Jocelyn Benson

Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American academic administrator, attorney, and politician serving as the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Military Spouses of Michigan, and a board member of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. Benson is the author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process.

In 2018, Benson was elected as the Secretary of State in Michigan, securing the position with an 8.9 percentage point margin over Republican Mary Treder Lang. This victory made her the first Democrat to hold the office since 1995. She was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican Kristina Karamo by a margin of 14 percentage points, setting a record for the largest margin and vote share among statewide candidates that year.

She has gained national prominence for her role as Michigan's Secretary of State. During her tenure, she has implemented significant election and customer service reforms. As a leading advocate for American elections since 2020, Benson streamlined registration, maintained accurate voter ID, and facilitated voting. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she initiated the early distribution of absentee ballots, spearheaded a campaign to train new poll workers, and mailed absentee voter applications to all 7.7 million registered Michigan voters.

Benson played a pivotal role in the 2020 presidential election, overseeing a historic turnout and countering baseless fraud allegations. She faced intense criticism from then-President Donald Trump, who targeted her mailing effort, calling her a "rogue Secretary of State." Threats, including armed demonstrators outside her home and death threats, persisted. She received the Presidential Citizens Medal in January 2023, for her "undaunted and unflinching" work in performing "exemplary public service to advance free and fair elections."