LANSING, Mich. (WXMI) — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced plans to expand protections for voters and election workers during a news conference Tuesday.
She says the Election Policy Advisory Task Force has been created, made up of nonpartisan members including election officials and committee members from the Michigan House and Senate.
“As Michigan's chief election officer, my responsibility is to ensure that our elections are accessible, safe, secure and that the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people,” Benson said. “For the last several years, election officials in our state have been faced with an unprecedented wave of continuous unrelenting harassment and threats in during these threats creates a near constant strain of anxiety and stress on their work.”
Benson says threats and harassment occurred not only during the 2020 and 2022 election cycles but also during elections over the past decade.
The newly formed task force will facilitate the implementation of new constitutional amendments and review feedback on election bills that would further strengthen Michigan’s election system, according to Benson.
“We will be working together to build a stronger, healthier democracy that ensures every voice is heard and every vote is counted,” Benson added.
The secretary of state was joined, among others, by Rep. Kara Hope, D–74th district, who announced plans to reintroduce a bill that would make the act of intimidating an election worker a misdemeanor.
Watch the full news conference here:
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