure if you are in a scenario where people with authority are choosing to not certify or are essentially in a very anti democratic way, make sure you're at those meetings, and, and not allowing them to break the law, make sure you're speaking out about it make sure you're shining a light on it we all can transform our worry and anxiety about this to play a role and in making sure the law is followed and that people do their jobs. So see your role in that one to I think in addition to that there are so many of us in every one of the battleground states or any of the states where this could happen with our eyes on this than there were before. The extent to which people would try to block certification in 2020 I think mark you have a unique ability to see and predict and be there in the fight when it happens but I think for a lot of people, whether you saw it I don't know but a lot of us didn't expect and didn't anticipate it now we do right now we're prepared. In some cases like Michigan we have stronger laws. In some cases like Georgia there are more complicated, but I think we are all in there's the whole organizations that are focused on this particular part of the process so I think it's harder legally practically realistically for anyone to not certify and get away with it essentially if they don't like the election results will be there the minute the second it happens to push for the law. And I believe that the law on all fronts will be will be followed, but you know you can't forget that important role that we as citizens that all citizens have in compelling important you know people to do their jobs and important moments. And I think we all have to have our eyes on this issue, and I think we do to a far greater extent than we did in 20, but everyone else everyone of us has a role in making sure, not only that we vote, but that we're part of making sure we protect the election results as well knowing there are bad actors out there who would rather us stay silent, not vote, and then not be engaged in protecting our vote after the fact. I ask you about what Republicans are up to. You know, it, it, one of the hallmarks of this election cycle nationally has been a absolute explosion of litigation by Republican party organizations by right of center or groups to use the courts to try to restrict voting You know I think that most people, probably when you were working in Alabama most people thought that, you know, the people who would go to court about voting were, were trying to expand the franchise right they were trying to do the things they could do to ensure that every eligible citizen is able to vote and that their vote counts and is accurately certified, and you know people could have disagreements around whether this was the right lawsuit or that was right lawsuit, the right strategy, the right legal theory or not. But that that was sort of all marching in the right direction and one of the things that is very different about 2024 then even 2020 has been just the absolute onslaught of litigation that election officials like yourself. They're facing by, like I said, by right wing organizations or Republican party that are avowedly trying to make it harder to vote like there's, there's a, there's not a pretense to it they're not trying to make it easier to vote for a different group of voters or voters They may think of more sympathetic. They're literally just trying to make it harder to vote. And, you know, the example that I just find the most like outrageous that like kind of illustrates all of this is a lawsuit that's been brought to essentially restrict the VA from registering voters in Michigan. Presumably who are veterans because they're at the VA. And I just curious how do you, how do you stay sane about this how do you process it how disruptive is it, you know, I'm not going to ask you to get into the merits of the cases because that's, you know, I'm sure you're going to say I'm not going to litigation but like, what do you, you know, what do you make of this. I think it's, it's, it's astounding to me, not just veterans but small business owners, both of whom we've developed historic partnerships with federal agencies that I'm really proud of, to very simply just get information to the citizens that these agencies serve. That's it. And all citizens, regardless of background, regardless of political position, regardless of how someone's going to use their vote, we want everyone to know and have access to it. And, you know, it's, it's amazing to me, but really just underscores again the depths to which people will go to try to create this sense of illegitimacy, a sense that laws are being violated, and really just intimidate. And the policies like mine agencies like the VA from making sure people's voices are heard and the people that we serve have access to their votes, and the ability to vote. I mean, the bottom line is I think helping veterans military service members and their families register to vote is a great thing. It shouldn't be controversial. The fact that the Republican National Committee has made it such and as well as many Republican members of Congress really says more about them than us. And I'm proud to be on the side, I guess you could say, of making sure veterans of which my husband is one military service members spouses that they can register to vote when they come to the VA and they can also receive election information and assistance. I think it should be our duty to do just that and meet people where they are and provide government services in a way that's convenient, particularly when it's about accessing your fundamental right to vote. We'll see how the lawsuits themselves play out, but what they're really doing is trying to create controversy over what is actually a nonpartisan well designed effort to engage more people in the political process regardless of how they're going to vote. And it's been quite shocking to me, I've even heard from other Republican secretaries of state accusing me of, I don't know, some some sort of wrongdoing it's not even clear you can't because there is nothing right, but it's just it's amazing to me how far and how deep this rough intimidation is going, because the bottom line is it should not be controversial to simply make it easier for veterans and members of the small business community to register to vote and participate in the political process. And, and, and by the way, you know I didn't, I didn't add but I should you mentioned the small business community. These are not traditionally democratic leaning communities. I mean, you know, the Republican National Committee is suing literally to prevent two agencies that serve really anti-Semitism and bipartisan bipartisan but, but not necessarily left of central leaning constituencies and you deserve an enormous amount of credit. This is what I mean about like, riding around. I just envision you like riding around being like, Oh, wait, we could get, I know we can get the money. Yeah, that's a great idea. Let's go do that. You mentioned with like NASCAR, we're partners with the Detroit Lions like this is what we do we partner with organizations that meet people where they are and say hey why you're here. Why don't you register to vote. I think every election official and secretary of state should be doing that. And it really just underscores this moment that we're in that it's become controversial to really just do our jobs. Yeah, and, and so I want to ask you you mentioned that you heard from some Republican Secretary of State. It wasn't that long ago that I felt like the National Association of Secretary of State, the bipartisan group of Secretary of State was actually like pretty functional like you had a lot of swapping of election voting ideas across jurisdictions. You know, you had, let's, let's remember, you know, Florida was one of the states that pioneered, you know, vote by mail, you know, it had early voting. It has early voting. You had Republican Secretary of State as a Republican States like Utah, adopt a vote by mail. You know, you, you, it didn't used to be that, that the Trey Grayson, the former Secretary of State of Kentucky was always a big advocate of more of voting in a state that was traditionally voted. So you had Republicans who were very much sharing ideas with Democrats. And you, by the way, had some Democrats who were not particularly great on voting back then, you know, it was, it was just a bipartisan mix. And it does feel to me that that the rain has shifted under you, that there is less of that going on, that organizations like Eric, which is, you know, let's be, you know, Eric for people who don't know it's an interest state compact of states to essentially share voter data information to make sure those voter rolls are kept clean, among other things it does. This is not a particularly, again, not a particularly democratic or left of center idea. It's just a good housekeeping way to, you know, to help states administer elections. And then Secretary of State have their poll their states out of Eric, even though that means dirty your voting rolls in their states. And so I'm just curious am I reading the room collectively correct or, or is there more bipartisanship still left. You know, in May of 2019 myself and the Alabama Secretary of State at the time john Merrill, developed a bipartisan coalition of secretaries of state, 10 Republicans, 10 Democrats, and we went to sell my Alabama and we crossed the Edna pettest bridge together for the first time that it ever happened. It was incredible weekend that we spent together really exactly as you said just developing we don't always agree on the particular, but we could agree that we had a duty to make sure everyone could vote and understanding of the history of folks who had stood in the way of that, and collectively deciding we wanted to be on the side of democracy on the side of helping everyone vote I had Republican secretaries at the time in tears say now I really understand what voter suppression is about It was a beautiful trip. It was amazing. And truly bipartisan you can look back now to the people who were on that and your jaw would drop because you would never see a trip like that happen today, even with those same people. That's what to me is so sad about how I thought at the very least, we as professional election administrators would hold in this moment, and that that organization as a professional election administration organization as would hold and not be overrun That is not what has happened, and it really is sad, because what we've lost is an opportunity to collaborate and share and support each other, but it really the turning point for me came in 2020 when Brad Raffensberger and Secretary of State did his job. Yeah, famously through a phone recording was pressured by the President of the United States Donald Trump to find 11,000 votes he said no, like, you know, did his job to great, you know, both celebration and controversy, and only one Republican Secretary of State after that occurred Kim Wyman who is then in Washington she was the only one on the Republican side that spoke out in support of what he did. And I was shocked I was, I, well intentionally after the election was like hey everyone, let's get together and put out a statement. It's just bipartisan statement reaffirming standing with our guy in Georgia and making sure he feels he's not alone because he's getting attacked right now, and we as election officials, every single one of us should be able to say as Secretary of State we would have done the same thing that he did and stand with him and I couldn't get a single Republican Secretary to sign on to that except for Kim, and it was for me the first moment when I knew things were different now, and you know that I still can't, it still blows my mind that it was a heavy lift. If not an impossible one to get Republican other Republican secretaries to sign on to something like that. In support of Brad Raffensberger for saying no I'm not going to find 11,000 votes after the Georgia presidential election so that kind of shows you how things have shifted and I think you're so I think your observation is right on. So we don't have a lot of time left but I have to ask you so the biggest question I get from the most people is they feel powerless, you know they say you know Mark, you talk to Secretary Benson and she sounds amazing she's doing all these things that are amazing. And everyone owes you a debt of gratitude not just in Michigan but around the country. But what can I do as a citizen like just I'm just a person who you know wants to make a difference what is it that you tell I'm sure people must come up to you all the time it asks us like what is it that people who are concerned about our democracy. They are already registered they're going to vote, but like what else can they do to help make your job easier your college jobs easier elections work better democracy work. Yeah well thank you first of all and it's it always is it I think the bottom line is the people who feel powerless actually have the most power and you have to remember that take that feeling of powerlessness and dismiss it because that's what you are against democracy wants you to feel so if you feel that they are winning and we cannot allow that you because the reality is you have more power with that Wayne County board of canvassers story underscores is that the people have more power even then election officials to protect democracy in this moment so stand in that power know that power you have as citizens which is far greater in a democracy than anyone else's when it's when you're working together to push forward and so the three things I would do in this moment is number one know the rules of voting in your state and to a certain extent other states as well and that may seem relatively simple but misinformation takes hold in a vacuum it takes hold when there's a clean a blank slate of information about the certification process of voting process about how paper ballots are counted so no going into this fall you know that every one of the battleground states every voter will be voting on paper ballots that there are audits after the fact to count those paper ballots know and understand all the intricacies of voting so that step two when the misinformation hits you can be a voice for truth a democracy ambassador in Michigan we've actually established a democracy ambassador program where any citizen can sign up to get weekly newsletters about the intricacies of voting and elections in our state so that you can be that knowledgeable expert as a citizen and be that ambassador for truth when the misinformation hits so when you see misinformation or you see attacks of around our voting process of entities like PolitiFact and you know the number of other websites that we can get you or just your local secretaries of state office to or local clerk's office to debunk misinformation and get the truthful information out so being a know the facts debug the misinformation and be committed to doing those things because that is what will actually help us protect against the biggest threat to election security today which is voters being fooled about the rules of voting and the very specific process we have in place in states like ours multilayered to protect the security of the results and make sure they're accurate and then finally the third thing I would say is you know this election is going to define the future of our country for generations to come and really make your vote and the work you do between now and November a reflection of that seriousness a reflection of the fact that we all have a responsibility to defend who we are in this country in this moment there are people on the ballot who have already shown us who they are in regards to their respect for the will of the people and the democratic process and so we do have to think through as Adam Kinzinger said the Democratic National Convention I know we're not partisan but all that like you think he really made the case quite clearly that this is more than an election this is a moment for our country and as voters we have to be a part of ensuring everyone knows that no matter what someone's party is we have to elevate leaders who will speak the truth and respect citizens and our voice and our votes and this is our moment to show as a nation that we're committed to doing that and that's why we all have the power in this moment to do all those things and it is the most important thing that we as citizens can do for these next few months Well, Secretary Benson you are a hero of mine you're a hero of everyone in this country who cares about democracy and the number of people who just come up to me on the street or send me emails or messages who tell me how inspired by you they are would be amazing I'm sure you get it directly as well but you know that there are people out here who love the work you do and admire you every single day so thank you for joining Thanks that means a lot thank you for having me thank you for all your work as well to be a champion for democracy you're a hero as well and grateful to be here with you today Thanks for joining to stay up to date on the latest voting rights and democracy news please make sure you're subscribed to Democracy Doc it's free daily and weekly newsletters we'll see you next time defending Democracy is a production of Democracy Docadella City [Music]