Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson accused of not complying with subpoena
LANSING, MIch - The Michigan House Oversight Committee’s rare decision to issue two subpoenas against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has intensified, with House Speaker Matt Hall claiming today that Benson has explicitly refused to comply. The subpoenas, authorized on April 15 in a 9-6 party-line vote, demand election training materials that Republicans say Benson has withheld, escalating a months-long clash over transparency and election security.
The dispute began in November 2024, when Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin), then minority vice chair of the House Elections Committee, requested training materials provided to local election clerks to ensure compliance with new laws, including a 2022 constitutional amendment expanding early voting. Benson’s office provided hundreds of documents but withheld others, citing sensitive election security information that required redaction. The standoff prompted Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), chair of the Oversight Committee, to issue subpoenas—one targeting Benson personally and another the Michigan Department of State—demanding unredacted materials by May 14 at the House Office Building.
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On April 24, Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, told reporters that Benson had informed the committee she would not comply, a claim echoed in posts on X. “The days of the Secretary of State doing whatever they want without oversight are over,” Hall said, warning that non-compliance could lead to court action. “If she won’t comply, she’ll be dragged into court.”
Benson’s office, through spokesperson Angela Benander, disputed Hall’s characterization, calling the subpoenas “unnecessary.” Benander told Michigan Public Radio that the withheld materials, including “active screens” of the qualified voter file and secure communication protocols, could jeopardize election security if released unredacted. “We’ve provided hundreds of documents and offered to brief the committee privately, but they refused,” she said, adding that the office is prepared to challenge the subpoenas in court to protect election integrity.
Democrats slammed the subpoenas as partisan overreach. House Minority Leader Joe Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) called them a “gross overstep,” accusing Hall of using the committee’s new subpoena powers—granted under rules adopted in January—to target political opponents like Benson, who is running for governor in 2026. “This is about political persecution, not transparency,” Hertel told CBS Detroit.
Republicans, however, insisted the materials are essential for legislative oversight. Smit told MLive the documents are “basic training materials” routinely shared with clerks, not sensitive secrets. DeBoyer, speaking on the It’s Just Politics podcast, said, “Only the guilty need to feel guilty,” implying Benson’s resistance raises suspicions.
The subpoenas follow a history of tension between Benson and Hall, who, as Oversight Committee chair in 2020, invited her to testify on election integrity, only for Benson to decline, citing concerns over amplifying disinformation. Legal experts suggest Benson’s potential court challenge could hinge on proving the materials’ release risks election security, a stance courts may uphold, according to the Detroit News.
As the May 14 deadline nears, the dispute has polarized Lansing. On X, some users accused Benson of hiding misconduct, while others praised her for safeguarding elections. With Hall’s latest remarks signaling no retreat, Michigan’s political divide deepens, and the courts may soon decide the fate of this high-stakes showdown.
